Transcript
Introduction
"I've said it before, but it bears repeating. Things change constantly as they should. And with change comes the need for adaptation, for fresh thinking and sometimes for even a total reboot of your project, your department, your division or your company as a whole. In times of change, we need support from our families and our colleagues. I'm reminded here of a letter written by one of our animators, Austin Madison, which I found particularly uplifting."
"To whom it may inspire,' Austin wrote, 'I, like many of you artists out there, constantly shift between two states. The first and far more preferable of the two is white hot, in the zone, seat of the pants, firing on all cylinders creative mode. This is when you lay your pen down and the ideas pour out of you like wine from a royal challis. This happens about 3% of the time. The other 97% of the time, I'm in the frustrated, struggling, office corner full of crumpled-up paper mode. The important thing is to slog diligently through this quagmire of discouragement and despair. Put on some audio commentary and listen to the stories of professionals who have been making films for decades going through the same slings and arrows of outrageous production problems. In a word, persist. Persist on telling your story. Persist on reaching your audience. Persist on staying true to your vision."