Creative Wisdom from Pixar's John Lasseter 6 of 7

John Lasseter’s 7 Points (by way of Scribble Junkies)

6. Creative output always reflects the person on top.

“Poor managers harm the creative process.”

John Lasseter knows from personal experience. After landing his dream job as animator at the Disney Animation Studios in the late seventies, his outspoken individuality and creative extravaganzas quickly made him enemies among mediocre middle managers at Disney. Within a few years, Mr Lasseter became a victim of internal politics and got fired. Committed to go his own way, Mr Lasseter became one of the founders of Pixar in 1986. Twenty years later, following Pixar’s acquisition by The Walt Disney Company, Mr Lasseter returned in triumph as chief creative officer of both animation studios.

“Laughter, being crazy, freaking out, behaving in ridiculous manner are hard work. A manager who spreads his bad mood and who forbids his employees to have fun impairs their creativity, and thus harms the enterprise. I would fire him. Animated movies are not least a bang-hard business. I cannot risk so much money, only because a manager indulging in his bad mood harms my business."

Again - because I teach I automatically think of how this applies to the classroom. I've heard of some frightful behavior by teachers and try my very best to avoid those behaviors. I was in one classroom and someone's phone went off and the whole class whipped their heads around looking at me with those "deer in the headlights" eyes. Apparently their last instructor had charged each student whose phone went off $10.00 for taking her time.

Ahem. While in most settings a cell phone going off can be very rude, most of the classes I teach are for fun. They aren't graduate level courses in hallowed halls. Sometimes there are more important things going on in life than what we are doing in class. 

So this is what we do when phones ring in my class.

We do a dance.

 It's called the cell phone fling.

I was in my son's kindergarden class once and the kids were heads down working hard on math, or something. Suddenly the teacher's phone goes off with some wild dance tune. I was a little shocked. Then a huge grin lit up my face as all the kids got up and did the cell phone fling for about three rings then sat right back down and got back to work. It was the teacher's method of letting the kids get a few wiggles out at random times during the day. We all need to get wiggles out once in a while. 

So - what is the worst "diva behavior" you've experienced in class?

What has been the best kind of surprise you've had with a teacher in class?

(NO NAMES please!)

Here is the rest of the series:

1. Never come up with just one idea.

2. Remember the first laugh.

3. Quality is a great business plan. Period.

4. It's the team, stupid. 

5. Fun Invokes Creativity, Not Competition

6. Creative Output Always Reflects the Person on Top

7. Surround Yourself With Creative People Whom You Trust

Inspired to Quilt: On-Line Quilt Show & Conference

A little snippet of some of the fun we'll be having at the on-line quilt show sponsored by 

Willow Bend Creations.

Click on the link to the right to register!

Introducing The Kindness Chronicles

Remember back in in December when we were focusing on making the world a better place through simple acts of service and kindness?

Well I'd like to introduce a new, on-going feature on my blog.

When I was interviewed by Rice' Freeman-Zachary about the project for her podcast, she asked if it was going to become an ongoing project. I hadn't thought too much about it. I really do try to keep service in mind all the time so I didn't think of it as a "project" but of course I'd love to keep it going.

Small kindnesses mean a great deal - the last group I taught for left me this lovely flower to brighten my hotel room.

Leave it to a go-getter like Jane LaFazio to push me into getting things done. Or actually, to go ahead and make plans and get things done whether I've got my rear in gear or not. She put together this beautiful button and suggested that we post on the first Sunday of every month, telling about some of the little acts of service we've done. We're not trying to brag - at all - just give you all more ideas that you can try as well. Really - it's fun to do little things that brighten someone's day.

Would you care to join us? If you'd like to add this lovely little button to your blog please go ahead and copy and paste this into a widget for your sidebar. It's got the html embedded to link back to this explanatory post.





If you send me a link to your kindness blog post I'd love to list it in my next Kindness Chronicles post. It's so easy to bring a smile to someone's face. Let's make the world a better place, shall we? 

For Your Inspiration: February

Pansies by Lyric Kinard

Hydrangea by Lyric Kinard

Daffodils by Lyric Kinard

Artist Spotlight: Nancy Cook - A Sense of Scale

What happens when you take the sketch of something you've drawn... something nice and small and detailed... and you blow it up REALLY BIG!?

