Put down your phone

26 February 2015 Unknown 0 Comments

This fascinating podcast episode, Want to be creative? Try getting bored, touches at one of the things I was getting at with Son of Shadow Hero of Light. It's less than 10 minutes, so it's really easy to listen to. It talks about how people get distracted so much with their phones that they lose creativity.

It also talks about how kids are learning to never be bored because if they feel the slightest twinge of boredom, they immediately turn to their phone or iPad. They're conditioning themselves to not have original thoughts, but to constantly be fed thoughts externally. That sounds dangerous.

Personally, I use technology to curb my creative ideas. It sounds funny, but I used to drive to work in silence, walk to school in silence, etc. This was great for brilliant ideas. I had so many ideas, that I practically drove my wife crazy because I'd come home every few days excited about my newest idea that would change the world. Not only did it tire her out, but I never got around to any of those.

I'm not saying it's bad to have lots of new ideas even if they come to nothing, but I noticed that it was hard to focus on my current project with all those "great" ideas. So now I usually drive to work listening to audiobooks or podcasts (and I'm not in school anymore). Now and then I'll drive in silence and my thoughts seem to be more focused on my current project. So I get great ideas that help me move forward with my project.

When I'm ready to start thinking about other projects, I'll drive in silence for a while and the ideas start to flood in. Not all in one day or even the first week, but a little bit at a time, great ideas come.

So I use distraction as like a dam or a floodgate. When I'm ready for a flood, I remove the distractions.

What has technology done to your creativity?

Our deep dive comes to an end

24 February 2015 Unknown 0 Comments

image by northboroughed.org

It's time to end our deep dive into Creativity, Inc. I've loved re-reading and discussing this landmark book. To be sure, there are lots more things that we could talk about. There's so many more gems in that book, but it's at the point where you'll just have to read it yourself to find them.

To close this study, I want to add that John Lasseter and Ed Catmull took what they had learned at Pixar to Disney Animation when they started leading that and found what they had learned to be true and applicable there as well. That lends more strength to their teachings.

And since they've been at Disney Animation, the studio has come out with Wreck-It-Ralph, Frozen, and Big Hero 6. Just mentioning Frozen alone tells you that they've turned the studio around, but all three of those are powerful, emotional movies that really hit it big.

Imagine what would happen if you took what you've learned from Ed Catmull's book and applied it to your own work. You're going to knock it out of the park!

Experimenting

19 February 2015 Unknown 0 Comments

image by ljeditorial.com

…you should not be required to justify everything. We must always leave the door open for the unexpected.

Scientific research operates in this way—when you embark on an experiment, you don't know if you will achieve a breakthrough. Chances are, you won't. But nevertheless, you may stumble on a piece of the puzzle along the way—a glimpse, if you will, into the unknown. —Ed Catmull

Pixar known—in part—for their animated shorts. Everyone loves 'em and hopes there will be one at the beginning of each movie. They started this for fun, but continued it for its potential as a way to experiment with new directors and push their technology.

It turns out they were very wrong about being able to turn directors of shorts into good directors of feature-length films. They were also wrong about the technology boost because it's their feature films that really push their technology, but the experimentation has some benefits that they didn't expect.

Each short costs like $2M to make, but Ed Catmull says its worth it, but not for the reasons you might think.

1. Broad experience and less specialization for employees
2. Small teams == deeper relationships
3. Forges a bond with moviegoers
4. Sends a message to employees that Pixar values artistry 
5. A relatively inexpensive way to screw up

Learning to See

17 February 2015 Unknown 0 Comments

image from ambirkelo.wordpress.com

Pixar taught drawing classes to employees, but I know what you're first thought is. 'Why do they have drawing classes for world-class animators?' Your second thought is that they did it so the non-animators could learn what the animators went through to make a blockbuster movie.

You're wrong.

This is why it is so frustrating that the funding for arts programs in schools has been decimated. And those cuts stem from a fundamental misconception that art classes are about learning to draw. In fact, they are about learning to see.

To understand why we need to learn to see, we'll start with an example from the book that Ed Catmull uses. When we try to draw a face, most of us will draw the eyes and mouth too large and forehead too small. The parts of the face will be out of proportion and it won't look like anyone in particular. Right now in your minds you are picturing a generic face.

But the problem is, "we don't draw a face as it is: rather, we draw it as our models say it is."

This goes back to Ed Catmull's discussion on mental models. Our minds have these preconceived ideas or pictures or feelings about everything. It's impossible for our brains to comprehend and use all the complexity of everything, so it simplifies it into models.

When you think of a chair, a picture comes into your head. Not all chairs look like that, but your brain understands 'chair' by that generic picture.

Art teachers have people look at a chair and draw the negative space around the chair. They draw what isn't the chair. They will also have people look at a familiar object upside down. Both of these techniques are to trick the eye into seeing what is actually there and not let the brain boot up a mental model of the thing you are trying to draw.

This is crux of learning to see. Don't let those mental models get in the way of reality.

And this is kind of the crux of most of what Ed Catmull has learned about staying creative. There is so much we don't understand and there is so much that our mind just simplifies that it's hard to see reality. But we must strive to see reality.

Whether or not you ever pick up a sketchpad or dream of being an animator, I hope you understand how it is possible, with practice, to teach your brain to observe something clearly without letting your preconceptions kick in.…focusing on something can make it more difficult to see. The goal is to learn to suspend, if only temporarily, the habits and impulses that obscure your vision.

