Face the Truth of Mortality and Allow ‘the Bucket List” to Guide You

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In “The Bucket List,” Jack Nicholson plays the rich, mean-spirited, over-bearing Edward Cole. In any other context, he would be considered a bad guy. He’s mean to his assistant. He treats people poorly, and he uses brutal honesty as a weapon. However, the fact that the viewer knows Cole is going to die, changes how he is perceived. It’s hard to be angry with someone who is going to die. But isn’t that the crux of life?

We are all going to die. Life is a journey toward death. No one survives. No one knows when his or her death will be. We don’t have to be diagnosed with a terminal illness to face death. If we can realize this core truth of humanity and life itself, we may be able to harness the sympathy for others that comes with realizing they are going to die.

Imagine knowing that everyone you meet is going to die and that death is imminent. If we can all face that single truth, maybe we can find it within us to be kinder to everyone we meet. Death is never far off for anyone. Treat them well, and you won’t have to regret any of your actions.

Nicholson is brilliant in this role, he’s played before – the loveable curmudgeon who somehow redeems himself. (“You make me want to be a better man.”) His chemistry with Morgan Freeman is fun and funny. Cole still treats his assistant poorly throughout the film, but finally finds redemption in the embrace of his grandchild and estranged daughter.

We don’t have scripts that allow us to have these outcomes, we have to write our own scripts. That means we have to find our own character arc and have the courage to change our inner narrative. Only then will we be able to find who we truly are, and as Edward Cole proves, we can create a better, more meaningful life with our loved ones as long as we’re willing to embrace what’s important, like forgiveness, and throw away everything that is crass and wrong with our society, including greed and selfishness.

The Top 8 Books on Disney and Creativity

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The Walt Disney Company has been considered powerhouse in creative endeavors. With its innovations in animation, movies and theme parks, people associate the Disney brand with creativity. So, aside from my two books, “Disneyland Is Creativity” and “The Haunted Mansion Is Creativity,” what are the best books about Disney and its creative process? Here are my Top 8:

“Brain Storm: Unleashing Your Creative Self” – Don Hahn gives readers practical advice for getting more creativity from life. He uses his life experience and his work at Disney to provide some of the best insights and most fun stories for creativity.

“The Imagineering Way: Ideas to Ignite Your Creativity” – The imagineers explore creativity principles and provide examples on how to add more creativity to your everyday life! Use it in conjunction with “The Imagineering Workout: Exercises to Shape Your Creative Muscles” and get your creative muscles in shape.

“The Imagineering Workout: Exercises to Shape Your Creative Muscles” – The imagineers give you some exercise to improve your creative output in this companion book to “The Imagineering Way: Ideas to Ignite Your Creativity.”

“One Little Spark! Mickey’s Ten Commandments and The Road to Imagineering” – Marty Sklar leads us on an exploration of the rules that imagineers follow to come up with and implement their ideas. Go inside the idea process with the experts at the Walt Disney company.

“Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration” – The section on Steve Jobs makes this book about Pixar and creativity worth the read. Ed Catmull does an outstanding job with this story of the Pixar Studios. Read my review at our archive website http://www.penguinate.weebly.com.

“Dream It! Do It! My Half-Century Creating Disney’s Magic Kingdoms” – Marty Sklar was a prominent imagineer who got his start writing for Disneyland before the park opened. “Dream It! Do It!” is Sklar’s autobiography as it relates to his work with the Walt Disney Company. Check out the review at our archive website http://www.penguinate.weebly.com.

“How to Be Like Walt: Capturing the Disney Magic Every Day of Your Life” – Pat Williams takes an honest and positive look at Walt Disney’s life. Williams pulls out creativity principles using Walt’s biography as the basis for illustrating those principles.

