tidbits of wisdom, and a silly old bear
If you know me, you know I love Winnie the Pooh. There's just something about the characters and that story that makes me smile, no matter what. So this afternoon, when I stopped by Barnes & Noble and found an art book about Pooh on one of the tables, I had to check it out. And let me tell ya – it is so cool. So I am now the proud owner of The Art of Winnie the Pooh: Disney Artists Celebrate the Silly Old Bear.
Apparently, to celebrate the character's 80th birthday in 2006, the editors at Disney Publishing issued an open invitation to the Disney creative community for submissions of Winnie the Pooh artwork…no character standards, no model drawings, just pure inspiration…and the result is amazing! The creativity and the talent portrayed in this catalog of works is stunning.
But what touched me the most, at least tonight, was this quote in the Introduction:
"We've also learned that 'getting it right' at Disney is about 'letting it go' or, indeed, just being silly sometimes, especially during (but not limited to) the early stages of a project. In fact…we've learned that balancing 'sense' with 'nonsense' was always the order of the day."
As beautiful as the artwork in this book is, these thoughts really spoke to me tonight. Next week is my office's annual winter retreat…a time of reflection and evaluation, but also a time of planning and envisioning for the months (and possibly years) ahead. For me (and others on the staff), this is our time to think big, to balance the sense and the nonsense, to throw out ideas that may not ever be practical, but that in some distilled form could make an amazing impact on our organization. So to find that concept so eloquently phrased felt so good, so right – and made me even more excited for next week than I already was.
All that, from a neat little book about Winnie the Pooh. I love it.
Where I am: Home
What I'm reading: (duh)
Apparently, to celebrate the character's 80th birthday in 2006, the editors at Disney Publishing issued an open invitation to the Disney creative community for submissions of Winnie the Pooh artwork…no character standards, no model drawings, just pure inspiration…and the result is amazing! The creativity and the talent portrayed in this catalog of works is stunning.
But what touched me the most, at least tonight, was this quote in the Introduction:
"We've also learned that 'getting it right' at Disney is about 'letting it go' or, indeed, just being silly sometimes, especially during (but not limited to) the early stages of a project. In fact…we've learned that balancing 'sense' with 'nonsense' was always the order of the day."
As beautiful as the artwork in this book is, these thoughts really spoke to me tonight. Next week is my office's annual winter retreat…a time of reflection and evaluation, but also a time of planning and envisioning for the months (and possibly years) ahead. For me (and others on the staff), this is our time to think big, to balance the sense and the nonsense, to throw out ideas that may not ever be practical, but that in some distilled form could make an amazing impact on our organization. So to find that concept so eloquently phrased felt so good, so right – and made me even more excited for next week than I already was.
All that, from a neat little book about Winnie the Pooh. I love it.
Where I am: Home
What I'm reading: (duh)
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