What engages us about people?
What makes us interesting as human beings?
What differentiates us?
I was listening to "Creativity Inc.: Overcoming the Unforseen Forces that Stand in the Way of True Inspiration" a book written by Ed Catmull, co-founder and president of Pixar somewhat distracted, and I hear him say,
"The definition of superb animation
is that each character on the screen makes you think that it is a
thinking being,
if viewers sense not just movement but intention, or put another way emotion,
than the animator has done his or her job.
It's not just lines on paper anymore,
it's a living, feeling entity."
It made me pause and smile.
INTENTION and EMOTION
so simple, so true, so hard to achieve in stick figures and so often hard to achieve in human beings themselves.
Do you want to be SUPERB ANIMATION?
I do!
I want to entertain. I want to engage. I want to inspire.
WHY?.... I would ask... WHY NOT? LIfe is more fun if you are inspired.
The same thing that superb animators tried to put into Donald Duck in 1950, I try to put into mine... INTENTION and EMOTION. I try to be deliberate about the first, and not restrict the second.
That doesn't mean that I let my emotions drive me, or lead me, but I do allow them to be. Just yesterday I was with a wonderful lady who has gone through great sadness in her life, and my heart hurt with hers. I didn't try to hold back the tears or the sadness, I was grateful for them and let them flow.
Too often we lack INTENTION because we are "following some rules" that we think ought to be followed. Again, I am not suggesting that we create chaos, that we all start driving the wrong way down one way streets.. but I am saying... "Ask yourself WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO... and WHY DO YOU DO HOW YOU DO IT?"
Do you do it INTENTIONALLY or are you walking through your life on auto-pilot, driven by some nameless animator who just drew your lines?
And do you FEEL your life? Not just the stresses that peak your anxiety... but ALL OF IT. Do you feel your blessings, your great fortune, your breath... the deliciousness of your food, the freedom of your choices, the touch of your love..."
Again, I am not suggesting that we REBEL against the status quo... I am just saying, Disney became great because it created characters that conveyed INTENTION and EMOTION...
DO YOU CHOOSE THOSE SAME ATTRIBUTES FOR THE CARTOON OF YOUR LIFE?
Now, the danger of showing more intention and emotion is that you may no longer fit in.... people may decide they don't like your intention or emotion.... and, I would say, that is OK.
If I show INTENTION and EMOTION in my life and you don't like me - it means our intentions in life are different. And, not liking me will make both of us think about it. And possibly stop being friends, or stop working together... it will make us CHANGE the CHANNEL.
If someone's intentions are selfish or evil, that is always concerning. I believe, however, that it is through ALLOWING OUR INTENTION AND EMOTION to show that we actually learn about ourselves and can then EVOLVE ourselves... and I believe that we are all inherently good... and it is HIDING or believing that our intentions and emotions are NOT WORTHY that causes evil.
And, possibly find friends, partners, work that is more aligned with who we are, who we want to be, the cartoons that we want to be and watch in life...
if we lived in a world where we all showed our intention and our emotion... I believe we would be more honest, and thus more free. We would be more authentic, and thus the world would be more interesting. We would be more inspired, and thus life would be more meaningful.
INTENTION and EMOTION...
find yours...
celebrate yours...
unleash yours...
in more moments...
And, be seen, be acknowledged, be celebrated...
as a living, thinking entity...
Don't get tuned out. Don't encourage others to change your channel.
Try it... you may end up enjoying the show, the day, the life a lot more...
BE YOUR OWN SUPERB ANIMATOR...
BE GRATEFUL FOR HE WHO DREW YOUR LINES...
BRING THEM TO LIFE!
Be like the DONALD...
Duck... that is...!
A biddy a biddy a biddy ah... That's all folks...!
in harmony,
Nestor