#310 Walt Disney and Picasso

298 snips

Jul 4, 2023

Explore the contrasting artistic journeys of Picasso and Disney, highlighting their unique influences on culture. Discover Picasso’s daily creative output and the moral complexities behind his genius. Dive into Disney's innovative animation, including his groundbreaking work with 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.' The discussion reveals how their intense focus shaped their legacies, emphasizing the personal sacrifices made in pursuit of creativity. Reflect on how their differing visions continue to resonate in the modern creative landscape.

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ADVICE

Learn to Sell, Learn to Build

Learn to sell, learn to build.
If you can do both, you will be unstoppable.

ADVICE

Differentiate and Relocate

Differentiate yourself; don't be the best, be the only.
Move to the best physical location for your career.

ADVICE

Gusto and Volume

Do everything with gusto and in volume.
Repeat, repeat, repeat for success.

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Churchill

Walking with Destiny

Andrew Roberts

In this landmark biography, Andrew Roberts provides a deeply personal and historically rich portrait of Winston Churchill. With exclusive access to new material such as transcripts of War Cabinet meetings, diaries, letters, and unpublished memoirs from Churchill's contemporaries, Roberts reveals the hidden forces behind Churchill's legendary drive. The book explores Churchill's life in detail, from his early years to his leadership during World War II, highlighting his courage, tenacity, leadership, and moral conviction. It also discusses his complex relationships, including his interactions with King George VI and Franklin Roosevelt, and evaluates his legacy in the context of modern leadership challenges.

Working

people talk about what they do all day and how they feel about what they do

Studs Terkel

In 'Working,' Studs Terkel conducts in-depth interviews with people from diverse occupations, ranging from gravediggers to studio heads. The book provides a snapshot of American working life in the early 1970s, highlighting the emotional and physical aspects of work. It explores themes of job satisfaction, the search for meaning, and the impact of work on individuals' lives. The interviews are edited to preserve the voices and stories of the subjects, offering a powerful and original perspective on work and its significance in human experience.

Mozart

A Life

Paul Johnson

Disney's Land

Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World

Richard Snow

This book chronicles the period from the conception of Disneyland in the 1940s to its significant additions in 1959. It delves into Walt Disney's innovative vision, the creative efforts of his team, and the financial and logistical challenges they overcame. The narrative includes biographical sketches of key figures involved in the park's design and construction, such as Roy Disney, Ward Kimball, and C.V. Wood. The book also details the park's opening day and its subsequent success despite initial setbacks, showcasing the unique blend of imagination, engineering, and perseverance that defined Disneyland's creation.

Heroes From Alexander The Great And Julius Caesar To Churchill And De Gaulle

Paul Johnson

In 'Heroes', Paul Johnson examines the concept of heroism by profiling a diverse range of historical figures, from military leaders like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to cultural icons like Mae West and Marilyn Monroe. The book delves into the lives of these individuals, highlighting their achievements and the impact they had on their respective eras. Johnson's work spans centuries, offering insights into what makes a hero and how perceptions of heroism have evolved over time.

The Mind of Napoleon: A Selection of His Written and Spoken Words

Napoleon

J. Christopher Herold

This book is a collection of quotes, letters, and other writings from Napoleon Bonaparte, arranged topically to reveal his views on a wide range of subjects. It provides a unique perspective on Napoleon's mind, showcasing his thoughts on politics, war, human nature, and more. The compilation highlights his strategic thinking, philosophical insights, and personal reflections, making it a valuable resource for understanding one of history's most enigmatic leaders[1][4][5].

Les Schwab

Pride in Performance - Keep it Going!

Les Schwab

In this book, Les Schwab shares his life story, from his challenging childhood during the Great Depression to his success in building Les Schwab Tire Centers. The book highlights his business philosophy, which includes empowering and rewarding employees, maintaining a long-term focus, absolute transparency, a win-win culture, continuous innovation, and prioritizing front-line employees. Schwab's memoir also emphasizes his personal mantra, 'Life is hard. Keep it going!' which reflects his determination and resilience in the face of challenges.

Confessions of an Advertising Man

David Ogilvy

First published in 1963, this book revolutionized the world of advertising and became a bible for the 1960s ad generation. It covers topics such as how to manage an advertising agency, acquire and retain clients, build great campaigns, write potent copy, and navigate office politics. The book is filled with Ogilvy's pioneering ideas, inspirational philosophy, and practical advice, making it an essential blueprint for good practice in business.

