But I should caution that if you seek to plot out all your moves before you make them—if you put your faith in slow, deliberative planning in the hopes it will spare you failure down the line—well, you’re deluding yourself. For one thing, it’s easier to plan derivative work—things that copy or repeat something already out there. So if your primary goal is to have a fully worked out, set-in-stone plan, you are only upping your chances of being unoriginal.

~ Ed Catmull

Ed Catmull Agile Creativity Originality Planning

It isn't enough to pick a path—you must go down it. By doing so, you see things you couldn't possibly see when you started out; you may not like what you see, some of it may be confusing, but at least you will have, as we like to say, explored the neighborhood. The key point here is that even if you decide you're in the wrong place, there is still time to head toward the right place.

~ Ed Catmull

Ed Catmull Creativity Failure Fear Pathways Prototyping Success

This principle eludes most people, but it is critical: You are not your idea, and if you identify too closely with your ideas, you will take offense when they are challenged.

~ Ed Catmull

Ed Catmull Creativity Idea

When it come to creative inspiration, job titles and hierarchy are meaningless.

~ Ed Catmull

Ed Catmull Creativity Hierarchy Inspiration

Trust doesn't mean that you trust that someone won't screw up— it means you trust them even when they do screw up.

~ Ed Catmull

Ed Catmull Trust

Negative feedback may be fun, but it is far less brave than endorsing something unproven and providing room to grow.

~ Ed Catmull

Ed Catmull Betterment Bravery Development Growth

From a very early age, the message is drilled into our heads: Failure is bad; failure means you didn’t study or prepare; failure means you slacked off or—worse!—aren’t smart enough to begin with. Thus, failure is something to be ashamed of.

~ Ed Catmull

Ed Catmull Failure

The goal, then, is to uncouple fear and failure—to create an environment in which making mistakes doesn’t strike terror into your employees’ hearts.

~ Ed Catmull

Ed Catmull Failure Fear Managment

At the U of U, we were inventing a new language. One of us would contribute a verb, another a noun, then a third person would figure out ways to string the elements together to actually say something.

~ Ed Catmull

Ed Catmull Collaboration Creation Invention Teamwork

The roller coaster came to a stop and a good friend got off, but what a ride we'd taken together. It had been one hell of a trip.

~ Ed Catmull

Ed Catmull Friend Friendship Love

I feel like the only reason we’re able to find some of these unique ideas, characters, and story twists is through discovery. And, by definition, ‘discovery’ means you don’t know the answer when you start.

~ Ed Catmull

Ed Catmull Discovery Uniqueness