Catmull’s wife Susan once gave him a one-week, silent-meditation retreat at the Shambhala
Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, Colorado. He was the only person there who had
never meditated. At first, he couldn’t adjust to the silence. Being unable to speak made his
already active brain even more distracted. Slowly, he accepted the silence and the idea of
mindfulness, which concerns staying in the moment – observing what is happening right
now without thinking of the past or future. This builds peace of mind and aids perception.
When you accept that amid constant change your thoughts are “fleeting and subjective,” by
nature, you will see how little you control you have – and how that may prevent you from
perceiving what’s happening right now. Meditation clears your brain of noise, and helps
you achieve a clear mind that nourishes creativity. The less “inner chatter” distracts you,
the more freely your creative impulses can flow.