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Do you care? Yes, always.

March 31, 2016
General, Post-Grad
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It’s 5:30 AM, and this…could be a terrible blog post.

I’m really not a person to wake up in the middle of the night. Nor am I the person who wakes up every hour, on the hour. Nor am I the person who decides that 5 AM is as good time as any to wake up for a full day of work…and write a personal blog post.

But that’s what you do sometimes. When you know your brain is rattling, and if you don’t get thoughts out, that it might actually be bad for your health. This doesn’t happen often, it’s not a stroke of genius, by any means — but you can’t ignore it. At least, I feel like I can’t.

So I’ll put myself on a time constraint because after this, I actually have to get ready for work.

Work.

It’s been my life lately (sort of). Transitioning back to full time work hasn’t been difficult in the sense that I feel like I’m drowning…it’s just been difficult. When you’ve become used to a certain lifestyle (or developed a habit), other things fall to the wayside. For me, it’s been my creative hobbies…such as your writing. It’s been difficult in the sense that I don’t feel compelled, or even inspired to write anything. Because the majority of my work is writing, I feel burnt out by the time I get home (and that’s on a good day). I feel the same way about social media. You guys know that I have my reservations, but I love social media. It’s also been part of my professional work for…forever. Lately, it’s also fallen to the wayside. I’ll get on here and there, but it’s no longer this priority? (I’ve even turned off Notifications because I feel so indifferent about it.) And while that may sound like a good thing to you… it’s been ingrained in me for so long. When I feel like it’s leaving my person/habits, I FEEL LIKE IT’S NOT ME. I’m asking myself, “WHO AM I?” Does that make sense? It sounds so silly… I promise this has a[n] good ending.

So, then we watched this video (below) at my work’s weekly team meeting. Andrew Stanton, for those of you who do not know, worked on films such as John Carter, Finding Nemo…Wall-E…Toy Story — ever heard of those?

I took notes that reside on my desk now:

“Make me care. Life is NOT static. Stories are inevitable, not predictable. WONDER. Send jokes to Andy.”

— the last bit was a reminder for myself.

Sometimes, I forget about TED talks. Most times, it’s because I’m watching dumb YouTube content like “You Suck At Cooking,” which isn’t actually dumb…it’s actually very creative. ANYHOW, this video struck me like a chord.

  1. b/c it’s Andrew Stanton. Anyone from Pixar, really. You know it’s going to be good
  2. “Make me care” is what anyone aspires to do when they’re telling a story, right? It sounds so obvious…but not until someone else points it out is when you feel like they’ve told you some sort of secret
  3. Life is not static. Are you kidding me, I literally have that written in my About Me section
  4. WONDER. Everyone seeks that (conscious or not). I remember feeling that way when I first watched UP. Or when my brother tells me what he did at work. Or when my roommate tells the shit out of a work story. Or when my best friend tells me…anything.
  5. The moments that he remembers, bringing him to where he stands today
  6. Woof, he knows how to tell a good story. Amirite *sob*

All’s to say is that TED talk was what I needed (for now). A cup of refreshment. Something to lift my spirit, a break in the monotony, a note that says, “Keep going. Make me care.” We all strive for greatness, and as long as it finds you working — it will come.

I think, don’t quote me on that.

 

TL; TR: Creativity, Inc.

November 12, 2014
General
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Former name: Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull** with Amy Wallace
**Ed Catmull is the President of a company called Pixar Animation and Disney Animation.

TLTR Creativity Inc

Of course when I found out that this book was coming out, I pre-ordered it. The timing was fitting as it was released in the midst of my “Be Remarkable” campaign…and yes, I just finished it. While it’s management-heavy information, it gives you insight into Pixar Animation company culture. A culture that I personally aspire to work in one day. That place is still an enigma and sprinkled in magic, but Ed Catmull shares some of the company’s intricacies and how they came to be. Spoiler Alert: It’s not easy, and it requires an effort from both management AND employees. Notes Day? Very Interesting and unheard of. Even the way they structured the Pixar Campus- it’s very strategic and purposeful. Dull at times, because I’m not a manager, but insightful.