Creators

Paul Johnson

In 'Creators', Paul Johnson examines the lives and contributions of notable figures such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Bach, and Picasso, highlighting their unique talents and circumstances that shaped their enduring legacies. The book offers insights into what makes these individuals stand out as innovators and leaders in their respective fields.

Socrates

In *The Apology*, Plato recounts the speech Socrates delivered at his trial, where he was charged with impiety and corrupting the youth. Socrates defends his actions and philosophy, emphasizing his duty to seek truth and wisdom as directed by the oracle at Delphi. He argues that his mission is to awaken the Athenian state from its ignorance and that he is willing to face death rather than abandon his philosophical pursuits. The dialogue is a cornerstone of Western philosophy, highlighting Socrates' method of questioning and his commitment to ethical living[1][2][4].

What I learned from reading Creators: From Chaucer and Durer to Picasso and Disney by Paul Johnson.

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(3:30) Disney made use of the new technologies throughout his creative life.

(4:45) Lists of Paul Johnson books and episodes:

Churchill by Paul Johnson. (Founders #225)

Heroes: From Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar to Churchill and de Gaulle by Paul Johnson.(Founders #226)

Mozart: A Life by Paul Johnson. (Founders #240)

Socrates: A Man for Our Times by Paul Johnson. (Founders #252)

(5:55) Picasso was essentially self-taught, self-directed, self-promoted, emotionally educated in the teeming brothels of the city, a small but powerfully built monster of assured egoism.

(7:30) Most good copywriters fall into two categories. Poets. And killers. Poets see an ad as an end. Killers as a means to an end. If you are both killer and poet, you get rich. — Confessions of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy. (Founders #306)

(10:00) Whatever you do, you must do it with gusto, you must do it in volume. It is a case of repeat, repeat, repeat. — Les Schwab Pride In Performance: Keep It Going! by Les Schwab. (Founders #105)

(11:30) Picasso averaged one new piece of artwork every day of his life from age 20 until his death at age 91. He created something new every day for 71 years.

(15:30) Power doesn't always corrupt. But what power always does is reveal. — Working by Robert Caro (Founders #305)

(17:30) Many people find it hard to accept that a great writer, painter, or musician can be evil. But the historical evidence shows, again and again, that evil and creative genius can exist side by side in the same person. In my judgment his monumental selfishness and malignity were inextricably linked to his achievement.

He was all-powerful as an originator and aesthetic entrepreneur precisely because he was so passionately devoted to what he was doing, to the exclusion of any other feelings whatever.

He had no sense of duty except to himself, and this gave him his overwhelming self-promoting energy. Equally, his egoism enabled him to turn away from nature and into himself with a concentration which is awe-inspiring.

(21:30) It shows painfully how even vast creative achievement and unparalleled worldly success can fail to bring happiness.

(24:00) Walt Disney (at age 18) wanted to run his own business and be his own master. He had the American entrepreneurial spirit to an unusual degree.

(27:00) Recurring theme: Knowing what you want to do but not knowing how to do it—yet.

(26:20) All creative individuals build on the works of their predecessors. No one creates in vacuum.

(28:30) Why Walt Disney moved to Hollywood: The early 1920s, full of hope and daring, were a classic period for American free enterprise, and for anyone interested in the arts—Hollywood was a rapidly expanding focus of innovation.

(28:00) Filmaker episodes:

Francis Ford Coppola: A Filmmaker's Life by Michael Schumacher. (Founders #242)

Steven Spielberg: A Biography by Joseph McBride. (Founders #209)

George Lucas: A Life by Brian Jay Jones. (Founders #35)

(30:10) The relentless resourcefulness of a young Walt Disney!

(34:30) This is wild: It is significant that Mickey Mouse, in the year of his greatest popularity, 1933, received over 800,000 fan letters, the largest ever recorded in show business, at any time in any century.

(36:00) Something that Disney does his entire career —he has this in common with other great filmmakers— he is always jumping on the new technology of his day.

(37:00) Lack of resources is actually a feature. It’s the benefit. — Kevin Kelly on Invest Like the Best #334

(38:45) Imagination rules the world. — The Mind of Napoleon: A Selection of His Written and Spoken Words edited by J. Christopher Herold. (Founders #302)

(41:15) Disney put excellence before any other consideration.

(41:45) Disney hired the best artists he could get and gave them tasks to the limits of their capacities.

(47:45) Disney’s Land: Walt Disney and the Invention of the Amusement Park That Changed the World by Richard Snow. (Founders #158)

(49:30) I Had Lunch With Sam Zell (Founders #298)

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