There's a great origin story about Pixar. The original design for Pixar studios consisted of three separate buildings. The plan kept the computer scientists together, the animators in a second building, and directors/editors/business development housed in the third. However, Steve Jobs saw a flaw. The real magic of Pixar would entail merging cultures, meaning computer scientists and cartoonists must truly work together and collaborate for the studio to succeed and differentiate itself. By building walls, the studio's intent would be obstructed. Instead, Jobs insisted on a single, cavernous space. In fact, there would be just two bathrooms, both situated in the very center of the space. While inconvenient, it meant there would be unexpected conversations while washing hands. Steve Jobs knew that "human friction makes the sparks, and when you're talking about a creative endeavor, you have to force people to mix. Our natural tendency is to stay isolated, to talk to people who are just like us, who speak our private languages, who understand our problems. But that's a big mistake" (NPR). Creativity is often triggered by collaboration and by curiosity; originality is often triggered by other people's ideas.
This felt especially true in today's workshop on "Creativity in the Classroom". Faculty from different disciplines and different divisions gathered to discuss creativity in the classroom, which led to a dialogue that applied to all corners of campus. We will continue our conversation next semester. Together, we'll share intellectual risk taking, failing forward, and shifting the culture to creativity and curiosity. Whether with our students or our colleagues, we'll collaborate and create sparks!
- Kate Muttick
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