Nearing Halloween: Tim Burton and the art of uniqueness

As the leaves start to turn golden brown and the cool autumn breeze envelops the city, the special time of year when the magic of Halloween is everywhere is approaching. It makes me feel even more like watching Tim Burton films.

His unique, dark yet humorous world is perfect for this time of year. But what is the secret behind why Burton’s works are so special and memorable?

And how can we apply this knowledge in our own field?

The power of uniqueness: ‘Edward Scissorhands’

Let’s first think of the film “Edward Scissorhands”. The story is about an artificially created (human!) boy who has scissors for hands. At this point, many directors would have rejected the concept, but Burton saw something in it. Under his hands, the film has become not only an unusual story, but a deeply emotional work about acceptance and exclusion. Terrible, cute, unique, special…

Lesson: Uniqueness is not just about doing things differently, but also about giving them deeper meaning. Leaders should have the courage to stand up for ideas they believe in, even if they seem unusual at first.

Passion and commitment: the “Christmas nightmare”

The “Christmas Nightmare” is a stop-motion film that required a lot of patience and precision. Burton’s passion and commitment to the project has allowed him to create a film that has been a classic of Christmas (and Halloween) movies for generations.

Lesson: Passion and commitment can overcome the biggest obstacles. It’s important for leaders to approach projects with passion and commitment because it inspires the whole team.

The importance of a good team: Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter

Burton often works with the same people, such as Johnny Depp or Helena Bonham Carter. The chemistry and shared vision that developed during their work together allowed for films like Sweeney Todd to be made.

Lesson: A good team not only raises the quality of work, but also adds new ideas and perspectives. Leaders should work with people they get along with and with whom they share a common vision.

Of course diversity opens new doors, but the core values must be the same.

Taking risks: “Mars Attacks!”

“Mars Attacks!” is a film that also seemed at first to be too bold an undertaking. It’s a madcap sci-fi comedy that’s completely different from Burton’s previous work. But Burton wasn’t afraid to take risks, and the film has become a cult classic.

Lesson: Risk-taking often brings the greatest success. Leaders should not be afraid to innovate and take risks, as these often lead to new and exciting opportunities.

The artist and the man: the life and work of Tim Burton

Tim Burton, full name Timothy Walter Burton, was born in 1958 in Burbank, California. Even as a young boy, he was considered an eccentric and found it difficult to fit in. He was not a bookworm, and his academic achievements were not outstanding. But he loved to draw and paint, especially in his dark room. His favourite films included the old English Hammer horror, Godzilla, and the works of Ray Harryhausen. He studied at the California Institute of the Arts, where Disney was looking for animators. Here he made his first stop-trick short film, Vincent, which was autobiographically inspired. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth it, it’s amazing!

He then went on to make several short films and live-action films, before directing feature films such as “The Great Adventure of Pee-Wee” and “Beetlejuice”.

Lesson: There are challenges and obstacles in everyone’s life, but overcoming them is the key to success. Leaders should draw inspiration and lessons from their own lives and experiences.

When I think of how many difficult times I went through, which I hated at the time, but because I didn’t run away but went with it, I have been uplifted by those experiences ever since! So should we be grateful for the difficulties? Maybe, yes!

Tim Burton’s career teaches us not only about the art of filmmaking, but also how to succeed in any field.

His example shows that individuality, passion, a good team and risk-taking all contribute to our success.

What is the main objective?

Be the best in your profession: the path to success in any field

Success is not a matter of profession. Whether you’re a carpenter, hairdresser, graphic designer or project manager, the principles for success are the same. But how can you become the best in your field?

1. Passion and commitment: passion is the foundation of success. If you really love what you do, it will show in your work. Passion is what motivates you and gets you through the tough times. And dedication means doing your best every day (striving to do your best) and not settling for average performance. Of course, I know I’m not the best marketer in the world, but I strive to be better and better every single day, because that’s what I want!
2. Constant learning and development: the world is constantly changing, evolving, evolving. To stay at the top, you need to keep going, open to new information, techniques and methods. Never stop learning! If you miss out, you miss out. Don’t let that thought bother you, but you should know that it’s true.
3. Persistence and perseverance: success does not come immediately. It takes a lot of work, time and perseverance to achieve our goals. Every failure is a learning opportunity, and every difficulty only makes you stronger.
4. Building relationships: good relationships are essential. Not only with clients, but also with the rest of the profession. A strong network can help you find new opportunities, learn and provide support in difficult times.
5. Openness to feedback: constructive criticism helps us to improve and become better. Take feedback, learn from it and use it to improve. It is worth learning how to move the EGO a little bit back!
6. Feedback, especially critical feedback, is often a challenge for us… Our ego, the self-image we have of ourselves, is put on the defensive when we encounter criticism. The ego protects our self-identity and its natural reaction is to defend itself from “attacks”. For me in particular, it takes a lot of work every day to deal with criticism. I like to be right, and when I’m wrong, I have to practice regularly to acknowledge it. These were games at first (even at home), but I’m working on it. 🙂 The first step to improving is to recognize and accept that we all make mistakes. No one is perfect. That would be nice! Once we accept that, it becomes easier to face criticism without putting our egos on the defensive. Criticism is not necessarily an attack on our personality, but rather an opportunity for US! In addition, it is important to understand that feedback, even if negative, does not necessarily reflect our full ability or worth. Many times people give feedback from their own subjective perspective, which is not objective. It is therefore worth considering criticism as a form of feedback rather than a final judgement. However, always take a few minutes to evaluate! It’s also worth considering that putting ego on the backburner does not mean completely ignoring your own feelings or self-assessment. Rather, it’s about being more open to learning without letting criticism break our self-confidence.Last but not least, putting the ego on the back burner allows us to interact better with others, as we are less defensive or offensive. This promotes teamwork, cooperation and community building. A simple example – if your team knows they can be honest with you without you overturning the table, you can be sure they’ll be more likely to approach you – they might point out details you’ve overlooked and they’ll be right.
7. Personal branding: people need to know about you and your work. Build a strong personal brand that reflects your values, your skills and your passion. You don’t have to worry that you won’t be unique – because if you’re honest, that’s a given – if only because no two people are the same. Communicate boldly, it’s okay to be divisive, in fact! (my personal opinion is that you did it right, although I’d be more the other extreme…)

Whatever your profession, the principles for success are the same. Perseverance, passion, continuous learning and openness all contribute to becoming the best in your field and making you proud of yourself. If you’ve done your best, there’s no reason to be sad! If you follow these principles and are willing to work hard, the work you put in will ALWAYS pay off.

As Halloween approaches, let us take inspiration from Burton’s work and believe in ourselves and what we do! If you don’t have the FAITH, then you may not be doing what you really want to do, what you are really good at, what you are passionate about. There is such a thing, and you have to recognise it.

Aletta Nagy-Kozma