Creativity, Inc. Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration

Ed discussed some principles that need to be kept in order for a creative organization to thrive. Among them: Finding a balance between giving time towards the process and meeting deadlines. Allowing each individual to share ideas. There is no ownership of ideas. Rather, the philosophy is to instead say ideas were spun out of collaboration with everyone. A focus on the unit, rather than the individual. Pixar has a brain trust,in which each movie idea goes through the hangar and is flogged, whipped and buttered towards refinement. Honesty is a crucial ingredient in the creative process. There needs to be a healthy dose of freedom to express different view points and attack the feasibility of ideas. This works because individuals look at ideas as no their own, but rather as a means of improving the ideas of the whole.

Really long winded, but highly relevant for creative leaders and people managers.

just love the way this man thinks

True inspiration. A great and informative read for any leader, creative mind, or just someone looking for a spark of creativity in their lives.

Highly recommended. Fantastic book.

Well, in the process of trying to edit my bookshelves, I apparently deleted my non-fiction shelve along with all the books on it, my reviews of them, and my quotes from them. I won't try to recreate my original review of this book, but I will say that I enjoyed it. It was very interesting how Catmull combined many different business models -such as Deming's- to come up with a custom model for nurturing creativity. Although at times it did seem more like a memoir, it was still fascinating. And there were a lot of really good quotes!

This book was excellent. It's no surprise that Pixar is a stunning company but what goes into cultivating the creativity there is quite astounding. There have been plenty of ups and downs throughout Pixar's life cycle but look at the company that was born out of those struggles! Ed Catmull is a terrific and engaging author. I don't know much about him at this point but would love to learn more. I'll have to re-listen to his episode of the Tim Ferriss podcast. Finally, I really enjoyed hearing more about Steve Jobs' role at Pixar. It was briefly touched upon in his bio (which was splendid) but Ed brought another level to that. The words written at the end of the book, about Steve, almost had me crying. Great book, would recommend!

Musings on how to focus an organization on creativity rather than the typical fears and games of most businesses. How to sustain a creative culture as an organization grows. Lots of humility from the head of Pixar, and also a perspective on Steve Jobs that's useful, rather than worshipful or derisive.

One of the most insightful books on business and creativity I have read. The story is sustained on methods, frameworks and freedom at the same time. Really valuable reading.

I was surprised by the management content for this book about creative cultures.

I’m updating my score from 4 to 5, years after I read it. This book was great food for thought and it has kept coming to mind as inspiration for many different challenges. I guess my initial 4 ⭐️ was in part due to how the book feeds the mythology of the Silicon Valley entrepreneurship pantheon. But despite that, this narration is full of insight and edifying reflections about creativity and collaboration.

Its a good read, there is more about business approach then Pixar story itself so some people might be disappointed. I really liked it, there are few good points on how to create creative environment.

It was an amazing read to help me set some standards and aspirations for future workplaces as a designer. Got a little boring for me halfway through but picked up pace when the part on the Pixar-Disney merger came up.

Magical. This is the only word I can find to describe what I felt reading this roller-coaster non-fiction book. Amazing, thrilling, emotional, and highly inspiring. This is a book that any lover of animation will adore, more even if you love Pixar movies. But more important than that, this is a book that every manager of creative companies should read and re-read. I know this is asking too much, but it should be obligatory in every MBA. It'll not be, because it professes such a different philosophical perspective of what a company is, and what it must be. However people in the business domains should stop and look at the legacy of Pixar, and question why the hell Pixar has not yet made one single flop movie? A book that brings the entire story of Pixar into the open, sharing the entire secret of its success, shows immediately what kind of vision is behind these minds! Thanks Ed Catmull, thanks for the legacy, and thanks for this amazing book. Análise do livro em maior profundidade em português: http://virtual-illusion.blogspot.pt/2...

Immens inspirerend en bomvol praktische tips en uitleg om creatieve bedrijven te laten floreren. Op driekwart bijna te droog, maar dat duurt niet lang. Prachtige voorbeelden uit het oeuvre van Ed Catmull, John Lasseter, Steve Jobs, Pixar én Walt Disney Animation.

