Author: Christy Heyob
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A Compass for Creative Work: Lessons from Covey’s 7 Habits
This post is part of a short series on the creative books that have shaped how I think about storytelling, structure, and collaboration—especially in animation. These aren’t reviews, but reflections on the tools and truths I’ve carried into my work. There’s a certain kind of resistance many creative people feel when handed a bestselling self-help…
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The Visual Key: How Bruce Block Unlocked My Storytelling Structure
This post is part of a short series on the creative books that have shaped how I think about storytelling, structure, and collaboration—especially in animation. These aren’t reviews, but reflections on the tools and truths I’ve carried into my work. I discovered Bruce Block’s The Visual Story during my thesis research in grad school, and…
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Solitude and the Shape of Creative Trust
This post is part of a short series on the creative books that have shaped how I think about storytelling, structure, and collaboration—especially in animation. These aren’t reviews, but reflections on the tools and truths I’ve carried into my work. There’s a quote from Krishnamurti that’s stayed with me: “The moment you follow someone you…
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The Role of Empathy in Storytelling
(Or, Why I Used to Cry in the Children’s Section of the Bookstore) Before my animation career, I worked in bookstores—first as a researcher, then a lead, and eventually, a children’s book expert. Technically, I sold so many children’s and teen books they stopped rotating my shifts. Even when it was slow, I was asked…
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The Hidden Emotional Labor of Animation Production
We talk a lot about pipelines, tools, and creative workflows in animation—but rarely about the emotional labor that keeps it all running. Behind every beautifully animated scene is a team navigating pressure, perfectionism, tight deadlines, and creative vulnerability. Whether you’re an artist or on the production side, the emotional labor—holding space for others, absorbing feedback,…
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How Storytelling Helps Me Find Comfort, Process Uncertainty, and Believe in What Comes Next
There are days when the world feels unrelenting. The headlines blur together—climate disasters, politics, violence, uncertainty stacked on uncertainty—and the sense of helplessness creeps in before we can stop it. Even on quiet days, it’s there, humming under the surface. That low-level heaviness. That ache of trying to keep up, stay informed, be “on” all…
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The Power of Narrative: Why We’re Wired for Story
There was a time in my life when I was surrounded by stories—shelving them, recommending them, researching them, watching them fly off the shelves. From 2001 to 2009, I worked in bookstores in various roles—researcher, children’s expert, section lead—and in that time, I was able to wander through thousands of narratives, exploring at my own…
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From Chaos to Magic: The Joy of Creative Collaboration
Some people thrive in order. I thrive in a little chaos—the creative kind. Not the panic kind, or the deadline-is-burning kind, but the kind of chaos that happens when brilliant, wildly different minds collide to make something bigger than any one of us could imagine alone. In creative teams, things rarely go according to plan—and…
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How to Handle Creative Feedback Without Taking It Personally
Let’s be real: creative feedback can sting. Even when it’s kind and constructive, hearing that something needs to change—especially after you’ve poured time and heart into it—can feel personal. It’s hard not to take it that way sometimes. But I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) that feedback, when done well, isn’t meant to tear you…
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Blurring Boundaries: The Convergence of Animation, Music, and Interactive Media in Modern Storytelling
Once, Stories Had Clear Boundaries. Now, They Don’t. I still remember the first time a story pulled me across different mediums—The Lord of the Rings. I devoured the books (which I had to put down for a week when Gandalf died), watched the movies (extended editions only, please), and even tried the game. (Not exactly…
Christy Heyob | Building Worlds, Stories & Creative Teams 