Things at Animation Mentor have been incredible. We've been doing a lot of learning, trying new things and having internal gatherings discussing some very stimulating topics.

We had a gathering of 14 of the crew this week and talked about our overall purpose. An interesting thing we noticed from this awesome share was that the word animation never came up. Instead, we wrote down things like, "Changing lives," "Improving the quality of people's lives," "Inspiring people to reach their full potential" and, one of my favorites, "To unlock the beauty of life so that we (students, mentors, staff) can lead the best, most fulfilled lives!" This got me thinking about something that I wanted to pass on to the readers here.

As animators we always talk about having a sketchbook and sketching the world around you so that you learn how to observe and capture moments that you may be able to put into your work. This led me to think about how to take this concept to the next level.

I've come to the conclusion that life becomes so much more amazing when we become conscious and open. Simple things like an older couple holding hands and shuffling down the street, or a person feeding birds becomes so much more incredible because we can actually SEE these things and see the stories that are underneath.

So, here's my idea:
For those who keep a sketchbook, you do have one don't you, I'd encourage you to try a little experiment. Each day write down 1 - 3 things (simple sentences) that stood out for you that day. Things you are either grateful for in your life, something someone did for you that day, something you did unconditionally for someone else that day, something you witnessed, etc.

I have no doubt that this will add tremendous material to your "bank" of ideas to pull from in your creative endeavors, and, even better, it may just lead to an even more incredible quality of life. Keep it simple. 1 - 3 things is doable. The more you do it the more you may find yourself adding.

I've been doing this for some time and I have to say in doing this the gift of life has really opened up to me and I feel so incredibly inspired, thankful and open to new ideas, new experiences and so much more. Try it out. I'd love to hear your thoughts!