Difficult to describe. Was interesting, but not too exciting. Some inspiration and some good points, but felt a bit too extended. It was more like an autobiography in context of Pixar. So not really what the title says, nevertheless a good read. [reading time: 11h44m]

Rather than trying to prevent all errors, we should assume, as is almost always the case, that our people’s intentions are good and that they want to solve problems. Give them responsibility, let the mistakes happen, and let people fix them. If there is fear, there is a reason—our job is to find the reason and to remedy it. Management’s job is not to prevent risk but to build the ability to recover. There are many management tips in this book similar to the one aboe. For more, please read: https://myhighlightz.blogspot.com/201...

I'd come across the idea of the brain trust before in other management literature about Pixar, and this book gave some background and more about the type of dynamic inside Pixar that made it so special. One of the most interesting sentences in the book are where Steve Jobs was reflecting on how the power of the story and creations would outlast technology that ended up on a scrap heap. I think that's very telling. What I liked a lot was the combination of visionary and creativity with the imperative of delivering a product at a manageable cost and while keeping relationships intact. Also the idea of candor as opposed to honesty and how to create an environment of tough but respectful and meaningful feedback. There is also a healthy respect for the need for change and how have environment where people could move forward without fearing failure, since there was a lack of personal recrimination.

Best book I've read in 2016. MUST READ

Powerful perspective on leading creative organizations This will be a book I return to again and again throughout my career. It is chocked full of experience and wisdom that demonstrates the least and more effective approaches for getting the best out of a creative organization.

Not entirely what I was hoping for in this book, although the story of how Pixar came to be and grew was entertaining. Good thoughts on management, especially for a creative company. But all in all a bit longer than needed, and more for management/business side of things and less cerebral than I was hoping for. (Although I acknowledge the two are interconnected.)

Really interesting read both providing a nice history of Pixar and some ideas on how to foster creativity in the work place.

If ever there was a book that deserved 6 stars, it's this one! I went into Creativity, Inc. thinking I would learn a few practical but somewhat boring lessons about management techniques. I was so wrong! Yes, this book has a lot of great management advice and lessons, but it also offers so much more than that. For a glimpse into what all this book has to offer (which is a lot), continue reading. If you want my overall impression and the most important takeaway, skip to the last paragraph! Creativity, Inc. teaches general life lessons (the importance of honesty, how to stay humble, why failure is a good thing, etc.); it has lessons for writers (how to craft meaningful stories, the importance of teamwork to story development, how to trust yourself through the writing process, etc.); it even offers lessons in history (the development of Pixar as an animation studio, a brief look at Disney Animation Studios, the partnership between Steve Jobs and Pixar, Ed Catmull's personal and professional journey, and even the origins of the Internet, etc.). As I read through this book, I felt that I needed four different color pens in which to underline: of course, one color pen for my professional, PR/management self to underline the many lessons in management, marketing, and organizational culture; a second color pen for my personal self to underline general life lessons and inspirational aphorisms; a third color pen for my writer self to underline lessons in plot, character, and setting development; and a fourth color pen for my history self to underline historical lessons of all kinds. And now that I think about it, even a fifth color pen (glittery gold) in which to underline perhaps the coolest parts of this book: when Catmull gives personal glimpses into the conception and development of several beloved Pixar movies. I was utterly captivated by Catmull's description of the story and design changes - both big and small - that my favorite Pixar movies went through before their release! It has been hard to summarize this long, grand book in one short review. The most important thing to know is that it isn't your typical manager's self-help book. It is an enjoyable, relevant, and insightful read for anyone interested in creativity, management, writing, design, history and more. As the silhouette of Buzz Lightyear on the jacket suggests, Creativity, Inc. covers everything to infinity and beyond!

By the end of the book you realize you read a management book while it seemed you were reading some friend’s story written on a letter. The author’s lessons are no more than the hard experiences he went through and what he learned with them. His messages gets through, and you close the book feeling prepared to lead your own company.