 “Walt Disney: An American Original” – Biographies are a great way to get inspired and to dig into what made someone creative. Bob Thomas’ seminal work on Walt Disney was released not long after Disney’s death. It is one of the most accurate portrayals of Walt’s life and how he accomplished what he did. Start here before looking at the more modern biography by Neal Gabler.

Tell us which book on Disney and creativity is your favorite!

Who were your childhood friends?

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My first friend was my dog Reggie. He was a beautiful, loyal German Shepherd who would listen to me, play with me and was always there for me. I lost Reggie when we had to move to the projects in California. They don’t allow poor people to have pets, and Reggie would’ve been too big for our apartment.

In the third grade, I had a girl-friend. Everyone joked that we were destined to get married. She had long brown hair and was, ew, a girl. Still, we were friends who spent recesses and lunch together.

In fifth and sixth grades, I reached the height of my childhood popularity. I knew a lot of people with whom I was friends. Many of them showed up for my birthday party at Marine World Africa, USA – a story I wrote up (with an account of Reggie) in “My Life in the Projects.”

In sixth grade, I had an actual girlfriend. Girls weren’t so “ew” by that time. I also had a couple of friends that I regularly played Dungeons and Dragons with. They were upset when we had to move to Oregon to get away from the violence in the projects.

A father and son lived caddy-corner from us in the projects. They were older than me, but we were still friends, even after we moved. I played chess and watched anime with the father. The son and I kept in touch until after I graduated from high school. We played a role-playing game that he made up to entertain me. I lost touch with them when I went to college.

Even before all of my human friends and about the same time as Reggie, I had a group of friends and protectors who kept me safe in the dark of nights and provided solace in the darkest of times. My stiffed animals were fun to be around, and they could always go with me, no matter where we moved. They were steadfast, loyal, and some told amazing jokes.

I haven’t kept in touch with my childhood friends. We’ve grown apart – separated by time, distance, and experiences, even in this electronically and virtually connected world – and that’s on me. I have, however, kept my stuffed animal friends, tucked away in a box somewhere, waiting for me to bring them back into my life, to enjoy the sunshine and the laughter of an old man they still see as the child that once was. Until I am able to, until I have the space to house them, I’ll keep collecting plushie friends from the amazing penguins my wife hand makes to the multiple examples of Olaf the Snowman. And when I am finally able to bring them all together, we’ll have an epic party to celebrate our friendship.

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The ABCs of Creativity: Yes, and…

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In improv comedy, you never want to shut down the person you’re on stage with. Even if you have no idea how something is going to be funny, you need to take what you’re given and add to it. The phrase is “Yes, and…” Because improv is creative and difficult enough, negating someone’s idea will shut down the comedy as it destroys the other person’s confidence.

Walt Disney knew instinctively that creativity came from the “Yes.” People who said “no” were always looking at how not to do things and that’s what they would end up doing – nothing. When Walt proposed something that sounded crazy, the answer was always “Yes.” Sometimes, there was a qualifier and the answer was “Yes, if…” People who said “No” to Walt often found themselves unemployed.

When creating the effect for the Rainbow Caverns, Heinz Haber told imagineer Claude Coats that it would be statistically impossible to keep the colors separate form each other. They would be gray within a week. When Coats relayed Haber’s assessment to Walt, Walt said, “Well, it’s fun to do the impossible” (according to MiceChat). Walt trusted his people to find a way to accomplish the impossible because he believed in the power of “Yes.” As long as someone thought they could or they thought that Walt thought they could, they usually did.

For more on creativity, get “Disneyland Is Creativity,” “the Haunted Mansion Is Creativity,” and “Penguinate! Essays and Short Stories,” and join our Patreon. For more on the Disney Company, get “Penguinate! The Disney Company.”

What does 1980’s ‘Popeye’ have to do with creativity and criticism?

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1980’s “Popeye” starring Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall is a bad film. The chorus sings off-key or flat, which is pretty terrible for a musical, and Williams mumbles his way through the role eliminating any sort of comedy that would have come from his adlib skills. The lone bright spot is Duvall, who was seemingly born to play Olive Oyl. (You can read my longer review, which is criticism and not being critical, at Penguinate.weebly.com.)

