For me, creativity includes problem-solving. That's the broad definition of it. Edwin Catmull More Quotes by Edwin Catmull More Quotes From Edwin Catmull I apply the term 'creativity' broadly... it's problem solving. We are all faced with problems, and we have to address them and think of something new, and that's where creativity comes in. Edwin Catmull problemsthinkcreativityproblem I started off life at Pixar with interesting technical problems. But as time has moved on, I found that the social and management problem was far more complex and interesting. Edwin Catmull problemsmanagementtimelife It is not the manager's job to prevent risks. It is the manager's job to make it safe to take them. Edwin Catmull managerrisksjobsafe If you put out 20 films, you hope that a number are successful. It's like human reproduction versus frog reproduction. Frogs produce thousands and hope a few succeed. Humans don't produce many babies but put a lot of energy into them, which is kind of where we are. They still don't always succeed, but you try a lot harder. Edwin Catmull yousucceedenergyhope Every one of our films, when we start off, they suck... our job is to take it from something that sucks to something that doesn't suck. That's the hard part. Edwin Catmull somethingjobstarthard The trick is, in everything we do, there are things we love. And sometimes the things we love get us stuck. And it's only if we let go of some of those things that we free the movie up to become greater. Edwin Catmull freegosometimeslove Everything's interconnected. That's the way life is. Edwin Catmull everythinginterconnectedlifeway After Pixar's 2006 merger with the Walt Disney Company, its CEO, Bob Iger, asked me, chief creative officer John Lasseter, and other Pixar senior managers to help him revive Disney Animation Studios. The success of our efforts prompted me to share my thinking on how to build a sustainable creative organization. Edwin Catmull meorganizationsuccessthinking Technical understanding should be a core competency of any company. Edwin Catmull corecompanyunderstandingshould When I was young, it was television that was taking off, and so you had people worried that people were spending too much time watching television. Edwin Catmull youtimepeopletelevision We need to remember we're always a lot more wrong than we think. Edwin Catmull needthinkalwaysremember A hallmark of a healthy creative culture is that its people feel free to share ideas, opinions, and criticisms. Our decision-making is better when we draw on the collective knowledge and unvarnished opinions of the group. Edwin Catmull feelculturepeopleknowledge I've always been surprised at the number of people who think we've got it all figured out. It's incorrect, and it's a real problem. Edwin Catmull thinkproblemrealpeople I eagerly await the day when there is a replacement for the meniscus. Edwin Catmull awaitreplacementeagerlyday Believe me, you don't want to be at a company where there is more candor in the hallways than in the rooms where fundamental ideas or policy are being hashed out. Edwin Catmull meyoubelieveideas Part of being the successful Pixar is that we will take risks on teams and ideas, and some of them won't work out. We only lose from this if we don't respond to the failures. If we respond, and we think it through and figure out how to move ahead, then we're learning from it. That's what Pixar is. Edwin Catmull riskslearningworkideas Look at the computer industry. I've watched a lot of companies come and go, some that were right at the pinnacle of their success. Edwin Catmull come-and-gogolooksuccess The problem is some of our riskier films just don't make as much money. But if you only make films that will just be commercially successful, then you can also sink yourself as a studio. Edwin Catmull yourselfyoumoneyproblem Believe me, sequels are just as hard to make as original films. Edwin Catmull justmehardbelieve
