Here is the video from the conference we held at our office two months ago.
Edwin Aguilar, Assistant Director at The Simpsons, and Jose Zelaya, Character Designer at Walt Disney Studios, talk about the Process of Animation to a large audience at IOS Offices Tijuana.…
in Creativity, Innovation
Last weekend my company, Blu Maya, held a small conference at our office building. The theme of the conference was the process of animation. The event was great, but it could have been even better. Here’s why…
One thing that stood out for me the most, was how most people don’t go to conferences/talks unless it is about their core topic of interest. This is not new, I was expecting this human dynamic to happen. I just wasn’t expecting it to be so obvious.
For example, if I invited a non-animator/artist to the conference and asked them if they were coming, it was normal to hear them say: No, because I’m not an animator.
Really?
Others thought that animation means drawing cartoons. And therein lies the challenge with developing a culture where everyone innovates. If you don’t breakout, you won’t grow. Sure, specializing deeply in one topic is gratifying. But even most people don’t dig deep into a topic and reach a level of mastery. So this is asking too much.
Because creative ideas are born at the intersection of other ideas, you need to develop fluid intelligence to innovate and remain relevant. And, the only way to do that is to develop as many skills as possible. These ideas will not flow from your mind if you hang around the same old box. Go out there and seek new knowledge.
Here’s another way to look at it, do you think every activity we do can be approached creatively? If you answer yes, then you surely want to know everything there is about the creative process. Including how people outside your core topic solve problems creatively.
For most people, this is asking too much. And here’s why:
That’s right, you have to fight your brain’s tendency to take shortcuts. It is best you become aware of how the brain works and not take it for granted. That way you are prepared to “shock and awe” it. Go ahead, take a chance. Surprise yourself. You might find something you thought you weren’t looking for by attending a different type of conference, reading an unknown book or talking to someone you are indifferent to.
in Creativity
Blu Maya and IOS Offices is proud to bring you two pioneers in the art of animation for the first time together on one stage to show and talk to you about how they do it: Walt Disney Studios and The Simpsons.
I’m proud to say that this is the first time an event like this, where two different animation companies collaborate in a workshop, is held. If you are at all interested in the act of creation, this is a must-attend event where you will learn the whole process of animation. Including how to pitch the studios. …
in Creativity, Innovation
I’ve mentioned this before, but it is worth mentioning again: anything can be reimagined.
And I think this is a key innovation principle non-innovators must embrace. In practice, what does this mean? For an example, read the text below:
The ice cream scoop has gone through different iterations. Yet, it isn’t perfect. Why is that? What constitutes the “perfect scoop”? How can you improve something as common as an ice cream scoop? Why would you want to do that? And if you can improve it, what would that look like? How exactly would it be better than what currently exists?…
https://twitter.com/SteveKoss/status/240227061548081152
Here’s my answer Steve:
It’s a circular orbit in every sense. It has made more obvious what we already know: Critical thinking is non-existent on the web. Or anywhere else for that matter.
And it comes back to the same tune we’ve talking about for what seems like forever: Where all think alike, nobody thinks too much.
We’ve gotten to the point where people are passing around dogmas freely. Even in areas where there is supposed to be critical thinking, there is a complete lack perspective. I’m also starting to see that most think that the only ones who should have perspective are scientists, poets, philosophers and such. Simply because they have more “free time” to think.
In reality, time for reflection is a valuable skill we should cultivate in others.
in Creativity, Innovation
This is a guest post by Chris Grivas, principal of Chris Grivas Consulting (www.chrisgrivas.com) an organizational and leadership development consultancy focused on increasing the creative capacity of individuals, teams, and organizations. He is co-author of THE INNOVATIVE TEAM: Unleashing Creative Potential For Breakthrough Results.
A recent IBM study of more than 1500 executives around the world showed that an overwhelming majority of these seasoned leaders were not fully confident that they were prepared to respond effectively to rapid change and dealing with change was one of their biggest challenges. Their number one suggestion? Adopt creativity as a core leadership skill. As Lee Iacocca, former CEO of Chrysler observed, “Leadership is all about managing change – whether you are leading a company or a country. Things change, and you get creative.”
The faster things change, many experts say, the stronger your creative thinking and problem solving skills need to be. To successfully compete in the 21st Century, leaders are calling for increased training in creative thinking everywhere from boardrooms to elementary classrooms.…
If you are an Insurgent (like me!), then you are a Rebel. So, what makes a Rebel?
Here’s simple chart I received on a newsletter from Rebels at Work:
Are you a Good Rebel or bad?
