After experiencing grief and trauma that nearly broke me, at one point during the COVID-19 pandemic I made a yard sign. Actually, I made 300. They read: “You’re Not Ok. That’s Ok.” I put a few signs in my yard and the rest on my porch. Soon, the signs were gone – taken by neighbors, friends, and even strangers I later found on Instagram.
The sign resonated with them. So, I decided to produce a show on being ok with not being ok. In the middle of production on this show, one of our guests, author Susan Cain, told a story to Steve that really floored me emotionally.
It’s the story of Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer Pete Docter, the creative mind behind two of their greatest hits, "Monsters, Inc." and “Up." He had an idea for a film about the emotional life of an 11-year-old girl. The film had two protagonists, Fear and Joy. But after spending years on production (and a lot of money) Pete realized the film wasn’t working. The emotional protagonists of an 11-year-old girl aren’t Fear and Joy. They are Sadness and Joy. But who wants to see a movie about sadness?
As you know, that film — "Inside Out" — went on to be a massive hit. It won an Oscar for Best Screenplay and Best Animated Feature.
I re-watched it recently (we should all be watching more kid’s cartoons by the way) and a particular scene struck me. It points out that sadness, not necessarily joy, can in the end be the salve. It’s a version of my sign. That’s big kid stuff in a little kid movie.
–Charles