What does the word innovation mean to you?
Too often we think of it as some sort of magical thing that strikes randomly and simply “delivers” us a brilliant idea.
It isn’t.
I always sigh when I hear of great companies like Apple or Pixar referred to as simply “innovative.” While they certainly are, this label only tells a fraction of the story. The genius of Pixar (and Apple) doesn’t lie in their “innovative thinking.” Rather, it comes from their commitment to the actual process of creativity.
In his recent book Creativity, Inc., Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull (with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter), outlines how the legendary animation studio has made a habit of being innovative. In many ways, Ed unlocks the creative process, and it is something that we can all use to do better work, including in our content marketing.
How Inspiration Works
When you look at something great, like the iPhone or the first Toy Story movie, you can’t help but feel like it was the result of some sort of divine inspiration, some kind of magic, but it wasn’t.
As Catmull covers in his book, creativity isn’t about an idea or a sudden burst of information. It is a process, and often a messy one. There are three big takeaways from this book that we can use to unlock creativity and inspiration in our own content creation process.
How Pixar’s Creative Process Will Help You Produce More Innovative Content
