Coarse Guides — Creativity, Inc
Inspiration from the Story of Pixar
What to know?
Published: April 2014
Size: 368 pages across 13 Chapters divided into four parts
Popularity: New York Times Best Seller
The Theme: Creativity, Inc is a book true to its title. It is a book about creativity, inspiration, and experimentation. It is also a book that examines human behavior and the nature of corporations to stifle and inhibit their own creativity. It is a book that feels very personal and honest.
The Author: Ed Catmull is the President and Co-Founder of Pixar Animation and also the President of Disney Animation. He has a PhD in computer science and nearly a half-dozen Academy Awards. This alone is quite an interesting combination, but Ed also has first-hand experience working with both George Lucas and Steve Jobs.
Who should read it?
If you are engaged in any sort of creative industry, this book ranks as a must-read. If that industry includes storytelling and/or technology then doubly so.
Why should you read it?
The author has a very approachable style and the book serves as a perfect case study for how to conduct a business that embraces creativity. It provides inspiration and practical solutions to challenging problems faced by many businesses that engage in technology, content, and storytelling.
Read it to be inspired. Read it to learn from a man and a company that have walked the walk and succeeded in a space that was completely uncharted before Pixar was started.
Caveats, provisos, and disclaimers
This book doesn’t work miracles. Most of us are not trying to build animated films, so some facets of the Pixar story are difficult to port to other industries. And as the current president, Ed likely painted a picture with more of a filter than he might have otherwise.
In Our Opinion: This book is an incredible take on inspiration, storytelling, and human connection. It is an honest and approachable read that will expand your understanding of what it really takes to build a creative business. But we encourage you to inform your own-
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Coarse Guides are an article format created by Corsair’s Institute to provide a rough understanding of content provided by outstanding authors in the areas of professional development, analytics, and business.
