My wife and I recently smiled and laughed the entire time we watched Toy Story 4. We highly recommend it,and think it's the best movie of the series so far.
The idea I want to share with you jumped from the screen the moment one of the new characters, Forky, was introduced.
If you haven't seen the movie yet, there may be some light "spoilers" but I'm not sharing much about the plot that hasn’t been included in the trailers. The point I want to make has more to do with the story we (especially creatives) tell ourselves.
Forky is a creation of Bonnie, the human who owns and plays with Woody, Buzz, and the rest of the Toy Story cast. One day Bonnie makes Forky out of materials she is given at her first day of kindergarten and quickly becomes her new favorite.
When introduced to the rest of the toys back at home, Forky, just assembled, can only muster what it believes himself to be; trash. Despite the other toys assurances that he too is a toy, the refrain continues; I'm trash!
Perhaps the most endearing qualities of Pixar films is their ability to infuse stories with deeper lessons about life while entertaining everyone in the room. This lesson is subtle but serves as an excellent example of how we tend to view brand new creative work.
Forky’s belief that his existence is nothing more than a haphazard assembly of useless material reminds me a lot of an artist’s inner dialogue. How often, after observing (or before even beginning) a poem, painting, woodwork, video, podcast, song, prepared meal or outfit have we declared it and ourselves as such…trash!
What I loved about the film is although Forky’s doubtful personality was difficult as he wrestled with his identity, he always had an advocate who loved and believed in him (Bonnie) and at least one line of support (Woody) that helped him navigate his emotions.
If only we could stand outside ourselves and creative work in a similar way. Enjoying how our creative voice evolves over time rather than bemoaning the journey, like a traveling child; “are we there yet?”. And instead of giving up mid way through, connecting to a community of folks who are likely moving through similar thoughts and feelings.
Forky is a symbol of how our first iteration does not define the value of our ideas themselves, and that with more time and attention, they could grow into personalities all their own.
With bravery and grace our ideas can live long enough so that they can be articulated more accurately, understood more completely, and appreciated for the value they came from as well as what value they could create.
Thanks for reading.
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