Burr Oak sketch by Nancy Cook

Maple Seed Design by Nancy Cook

Scale is a basic principle of design and composition. It always relates to the size of the work of art in comparison to the size of us as human beings. Taking something tiny and often overlooked and spending the time necessary to draw it in great detail gives an artist a deep appreciation for the beauty of the form. I'm constantly telling my students that sketching is more about seeing than anything else. 

How do you convey that sense of beauty to your viewer - the wonder and awe of the complexity of nature? One way is to create your work of art on a scale much, much larger than the object you are rendering. Nancy Cook takes a seed, a leaf, a branch - and blows it up larger than life with beautiful details in her textile work. She gives us an easy window into the understanding of nature's beauty.

Burr Oak by Nancy Cook

I was very fortunate to see an exhibit of Nancy Cook's work at the North Carolina Botanical Gardens in Chapel Hill this week. (Unfortunately it comes down next Tuesday the 28th.) It's worth seeing - and then wandering the beautiful landscape - sketchbook in hand.

Echos of Tulip's Summer by Nancy Cook

So as you sketch, as you observe, keep in mind a sense of scale. Might your sketch be a study for a final work of art? What scale would you like to work with? What will your final product be?

Inspired to Quilt: On-Line Quilt Show & Conference

And now for something completely different... or at least something I'm not sure I've seen before but whose time has definitely arrived. 

March 7-10, 2012

Willow Bend Creations Online Quilt Expos is hosting the  "Inspired To Quilt" Online Quilt Expo. It's all of the sights, sounds and excitement of a live quilt show right in your home on your computer. There will be vendors and teachers giving some pretty cool presentations. Yup - including lil' ol' me as one of the featured presentations. I thought I'd give it a try. And of course lot's of beautiful quilts to look at.


They are giving it a fun little twist and I've been nominated as the "Most Inspiring Quilt Instructor Of 2011". It should be fun and it's quite an honor just to have been nominated.  I would really appreciate your support in coming out and voting for me.

Best Part?

!!!It's FREE!!!

There is no cost to participate and learn from ALL the teachers there.

You do need to register though.

Just click on the link below and tell all of your friends so they don't miss out on the fun!

http://inspiredtoquiltexpo.com/lyrickinard 

Creative Wisdom from Pixar's John Lasseter 5 of 7

John Lasseter’s 7 Points (by way of Scribble Junkies)

5. Fun invokes creativity, not competition.

(paraphrased: It's fun that invokes creativity. Competition can kill it.)

“There is this idea that you put two people, who cannot stand each other, into a room, hoping that all this negative energy leads to a creative result. I disagree. Co-operation, confidence and fun – that is the way.”

“Creative people must believe that all others support them in making a great movie. They need to believe that all people involved understand what they talk about. Creative people are easily bored, moody, a bit difficult to handle. You have to make it fun for them, care for them. Creative people only produce really good work if you creatively challenge them. They have to like what they’re working on. They have to be damn proud of the fact that they’re a part of a particular project. That is again the task of the manager. Each time, you have to give them creative challenges. That’s difficult, but nobody said it is easy to lead creative people.”

This follows on to the last conversation we had - about nurturing a team and how there is an abundance to be shared. This point especially applies to teaching. Each student in a room is unique and comes with their own strengths and their own views. The best thing I can do as a teacher is to nurture my students. I want to help each student feel safe enough to explore and discover his or her own unique strengths.

Fiber Frenzy (photo by Francine)

I think this is a good point to apply to our personal relationships as well. I'm thinking of my children - and how sometimes they want to compete against each other, be it for my attention or to be the boss of each other. Thing go so much more smoothly if I can create an environment of fun.

Think of yourself for just a minute

Do the people surrounding you support and nurture your creativity?

Do you support theirs? 

Here is the rest of the series so far:

Here is the rest of the series:

1. Never come up with just one idea.

2. Remember the first laugh.

3. Quality is a great business plan. Period.

4. It's the team, stupid. 

5. Fun Invokes Creativity, Not Competition

6. Creative Output Always Reflects the Person on Top

7. Surround Yourself With Creative People Whom You Trust