I was reading an article from the Animation Mentor newsletter, about their 8th graduation ceremony and BBQ, and felt this from Lee Unkrich was poignant (emphasis added):

' "I am really, really proud of Toy Story 3, but it was by far the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. And it's perhaps the hardest thing I'll ever do. Don't be afraid of the impossible," Lee said. "Don't be afraid to fail. You will fail again and again. But those failures will make your work strong and you a better person."

He also said to put your personal experiences in your work as it will take it to a new level.

"The most important piece of advice I can leave with you today to is infuse your work with life," Lee said. "Put as much real life into your work as possible. Things you've experienced, things that have moved you, affected you, changed you.

"We are all wandering through our lives experiencing different things. But we're all sharing a common human experience. Find ways to touch base with that in your work and you'll affect not just a few people but a lot of people." '

[Graduation Rocks with Pixar's Lee Unkrich. Plus, BBQ Fun! by Eunice Park, Animation Mentor Newsletter, Aug 2010]