What have you tried to turn off your mental models and see the world as it is?

Announcing Son of Shadow Hero of Light

12 February 2015 Unknown 0 Comments

Back in like November, I said I would have some exciting news about my creative writing. I said it would be soon, but I don't think 4 months counts as 'soon'. Either way, I have some exciting news today about my creative writing.

Today my first novel, Son of Shadow Hero of Light, is available on Amazon (Kindle and print)! It's a story about a 12 year old boy who lives in a world where everyone has superpowers, but his is the worst of the Nine Powers. Because of that, he's always being picked on and bullied and he doesn't really know his place in life. And this is his spiritual journey with superpowers to find himself.

You can watch the video trailer at the bottom of the post, and you can read a cheat sheet about how to teleport successfully here.

Thanks to Liberty Movie Productions for your time and talents to make that video.

The story may not be for everyone; it was written for a group of Christian youth that I used to serve, but I suspect that children from 10-14 will enjoy it, and it will especially be helpful for parents of those children.

I've used the principles of engineering and artistry to create this tale, and it's taken me over a year. I was able to use my love of typography to make the inside of the book look beautiful (and hopefully the cover as well). Making this book has helped inform me of many of the things we've talked about in this blog. It's given me hands-on experience with the artistic side of the creative process.

I don't advertise on this blog, or ask for donations, but if you feel like you want to support what we're exploring here, this is the only way I'll let you do that. If you'd like to receive updates in your inbox, consider subscribing to my email list. I hardly ever send out emails because I hate spam.

If you do decide to pick up a copy, I hope you'll let me know what you think (please be candid) either by leaving a comment below, leaving a review on Amazon, or sending me a message on twitter, facebook, or wherever else you hang out.

Enjoy the video:

New name!

10 February 2015 Unknown 0 Comments

Since starting this blog, I've learned a lot. And I think we're at a point where we need to change the title of the blog to reflect the things we've learned.

So today I'm announcing that the title (you already saw it at the top of the page, so it isn't a big reveal) is The Artistic Engineer. The subtitle is "engineering art—artfully engineering".

I originally called it "Becoming a Disciplined Wanderer" because I felt like the discipline part hinted at the engineering side, not just working consistently at your art. It meant problem solving. But as I've written, I've realized that the benefits of engineering on art, are not just problem-solving, or that saying "disciplined" doesn't get at all the important aspects of engineering.

And saying "wanderer" doesn't really do justice to the artistic side either. Yes, wandering is important in the creative process, but art is more than just meandering.

Anyway, I'm not sure if I'm explaining my reasoning very well, but it's time for a change because we've grown and learned. Yay us!

My talk at Pandamonium

05 February 2015 Unknown 0 Comments

We're going to take another break from Creativity, Inc. for a week or so because there are some important things we need to cover, but don't worry, the last few posts will be back soon. This post actually does deal with Creativity, Inc. so you'll get your fix for one more day.

I spoke at a conference called Pandamonium about "The Dual Nature of Creativity or Why Apple & Pixar Rule the World."

The video focuses on the slides, which isn't too great, because I use the slides very minimally. I also gave people like 5-10 minutes to read some things from my blog, so if you're bored during the awkward silence, go ahead and read the Steve Jobs posts and the Creativity Inc posts from my blog (hopefully re-reading, right?) in another tab.

Enjoy!

5 ways to get in the Pixar frame of mind

03 February 2015 Unknown 0 Comments

One of the last few chapters of the book lists several things ("mechanisms") that Pixar uses to get in "a different frame of mind." I don't think that's the best way to put it, but they're trying to stay creative and original. They don't want to get in a creative rut and make a B movie.

So in this post I'll talk about some of those things, but there are a couple of them that deserve their own post. This post is going to be a lot of quotes without my commentary, because let's face it: you want to hear from the expert, not me.

Midstream feedback

…everyone at Pixar shows incomplete work, and everyone is free to make suggestions. When they realize this, the embarrassment goes away—and when the embarrassment goes away, people become more creative.

The critiques that were offered were specific and meticulous. Every scene was prosecuted relentlessly.…'We go through every single frame with a fine-toothed comb, over and over and over again.'

"Individual creativity is magnified by the people around you."

Research Trips

"You must go out and do research," says John Lasseter.

"You'll never stumble upon the unexpected if you stick only to the familiar."

Integrating Technology and Art

"Art challenges technology, technology inspires art," says John Lasseter.

Given how different the two mindsets can be, it can be tough to keep them aligned and engaged with each other. But in my view, the effort is always worth it. Our specialized skills and mental models are challenged when we integrate with people who are different.

Postmordems

This is an after-the-fact examination of how their movie turned out and it can be hard to do right.

Companies, like individuals, do not become exceptional by believing they are exceptional but by understanding the ways in which they aren't exceptional.

It isn't just postmordems, though: In general, people are resistant to self-assessment. Companies are bad at it, too. Looking inward, to them, often boils down to this: 'We are successful, so what we are doing must be correct.' Or the converse: 'We failed, so what we did was wrong.' This is shallow.

"A good postmordem arms people with the right questions to ask going forward."

Continuing to Learn

Well, there you have it. Some great things the think about and very little about how to go apply this in your creative life. Let me know how you've applied these things and whether they've worked or not.