“I only hope that we don’t lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.”—Walt Disney
I opened my monthly Disney news letter (yes I get one and yes I am a Disney nut) this morning and read that today marks Mickey Mouse’s birthday. It was today in 1928 that Steamboat Willie debuted. Walt Disney found the one thing that he would build his dream on and he made it happen. We all have a “mouse” somewhere inside us. The problem is the majority of the world never looks hard enough to find their “mouse”. In the book The Imagineering Workout written by Disney Imagineers (by the way, if you are a writer or creator of any kind and you do not own this book… BUY it right away and read it from front to back, over and over again) Jan O Connor ( a Disney Creative Development Show Writer ) says “Nobody wants to be mediocre. Only the mediocre person is always at his best. You have to fail. You have to take risks”.
What if Walt Disney had quit trying after failing so many times and never found his mouse? What if Walt had let Oswald the Lucky Rabbit be is only accomplishment? Walt Disney didn’t give up. He kept his creative juices flowing and one day on a five day train trip he came up with his “mouse” (granted he was calling the mouse Mortimer which his wife Lillian disliked so he changed it to Mickey). The thought inspires yet terrifies me. So many times I want to throw my hands up and walk away from writing but I remember Walt’s mouse and I sit back down and continue. I’m looking for my “mouse” and I do not intend to stop.
Jason Grandt (a Graphic Designer for Disney) says “When it comes to your creative ability, don’t worry if your glass is half full or half empty…just knock it over and use every last drop.”