I love animated films. It helps that my sister and her family live in Orlando, Disney-ville, where I spend a good deal of my vacation days. My brother-in-law, Kyle, is a painter so we spend a lot of time talking about art, animation, and film. Wired Magazine ran a short piece on Pixar’s secret sauce. The only thing that’s better than Pixar’s product is its culture, something few companies can claim.
After reading the article I thought a lot about living a Pixar-inspired life and how that might take shape. Here are some of their main cultural tenants:
1.) Design your space for you. Everyone at Pixar has a personal workspace that they design, complete with just about an amenity they can think of, beer taps included. You spend a lot of time at work, working hard. Make sure you enjoy the view.
2.) Start the day with a good laugh with good friends, and then get to work. Pixar mornings start with wide smiles, bowls of Captain Crunch, and coffee, shared in a living room-type setting. Then they get into a series of serious discussions about the prior days work and how to move forward. Feedback is raw, honest, across the board, and practically unending. You spend a lot of time at work with a lot of people. Make sure you like them as people and respect them as colleagues with valuable opinions.
3.) Respect the process of steady progress. Toy Story 3, to be released June 18, took over 1,000 days to create. Some days, the artists only made seconds of progress with the film. Some days, they scrapped everything from the day before and started from scratch. That’s the creative process – build with passion and be prepared to let that passion go if it no longer serves the piece.
4.) Strive for greatness and know when to call it quits. “We don’t ever finish a film,” said Lee Unkrich, director of Toy Story 3. “I could keep on making it better. We’re just forced to release it.” We want to live up to our potential, and we also need to know when to let our greatness fly out into the world. Take it from Pixar: Perfection isn’t possible and should not be the pre-requisite for launching any creative product.
The photo above was taken by Bryce Duffy for Wired Magazine. It depicts Lee Unkrich, Bobby Podesta, Guido Quaroni, and Darla Anderson of Pixar.
Published by Christa Avampato
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
View all posts by Christa Avampato
I love animated films. It helps that my sister and her family live in Orlando, Disney-ville, where I spend a good deal of my vacation days. My brother-in-law, Kyle, is a painter so we spend a lot of time talking about art, animation, and film. Wired Magazine ran a short piece on Pixar’s secret sauce. The only thing that’s better than Pixar’s product is its culture, something few companies can claim. 
Christa Avampato 
Helpful post beautifully expressed. Thank you my friend. You inspire me on a regular basis.
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Thanks, Lon! Right back at ya! I miss working with you everyday.
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