INSPIRATION:"Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish."

As an animator there are many people who inspire me in the industry. However, Steve Jobs inspires me on different levels as a businessman, innovator, presenter and a thinker. Steve Jobs will always be remembered for his breakthroughs in technology with Apple.   While I do respect all of his accomplishments with Apple, it is his history with Pixar that makes him stand out to me.  After reading The Pixar Touch by David A Price, I learned about the man who bought Pixar from George Lucas for the basement price of five million dollars.  Before you continue reading this blog make sure you watch the video above from his commencement speech (or click HERE) from 2005.

 Steve Jobs’ commencement speech was powerful yet simple. Steve didn’t use big words to the Stanford students and he didn’t brag about his accomplishments, he just spoke to us.  His iconic stature makes it easy to forget that Steve Jobs is just a normal person. Following your passion is something I strongly believe in because of our limited time here.  Growing up I never received encouragement from any of my teachers, instead I heard “There’s no money in that.” Whatever happened to following your passion? At some point it becomes about money and job security and dreams are kept private.  Teachers should find their student’s passion and guide them down the right path.

Steve Jobs is an example of a person who was lost in the world. He went to college and quickly realized it was not worth his time. He followed his gut and followed his intuition.  Fast forward into the future; Apple fired Steve Jobs the man who created them.  Instead of giving up he moved on and created NeXT and purchased Pixar.  With Steve Jobs leadership, influence and support Pixar has become the most successful animation company in the world.  Steve’s passion for the groundbreaking technology allowed him to continue to work in the industry he loved.  Nevertheless, there were times when Steve wanted to sell Pixar but he continued to stand by their side.  Steve’s main interest in Pixar came from the software they used to create their computer-generated images. Steve wanted to use Pixar’s technology in his computers.  This all changed when Jobs saw the revolutionary potential in Pixar’s short animated films.

Jobs’ work ethic is something many people wish they had. Live today as if it was your last.  This is something I try to practice, but often find myself wasting time.  I need to push myself and follow my intuition just like Steve did.  Why work hard at a career that brings you no satisfaction? What good is the money if you do not enjoy your job?  If you find something you love doing everyday then you will never have to work a day in your life.  As Steve Jobs said, never settle, if you have not found your dream job then keep on looking.  If we stay content with our current position of unhappiness then we will never find our true purpose. As creative people we must remember to “Stay hungry, Stay foolish.”