I recently finished the audiobook of Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces that Stand In the Way of True Inspiration, by Ed Catmull, who is the president of Pixar Animation and Disney Animation. It was inspiring look at the creative processes behind both studios and also a window into Catmull’s own philosophies surrounding creativity. I found it entertaining, inspiring and empowering.

Here are three things I enjoyed most about it:

  • In one section, Catmull talked about the randomness of the universe and how you can’t always predict which businesses will do well and which ones won’t. This, for some reason, provided a rush of relief. My husband was listening to it at that moment, and he laughed with the kind of laugh that said, “Oh, thank God.” All people, Catmull said, are subject to the randomness of the universe, and though you can do all you can to try to climb out of whatever the universe gives you, sometimes it’s the right time to take a new path.
  • In another part of the book, Catmull talked about the importance of honesty and candor in creative organizations. At Pixar, the creative people hold a Braintrust meeting where everyone comes into the meeting room already on the same side and aligned under the same goal—to make better movies. So when someone says, “I don’t think this plot line is going to work,” it’s not because they’re being critical but because they’re being honest. I loved this philosophy and hope to employ it when I have a creative team of my own someday.
  • Catmull shared about the ups and downs of Pixar in a very transparent way. It was comforting to know that the company had been on the edge of bankruptcy several times in its life. He talked extensively about failures and how much we can learn from them.

I can’t say enough about this book. Even though it was geared toward creative companies rather than people, I found the whole thing a helpful study in mindset, business and, of course, creativity. When I one day have a company of my own, this is the first book I’ll require that employees read.

The book mentioned above has an affiliate link attached to it, which means I’ll get a small kick-back if you click on it and purchase. But I only recommend books I enjoy reading myself. Actually, I don’t even talk about books I didn’t enjoy. I’d rather forget I ever wasted time reading them (but if you’re curious whether I’ve read something or what I thought about it and it’s not mentioned here, feel free to ask).