Creativity, Inc

Ed Catmull

Ratings: 4.7/5                    Pages: 368

"Creativity, Inc. is a book that provides insights into the creative process of Pixar Animation Studios and offers valuable leadership lessons on fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration"

Read TIme: Approx 12-13 hours

Order now at
When it comes to creative inspiration, job titles and hierarchy are meaningless - Ed Catmull
  • It’s better to have a great team than a great idea.
  • Change mixed with inevitable uncertainty and instability are necessary for successful creative environments.
  • Ensure your company can survive difficult times - Don’t create business plans that are inflexible.
  • Mistakes are always made by teams, never by individuals. Everyone is equally responsible.
  • A creative company is born from creating a team of individuals who function well together, trust one another, and inspire each other.
  • The office workspace must be inspirational and personalized to avoid team members becoming disinterested and bored.
  • Change mixed with inevitable uncertainty and instability are necessary for successful creative environments.
  • It’s often better to have a great team than a great idea.
  • A creative business is born from creating a team of individuals who function well together, trust one another, and inspire each other.
  • Workers need to feel valued and know that their opinions will be heard, acted upon, and applauded.
  • In order to get honest feedback from team members you want to allow information, ideas, and problems to be shared freely by removing the hierarchies.
  • Talk to all of your team members individually, listen to their thoughts and concerns and make sure they feel heard and confident in sharing their thoughts with you.
  • We often fear failure so much when really it’s perfectly natural to make mistakes when trying something new
  • Great teams are more important than great ideas.
  • Team members need to know that it’s ok to make mistakes when they’re trying something new and that you don’t expect them to perform perfectly each time, especially when they try something new.
  • Following the ‘safe’ path in order to eliminate uncertainty can lead to missed opportunities.
  • Confirmation biases (i.e. when we prefer information that supports our opinions) make us blind to alternative opinions and causes us to make mistakes.
  • Avoid confirmation biases by acknowledging that others may have better ideas than your own (and the other way around, that you may have better ideas than others). Be curious and open.
  • Team members need to know that the work they do is a vital part of the process and that the cogs couldn’t turn without their input.
  • Let everyone design their own workspace to keep boredom out of your building.
  • When employees feel that they’re contributing to the company’s success they are more willing to give their all and pull together to overcome obstacles.
  • Hiring the right people is essential. A company succeeds on the people that make the ideas and goals happen.
  • Hire not only for talent, but for people who are strong team players.
  • Your team needs diversity so that the individual differences will complement and inspire each other.
  • Trust your employees and team members rather than micromanaging them. Give them the ability to act independently.
  • You can’t avoid misfortune but you can make sure that misfortune doesn’t damage your business in the long run. Your job is not to avoid risk, but to course correct when things go wrong.
  • Ensure your business can survive difficult times - Don’t set goals and create business plans that are inflexible.
  • Incorporate recovery techniques into your team's daily routine. Group accountability, for example, provides an opportunity for all to be responsible for fixing problems.
  • Early failure gives the opportunity to learn and grow from mistakes. Accept mistakes and use iterative processes to help correct them.
  • Your workplace environment should be designed to inspire creativity. Changing the atmosphere could be as easy as changing a table.

            "Creativity, Inc. not only unveils the inner workings of Pixar's creative brilliance but also leaves us with a resounding message: by nurturing an environment of open communication, embracing failures as learning opportunities, and fostering a collective commitment to excellence, we can inspire creativity to flourish not just in the realm of animation but in all aspects of our lives."

Reasons to read it:
  • Gain unique insight into Pixar Animation Studios' creative process and management strategies, offering valuable lessons for fostering innovation in various fields.
  • Learn practical leadership and innovation insights that can be applied beyond the animation industry, promoting collaboration, risk-taking, and open communication.
  • Receive actionable advice for creating a culture of creativity, with anecdotes from Pixar's film development illustrating how to address challenges and refine ideas.
Reasons to skip it:
  • If you're primarily seeking artistic or creative exploration without a strong focus on leadership, the book's managerial aspects might overshadow your curiosity.
  • If you're already well-versed in organizational creativity and leadership literature, the book might not introduce entirely new concepts.
  • If you prefer a straightforward, non-narrative approach to learning about creativity and leadership, the book's storytelling format might not resonate with your preferences.