6 Pixar Mental Models
Visual summary for "Creativity Inc " part 11
948 words | Around 5 minute read
Hello, glad to have you here!
Visualizing the book
I'm Lud, a visual thinker passionate about bringing ideas to life. Together, we're exploring 'Creativity Inc.' by Ed Catmull, chapter by chapter, using metaphorical animations to make the book's insights more memorable.
We are now at Chapter 11. If you missed the previous chapters, you can catch up by reading the earlier posts, starting with the first or going backward.
The last chapter discussed 8 mechanisms Pixar uses to keep an open mind. In this chapter, Ed explores how Pixar shapes the future through various mental models.
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Chapter 11 - The Unmade Future
Mental models are our internal representation of the reality. They can act as a guide to help us navigate the uncertainty of creating the future.
Below are 6 mental models used by Pixar’s producer and directors.
Mental Models at Pixar:
1. The Ship’s Captain
Director: Andrew Stanton (A Bug’s Life, Finding Nemo, Finding Dory, and Wall-E)
For Andrew, bringing something new to life requires a certain confidence. As a leader you need to be able to point to the horizon and say to your crew, “Land is that way!”
“The best way to predict the future is to invent it” ~ Alan Kay
However, it's not about knowing the future in advance - nobody does!
You will sometimes be wrong, and you need to be willing to spend time resolving problems together as a team.
“People want decisiveness, but they also want honesty about when you’ve effed up [..] It’s a huge lesson: Include people in your problems, not just your solutions.” ~ Andrew Stanton,
2. The Alpine Skier
Director: Brad Bird (The Incredibles, Incredibles 2, and Ratatouille)
Brad makes a parallel between Skiing and Leadership.
Experienced skiers feel the paths, accepting gravity's pull, and making small adjustments. If you get too tense, you may crash! Similarly, good leaders navigate challenges with calm and confidence, staying present and adaptable.
This "Humble Confidence" as Adam Grant calls it, enables you to reach a state of 'flow' and breeze through complex tasks.
3. The Dark Tunnel
Director: Peter Docter (Monsters Inc., Inside Out, and Soul)
Peter envisions a long, dark tunnel where at some point you can't see the end. You must push through that scary middle phase before finally seeing the light.
Pixar’s directors also use other metaphors:
A mountain climb
A maze
An archaeological dig
In each there is an idea of painfully trying to stay on course, that creating is a long path that needs to be followed in order to reach the destination.
But Ed Catmull also points out a paradox: There is no spoon.
The mountain doesn’t exist, and you might not be digging the right bone...
As a creator of the future, the path is both something to follow and something you create!
4. The Upside down pyramid
Producer: John Walker
Producers have a very different job, they need to manage cost and people, and therefore have different metaphors.
For John Walker, producing is like balancing a giant upside-down pyramid in the palm of his hand - carefully managing both people's needs and budget constraints without letting either side tip.
5. The Elevator
Producer: Lindsey Collins
Lindsey imagines an elevator with completely different apartments and people at each floor.
Effective producers and managers must be able to listen and understand the specific needs of each individual.
They function like oil in the gears, helping everyone work more harmoniously together!
6. The Mindful Focus
Ed Catmull’s own mental model was inspired by going to silent retreats and learning about mindfulness.
Ed learned that both experienced and inexperienced meditators showed reduced pain response compared to a control group, but through different approaches:
The inexperienced tended to shift focus away from the pain
The experienced meditators were able to maintain focus on the pain
Ed's aim is to avoid hiding from problems, and instead calmly focus on the present issues without relying on past solutions or processes.
That’s it for this chapter, hope you enjoyed it!
As we approach the end of this journey through the book “Creativity Inc.”, I'd love to hear your thoughts on what book we should explore next!
I’m also curious about what resonated most with you from this chapter? Let me know in the comments!
This is so good. Feels like it was written directly to me. Nice work mate.