Normally, as a Penguinator, you don’t want to criticize anything. While criticism may make you look smarter, it can snuff out a person’s creative spark. Engage in too much criticism, and you may find your own spark for creativity failing.

We don’t want to discourage creativity, but there are times when it’s important to be critical. The not-so-subtle difference between criticizing and being critical is that being critical is designed to help the person get better. Criticism tears people down; being critical helps to build them up.

The next time you’re about to point out the flaws in someone else’s idea, be sure that your helping the person to build up on the idea. The spark you save may be your own.

Be active: Nurture your own spark. Turn off your inner editor until it is needed.

For more on creativity, check out these books:

‘The Bucket List’ Redefines and Revolutionizes the Use of Flashback

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“The Bucket List” starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman is a stellar film. Sure, it’s about death, dying and cancer, but the film portrays in such a way that its inspirational rather than depressing. Even better is the film’s game changing use of cinematic devices that are usually reserved for poor writing and boring narratives. If you haven’t seen “The Bucket List,” go find it on Netflix or wherever you stream your movies on and get treated to an amazing performance from to old guys that have great chemistry. Spoilers after the trailer.

I hate flashbacks and dislike voice over narration almost as much. So, when Morgan Freeman’s voice begins the film telling us that Jack Nicholson’s character is dead, I was ready for this to be one of the worst films ever. I mean, sure, aside from the premise that these two old guys have terminal cancer, there’s no reason to start the film off showing us the ending. A story should be told from the beginning… except when knowing the ending serves a storytelling purpose.

Generally, poor writing starts off by showing the most intriguing situation possible: a bomb explodes, a character is in the middle of a martial arts battle, the aliens are invading and a laser is bearing down on Earth from the sky, some traumatic event that will grab your interest. Then the film or story rewinds to show you how it got there. If a story has to start in the middle or with an event to engage the viewer’s interest, it’s usually a sign that the actual beginning of the story isn’t good enough to keep the viewer engaged. If it isn’t good enough to start the movie with, it should be left on the cutting room floor. If you can’t trust your viewers or your characters to find their way to the “exciting” parts, then you need to rewrite the story until you can – or drop it altogether.

Flashbacks generally create an entire time period during the story where no danger to the characters involved matter because they are going to make it to the traumatic event. That squashes the tension and results in too much redundancy in the film. “Arrow” has used flashback effectively to enhance its storytelling, and strengthen its themes, but it has 22 hours in which to tell its stories. A 90-minute film should avoid the flashback almost every time.

However, the flashback angle works in “The Bucket List” because of the way it’s used. With Morgan Freeman’s first words, the viewer hears that Edward is dead. The scene shows a man in a cold weather suit climbing on top of the Himalayas with a can of ashes. Because we know that Edward is going to die, we gain sympathy for the cantankerous old man before we ever meet him. We are softened towards him as a person; it’s hard to be angry at someone who is going to die. We also know that his death is coming, so we are able to protect ourselves from it.

The next 88 minutes are filled with laughter, great characters, hardship, and fun. They are heart-rending but not heart-breaking. And then you get the twist at the end. Yes, the film was a flashback, but not in the way the viewer was led to believe. The twist is beautiful and amazing, and for this film, it is part of the reason why the story was so effective. As writer, it’s important to remember that the flashback can be an effective tool as long as we don’t use it lazily. It’s only one of the lessons in “The Bucket List.”

Fairy Tales Take a Turn for the Supporting Cast

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Jenniffer Wardell published Fairy Godmothers, Inc. in April of 2013. Her take on the world of fairy tales revolves around characters who are normally given the bit parts that help the main characters move forward.

“There’s not really fairy tales for people who don’t fit in,” says Wardell. “I wanted to write something that gave the world’s supporting cast a chance at the spotlight.”