This is one of my favorite quotes, among others. I geeked out every time Pete Docter is mentioned.

If you’re sailing across the ocean and your goal is to avoid weather and waves, then why the hell are you sailing? You have to embrace that sailing means that you can’t control the elements and there will be good days and bad days and that, whatever comes, you will deal with it because your goal is to eventually get to the other side. You will not be able to control exactly how you get across. That’s the game you decided to be in. -Andrew Stanton

There are little golden nuggets like this that show you the kind of thinking that is floating around at Pixar. It’s very inspiring, and makes a lot of sense.

Extra Book Notes:

  • “Art challenges technology, technology inspires art.”
  • Humility. “Only when we admit what we don’t know can we ever hope to learn it.”
  • When I read the Afterword, which is about Mr. Catmull’s history with Steve Jobs- I teared up.
  • The emotional IQ this company, woof. Have you seen UP?
  • Welcome all ideas.
  • “Candor” is the buzzword of this book.
  • To be in a room with John Lasseter for a pep talk… I bet John Lasseter is the Coach Taylor of animation.

Sidebar: Pixar just announced that Toy Story 4 is in the works and is set to be released in 2017. I also read that Rashida Jones is a part of the writing process, INTERESTING. I love her.

Too Long; Thu Reads | Vol. 1

July 15, 2014
A101
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So, I have this folder on my Bookmarks Bar called, “To Read.”
As you know, I do read a lot/most things, but not everything (who can though?). I also Bookmark things so that I can read it later…
…well it’s piled up and I have a feeling that something in the folder could help me in the job search or self-esteem or creative rut, etc.

To clean up this folder and keep my learning gears running, I’m going to commit to reading 5 articles, writing notes, hyperlinking them, and posting them on here. I think I’m going to call this series “TL;TR,” which means “Too Long; Thu Reads.” I’ll do it weekly until I run out of articles.

too long; thu reads

Sorry if you’ve seen these links from X years ago, X months ago, X days ago. I’ve had this folder for a while. I also don’t remember how I’ve come across some of these articles, soooo. And last disclaimer or preface because I just read the first article in this folder: This is super revealing of what I Bookmark, and I feel vulnerable.

With that said, here are my first 5 articles, starting from the very top, enjoy!

  • My Posthumous Advice for My Daughter
    Notes: Be nice.
    Nine times out of ten, you’re not having a full-on nervous breakdown (this is true).
    Choose your friends. Ask questions.
    Life stories categorize themselves in “amazing, enjoyable times” or “appalling experiences that will make future amazing anecdotes.”
    “Host extravagantly, love constantly, and dance in comfortable shoes.”
  • In 20 Words or Less, What’s Your Creative Philosophy?
    Notes: This article asks San Francisco creatives…because it’s from the SF Egoist.
    This article has a ton of creative philosophies, this is probably why I stopped reading *scrolls and scrolls and scrolls.*
    I like the people at Argonaut, how do I get there?
    Notable creative philosophies: Creativity isn’t chronological. -Conal O’Doherty, Head of Growth at Argonaut
    Encompassing philosophy: Collaboration.
  • REALiSM
    Notes: This article features a collection of graphics that depict…realism. It’s worth scrolling through if you’re not looking for something text-heavy. Lots of 20th Century vs. 21st Century comparisons.
  • Kat Cole: From Hooters Girl to the Corner Office
    Notes: Under 40 years old, and she’s running Cinnabon. Um, okay. Before 25, she was traveling internationally to oversee global management training, working [corporate] for Hooters. It’s one of those stories, but who doesn’t love a good story?
  • 11 Life Lessons You Get From Shopping at Target
    Notes: Well this is a touch embarrassing, but I would be lying if I said I wasn’t an avid ThoughtCatalog reader a couple of years ago. It’s a black hole that can suck you in if you’re not careful. I had to know what these “life lessons” could be, I had no idea there was anything to learn from shopping at Target except for the fact that it is also a black hole. I never get anything I’m supposed to at this place…and this is basically what the article talks about.

So…this was longer than I intended. Maybe I’ll just do one-liners next time? Thoughts? Concerns? Comments? Leave something below as I read the next 5 articles, and prep for next week!