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joshooowah's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
4.0
spamrisk's review against another edition
4.0
Think you're creative?
No way you're more creative
than Pixar. Learn stuff.
No way you're more creative
than Pixar. Learn stuff.
xispo's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not one to read management-type books, but this is not your typical sort of business handbook. The intersection of art and commerce is always a tricky place to live and Ed's book on how they built and, more importantly, sustained a vibrant, creative culture is a fascinating read. As someone who works in a similar field, I found many of the outlined topics to be familiar/obvious; but certainly you can't argue with the results he and other Pixarians have produced. I particularly enjoyed the anecdotes that showcased a bit of Pixar history, which would make this book an interesting read for anyone who is a fan of their movies. Special appreciation for him revisiting the book with new musings and updates.
joewilkinson's review against another edition
5.0
Unexpectedly amazing. Perhaps it's because I recently read Adam Grant's 'Think Again' which has a lot of similar themes about thinking and creativity. I expected it to be very business-y but was so surprised by the engaging recounting of the story of Pixar. So many little nuggets of wisdom that I took from it and will most likely read it again.
Also I teared up several times which is very impressive for a business book so well done. Made me even more interested in the story of Pixar, as initially I wasn't too bothered, I picked this up for its thoughts on creativity on general.
Also I teared up several times which is very impressive for a business book so well done. Made me even more interested in the story of Pixar, as initially I wasn't too bothered, I picked this up for its thoughts on creativity on general.
faldor's review against another edition
3.0
More on management than filmmaking though he did miss the section on wage fixing!
lornbr's review against another edition
5.0
I was very impressed how creativity, drawing, and storytelling in the case of Pixar, and Software Engineer have in common.
No, I don't think that we need inspiration and stuff to work and a lot of work we do is not a game changer in any matter but that's in true in animation too. Of course, that does not apply to the history/script itself, but even there we have some framework/recipes like the "Hero's Journey".
Talking about coincidences, Edwin Catmull, the book's author, is a friend of Alan Kay they study at the college together and Alan Kay introduce Steve Jobs to Ed
Some quotes from the book
“I believe the best managers acknowledge and make room for what they do not know—not just because humility is a virtue but because until one adopts that mindset, the most striking breakthroughs cannot occur. I believe that managers must loosen the controls, not tighten them. They must accept risk; they must trust the people they work with and strive to clear the path for them; and always, they must pay attention to and engage with anything that creates fear. Moreover, successful leaders embrace the reality that their models may be wrong or incomplete. Only when we admit what we don’t know can we ever hope to learn it.”
“it is not the manager’s job to prevent risks. It is the manager’s job to make it safe to take them.”
“If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up. If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something better.”
“If you aren’t experiencing failure, then you are making a far worse mistake: You are being driven by the desire to avoid it.”
“When it comes to creative inspiration, job titles and hierarchy are meaningless.”
“What is the point of hiring smart people, we asked, if you don’t empower them to fix what’s broken?”
“You don’t have to ask permission to take responsibility.”
“For many people, changing course is also a sign of weakness, tantamount to admitting that you don’t know what you are doing. This strikes me as particularly bizarre—personally, I think the person who can’t change his or her mind is dangerous. Steve Jobs was known for changing his mind instantly in the light of new facts, and I don’t know anyone who thought he was weak.”
“Making the process better, easier, and cheaper is an important aspiration, something we continually work on—but it is not the goal. Making something great is the goal.”
“We start from the presumption that our people are talented and want to contribute. We accept that, without meaning to, our company is stifling that talent in myriad unseen ways. Finally, we try to identify those impediments and fix them.”
“What interests me is the number of people who believe that they have the ability to drive the train and who think that this is the power position—that driving the train is the way to shape their companies’ futures. The truth is, it’s not. Driving the train doesn’t set its course. The real job is laying the track.”
No, I don't think that we need inspiration and stuff to work and a lot of work we do is not a game changer in any matter but that's in true in animation too. Of course, that does not apply to the history/script itself, but even there we have some framework/recipes like the "Hero's Journey".
Talking about coincidences, Edwin Catmull, the book's author, is a friend of Alan Kay they study at the college together and Alan Kay introduce Steve Jobs to Ed
Some quotes from the book
“I believe the best managers acknowledge and make room for what they do not know—not just because humility is a virtue but because until one adopts that mindset, the most striking breakthroughs cannot occur. I believe that managers must loosen the controls, not tighten them. They must accept risk; they must trust the people they work with and strive to clear the path for them; and always, they must pay attention to and engage with anything that creates fear. Moreover, successful leaders embrace the reality that their models may be wrong or incomplete. Only when we admit what we don’t know can we ever hope to learn it.”
“it is not the manager’s job to prevent risks. It is the manager’s job to make it safe to take them.”
“If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up. If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something better.”
“If you aren’t experiencing failure, then you are making a far worse mistake: You are being driven by the desire to avoid it.”
“When it comes to creative inspiration, job titles and hierarchy are meaningless.”
“What is the point of hiring smart people, we asked, if you don’t empower them to fix what’s broken?”
“You don’t have to ask permission to take responsibility.”
“For many people, changing course is also a sign of weakness, tantamount to admitting that you don’t know what you are doing. This strikes me as particularly bizarre—personally, I think the person who can’t change his or her mind is dangerous. Steve Jobs was known for changing his mind instantly in the light of new facts, and I don’t know anyone who thought he was weak.”
“Making the process better, easier, and cheaper is an important aspiration, something we continually work on—but it is not the goal. Making something great is the goal.”
“We start from the presumption that our people are talented and want to contribute. We accept that, without meaning to, our company is stifling that talent in myriad unseen ways. Finally, we try to identify those impediments and fix them.”
“What interests me is the number of people who believe that they have the ability to drive the train and who think that this is the power position—that driving the train is the way to shape their companies’ futures. The truth is, it’s not. Driving the train doesn’t set its course. The real job is laying the track.”
cristiangarcia's review against another edition
5.0
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.