Even though there are many fairy tale adaptations out there, Wardell says that her stories stand out.

“You have never experienced one like mine before,” says Wardell. “It is funny. It is sweet. It’s definitely a new twist.”

Wardell wrote her first book at the age of six about a peacock that goes on an adventure during Halloween.

“When you love stories, there’s never quite enough in the world,” says Wardell. It is important to add your own.

Fairy Godmothers, Inc. can be found at Amazon.com as can Wardell’s story based on the Three Little Pigs called Huff and Puff.

Wardell’s next book Beast Charming is scheduled to be released in February of 2015. In the meantime, fans can find her movie reviews and other articles in the Davis County Clipper and follow her on Blogspot.

This article was originally published at examiner.com in 2013. Links have been updated.

Judy Collins and the Muppets of ‘Sesame Street’

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During a difficult time in her life, Judy Collins had fallen prey to alcoholism and was on the edge of a chasm from which there would be no return. She was saved by her friend and fan Jon Stone and the Muppets of Sesame Street. Collins was able to find a reason to keep going; she was able to find an intermittent beacon that brought her back to a safe place full of love and respect.

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The ABCs of Creativity: X-factor

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Sure, I could’ve gone with xylophone – it’s a musical instrument. I could’ve chosen a multitude of words that begin with “ex” and just shrugged when someone brought up that they actually started with “e” and not “x.” I could’ve gone with someone creative like X. Atencio. Instead, I’m using a hyphen as my cheat code. When I write for the paltry sum of cents per word, a hyphenated word only counts as one and not two words, so “x-factor” it is.

We’re not talking about the TV show, which focuses on singing skills and offers biting criticism rather than providing a critical view. However, we are talking about where the name comes from; the x-factor in creativity is the talent that you have naturally. You are creative, but your beginning talent level will naturally be different than someone else’s creative talent level. You can’t do anything about that.

You can, however, change how much work you put in to cultivate your talent. Hard work can beat talent as long as you’re willing to overcome your natural limits and improve your mind and work effort. Following a plan, engaging in creative acts, and continuing to learn about the world around you are all acts that will help you improve your creativity. Unlike physical talent, creative talent has no ceiling. Work on your ability, and you’ll watch your x-factor grow.

For more on creativity, join our Patreon. Get “Disneyland Is Creativity.” Buy “The Haunted Mansion Is Creativity.” Read “Penguinate! Essays and Short Stories.”

Our Traveling Penguins: Penny and Patch

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My wife and I love to travel. We don’t get to do it as often as we like, but when we do, we make sure to take along our two traveling penguin companions – Penny and Patch. They’ve help us meet other people who are bringing their own stuffed friends along, and we’ve found adventures and fun in the most unexpected places, inspired by our penguins.

Penny Penguin in Hawaii
Penny Penguin in Hawaii

Penny has been traveling with us the longest. The problem is that she likes to fly. It’s okay if it’s in a plane, but it’s much better if it’s under her own power. Fortunately, she’s tough, and she hasn’t flown too far away from any of the photo sights. We have to keep an eye on her though because she won’t miss an opportunity to leave the ground.

Patch Penguin The fish was this big!
Patch Penguin The fish was this big!

Patch is our hungry penguin. He loves to eat almost anything, but he always has his eyes set on fish “this big.” Patch is also telling the other penguins in our rookery stories about what he’s seen, what he’s done and what kind of fish he wants most.

You can see the adventures of Penny and Patch on our Instagram. Or you can check out, Checkers Penguin who has his own Instagram; he’s into food, fingernails and lives in New Zealand.

If you want a traveling companion, you can get one of our handmade stuffed penguins. They’ll come with a passport, so their ready to go anywhere. If you want more penguins in general, join our Patreon or you can give the gift of a penguin with our Pay-It-Forward Penguin program.