How to Fail

Excerpt from Augusten Burroughs' book- This is How: Surviving What You Think You Can't. I read this a few months ago and thought this section was especially relevant to all things in life. Love, work, personal goals, art, health, work... everything.

Create an Idea Well

Even if you graduated two years ago or ten years ago, you should never stop being a student.

You should always be learning, not just about what's happening in the ad world -- the current big thing, the next big thing and the failed big thing.

Not only will this give you things to talk about in conversations with other ad folk, but sometimes just looking at other ads (ads about anything and everything) inspires and motivates you.

Go to sites like Ads of the World to see what people are putting out. Read industry blogs and publications like Adfreak and Creativity to get a broader grasp on the work being done, the agencies doing it and the industry on a whole.

And most importantly, collect things that inspire you.

Pinterest actually has a whole category called Illustrations & Posters where they have everything anyone else has posted under that topic.

Create your own collection, whether it's on Pinterest* or using the Pocket Chrome extension or a folder on your desktop - start holding on to anything that sparks something in you or makes you think "I want to do something like that." Or stuff you just think looks/sounds amazing.

*I'm using Pinterest as an example because it's sooo easy to pin from any website and repin from other boards on Pinterest. You can search for specific things like fonts, typography, headlines, ads, banners, resume layouts... just about anything. Ok yes, I'm a sheep.

That day will come where you feel like your brain is empty and you have nothing new to offer.

And there's also that day when you have an idea, but aren't sure how exactly to bring it to life.

Oh, and that day when you want to do something in a specific style but don't have hours to spend going through Google's 569,988,987 results.

So start your collection right now. Call it your Inspiration Box or Idea Well or whatever the hell you want. You should always be on a hunt for inspiration and staying thirsty for new ideas.

Someone's Idea Well: Concepts & Ads I Love

And with a take off the famous Glengarry Glen Ross line "Always Be Closing" -- Here's two bits of the best advice I've ever gotten:

"Always Be Curious." - Nancy Hill

"Always Be Concepting." - Desmond Hall. (Said with the same passion Alec Baldwin had in the movie clip above.)

From Full-time To Freelance

Everybody wants a little more freedom to do/move/live/create as they please. That's a human truth that has been etched in stone since the day before the beginning of time.

Finding the job that allows you even 75% of that freedom is golden. Having a boss/team/client/projects that push you to think outside of the usual confines of advertising/traditional ideals is golden-er.

Also, having the environment where you can leave early sometimes or feel open/comfortable enough to play your guitar or wear flip flops around the office is golden and covered in diamonds.

But not everyone can have that. So what is the best option to do/move/live what you want? Freelance. (I didn't add "create" in there as I did earlier because I feel like that's inconsistent. Sometimes you're called in just do resize stuff so the full-time creatives can create. And sometimes you're called in to work on a new digital campaign for the next project launch. It varies.)

I thought this article was a good reference for aspiring and/or new freelancers.

Related Reading:
Freelance VS Working for Free - How to decipher if this "favour" is really "freelance." (Also check out Life Hackers - When and If You Should Ever Work For Free.)
Freelance: A Starting Point - How to find freelance work.
Freelance Money Talk - How to determine your rate.
Freelance Etiquette - How not to be an asshole freelancer.
Freelance Tax Tips - Good to think about now so you have everything in order next April 15th.
Freelancer Turned Full-Time - Interview with a junior freelancer who landed a full time gig.

How Do I Become A Full-time Freelancer?
via Bklynresumestudio.com

"This is definitely a loaded question, and depends what you do for a living. It’s a great time to act on the entrepreneurial spirit and explore alternate income streams, whether you’re freelancing on the side or working full time in your own business. The thing to remember, however, if you’re just starting out as a freelancer or independent… is that it takes time, and there is no shortcut.

A client said to me yesterday, “So this is something you do on the side for extra income, right?” to which I replied, “Not at all – this is my full time job. I work 40/50 hours a week doing this.” And while I think that scored extra credibility points in his mind, I also got the impression he was surprised that someone could be making a full time living writing resumes. You can – a very good one. But it also took me 3+ years and many revised drafts of my business plan to get here. It’s important to not only be open to that cycle of change and evolution when you have a business, but to also expect it.

Some people have great success starting from day one, and for others it takes months, even years, to reach a point of financial sustainability. And whether you plan to freelance and work as a contractor for other companies, or independently on your own with your own clients, planning is key. But you CAN set yourself up for success before you even leave your 9-to-5, to ensure you’ll be on your way to turning profits and bringing in customers sooner than later:

Get clear on the 5Ws. Know what you want to do, who you want to serve, why it’s of value to them, and when & where you will make it available. And then price it accordingly.

Practice telling people what you do. The more comfortable you become referring to yourself as your new title and explaining what you can do, the lesser the chance you’ll fumble it up in front of clients when it really matters.

Figure out what professional connections you already have that you can leverage for projects and work. Be careful of violating any non-compete policies if you’re remaining in the same line of work as your former employer. But do look at past clients, colleagues, supervisors, and other vendors you may have worked with who might be able to refer work to you or be a potential client themselves.

Tell everyone you know about your new venture. Don’t assume friends, family and colleagues don’t know people who can potentially use your services. My biggest revenue source to date, in revenue and in client volume, has been referrals.

Have a solid 12-month financial plan in place before you quit a full time job.While it’s great to be optimistic, it’s better to be realistic around the fact that new businesses take time to generate revenue. You don’t want to be building your business from a place of desperation.

Update your LinkedIn profile and all of your social media profiles. Even if you’re not billing hours right away, that does’t mean you’re not a serious practitioner of your craft. Get the word out, because that’s the only way the money will come.

Create a business plan. Even if you don’t think you need one, you need something to guide your financial planning, decisions around product development, understand the competitive landscape, and plot out your target audience. And as your business evolves, so too will your business plan, and putting long and short-term goals in place will help you track and get a better sense of what’s working, and what’s not. Referral business is free. $300 per month worth of ineffective Google advertising isn’t.

And finally, put a timeline in place and choose a date to kickoff your transition. Whether it’s the day you plan to give your notice, officially launch your business, or be working completely on your own, it’s much easier to set a specific date and work backwards toward your goal, then to sit around and wait for the right opportunity and timing. Having a deadline-based goal for making a transition will help you plan much more effectively from a financial and personal perspective, and you’re more likely to stick to it if you have it in front of you visually."

27 Truths About Working In Advertising

This is a really great (and true) list. If you're currently working in advertising, you'll be nodding and smiling as you go through this. If you don't currently work in advertising... run.

27 Things Advertising People Know to Be True
Via BuzzFeed

1. Everyone hates status meetings.