David Brooks on the "Haimish Line": Pixar and TroubleMaker Studios

crossposted on the '30 Home Games' blog >>

Carpetbagger: A Rare Look Inside Pixar Studios

I've been writing a to-do list for my mission to visit the 30 NBA Cities of America. After reading Joel Stein's article for Time Magazine of Pixar's upcoming project, I corrected the oversight adding the Studio to my fantasy list alongside Troublemaker Studios and DetourFilm.

Pixar's Girl Story by Joel Stein

Until I visited Pixar's offices, I did not know that 12-year-old boys were allowed to run major corporations. Yet I am walking through the lobby, and the room to my right is full of plastic bins dispensing every kind of cereal, free. Men pedal scooters past me. On Friday mornings an employee named Mark Andrews stands on the front lawn in a kilt, challenging co-workers to actual sword fights.

On my recent EuroTrip I realised that what I enjoyed most about travel was the social exploration. I just liked being around people, I enjoyed searching for the connections I might have with strangers. Travel is certainly conducive to sociability, we are in an exploratory and social state of mind. We are around like-minded people and are in settings that encourage interaction. New York Times Columnist David Brooks has dubbed this 'The Haimish Line'

The Haimish Line by David Brooks

I know only one word to describe what the simpler camps had and the more luxurious camps lacked: haimish. It’s a Yiddish word that suggests warmth, domesticity and unpretentious conviviality. It occurred to me that when we moved from a simple camp to a more luxurious camp, we crossed an invisible Haimish Line. The simpler camps had it, the more comfortable ones did not. This is a generalized phenomenon, which applies to other aspects of life. Often, as we spend more on something, what we gain in privacy and elegance we lose in spontaneous sociability.

Its not surprising that I would include Film Studios on my places-to-visit list. You might be wondering, "Why don't you just pursue a career in Digital animation so I can actually work there?"

I've realised that I'm driven by curiosity more than permanence. I enjoy travel, blogging and 'Ego Tripping' - I could be a journalist or a documentarian perhaps. Alas maybe my allergy to hard work and repetition dooms me to life as a "Big tourist".

More posts featuring David Brooks

- The "Haimish Line": Pixar and TroubleMaker Studios

- "Limerence": Snowboarding, Skating, Surfing, Christmas and Love

- The 'Social Animal' - Change your behaviour and you change your mind

Update:
Adam from The 'Disney, Etc.' blog lived the dream by touring Pixar. He has a great summary of the Pixar experience on his blog including a goal I can shoot for - Hooping at the Pixar basketball court. I'd like to sink a Hail Mary shot from where the Luxo ball is :)
Find the blog here - Disney, Etc.