Creative Traffic Jams

Creative blocks are painful. Creative construction detours and creative traffic jams...
excruciating. Hashtag the worst

I've been pretty stressed at work lately about because everything is just not there yet. I'm working working working but I still haven't hit gold yet. Bronze. Maybe one silver. But nothing that makes me go "Yes! This is it!"

And that frustrates the shit out of me. (I then decide I suck as a copywriter and should go get a job working as a Dora in Times Square.)

A few years ago, an old boss who saw that I was driving myself to the brink of insanity took me

Summer is Almost Here

Where do you see yourself in 8 months and 3 days? Starting your 2014 Summer internship is the correct answer.
It may seem far away, especially since you're probably just now getting settled into the start of Fall semester, but trust me, the older you get, the faster time goes. May 2014 will be here in 9 weeks and you will be walking around like George Michael Bluth.

So get to work. Now.

Things to think about: 
1. What do I want to be doing this time next year?
2. Where do I want to be?
3. What do I need to do to get there?

I'll Drink To That

Cheers to the weekend! It may be a bit early to be talking about booze, so let's this pretend this blog post is a mimosa or Bloody Mary, which, for some reason, are more acceptable to drink before noon than a scotch on the rocks.

The conversation about advertising and alcohol can be a bit touchy. There are so many rules, restrictions and reasons we probably shouldn't advertise it at all.

Should you put alcohol ads in your book? 

1. Is this alcohol ad freaking awesome enough to go in your book?
(This is what you should be asking for everything you consider putting on your site: "Is it awesome?" Visit Awesome-or-Awful for help testing your ideas. Hash tag shameless plug.)  

2. Is this alcohol ad freaking awesome (and legal) enough to run in real life?

The whole point of creating a portfolio is to show that you know what's up. That you know how to think strategically and find creative solutions for brands and how the advertising industry works. Your ads needs to look like they're ready to go live tomorrow. So, make sure you show that you understand the category and the way the brands live in our world.

So the answer is Yes, But. YES, you can put an alcohol ad in your book, BUT it better be amazing and it better abide by the industry regulations.

When in doubt, do a responsible drinking or don't-drink-and-drive PSA instead. Everybody loves a good PSA. And seriously, it better be damn good.

Since it's 5 o' clock in Prague now, I think it's safe for us to look at some alcohol ads.
Check out Copyranter's list of The Best of The Great Absolut Ads. See all 55 here.
Below are a few of my favs.

That's Not My Name

"Can I just call you Jane?" A teacher at the boarding school she went to in Zimbabwe my friend Tsungai when she was younger.
asked

That's not your name, I said, appalled. It had taken me a good six or seven tries (and another 3 in the mirror when I got home) to pronounce Tsungai correctly - soon-ghee (hard g like in guess) btw. I was determined to call her by the name her parents had chosen for her.

I was reminded by this struggle last weekend at AdColor - where some of the most fabulous

What To Say To Upset Your Boss (And Oprah)

"That's not my job." - This is number 15 on the list of 17 Things You Should Never Say To Your Boss and Number 3 of my Seriously, Someone Said That?? list.

Are you kidding me? There is a time and place for everything. But there is never a time you should say "That's not my job." Not to your boss. Actually, not to anyone. If you're on a team and you're getting paid to get things done, then you need to get things done.

Between work and teaching, I've heard quite a few things that have made me snatch my pearls. Here's my list, with reactions from Her Holiness, Oprah.

Inspiration: 80 Creative Ads + 3 Reasons You Should Care

I try to post something inspirational at least once a week. Actually, inspirational isn’t the right aspirational. The things I post with the tag “inspiration” should be looked at as awesome creative you should aspire to creative. Things you should want to do, and do even better.
word – it’s not a Mother Theresa quote –  I guess I more so mean

Creatives should constantly be looking at ads. Good ads, bad ads, current ads, old ads, foreign ads. Seeing what others have done and how they’ve done it is crucial to your growth as a copywriter/art director.

Why? Because it makes you better.

When you’re looking at ads, keep these 3 things in mind:

What Works: What about this is good? Can you see what the concept is? And how it comes

How to Not Get Hired in 140 Characters or Less.

Watch what you say on social media because employers are looking, listening and crossing people off their lists.  [111]

I've written before about Developing A Split Personality that separates most of your personal life and your professional. This is not a hard-and-fast rule, but it's my opinion. And my suggestion. 

In this article, 1 in 10 Young Job Hunters Rejected Because Of Their Social Media, they say "91% of hiring managers used social networking sites to screen prospective employees. About 69% had rejected candidates for what they found."

Holy crap. 

Time to readjust your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram privacy settings. 

Once you're finished with that, here are some junior copywriter, art director and designer jobs to apply to: 

13 Essential Questions To Ask A Recruiter

Recruiters will ask you 3,982 questions when they meet you and throughout your relationship. (Note: Not all of these are relevant for juniors and entry level jobs, so use your discretion to make sure you don’t come off sounding arrogant.)

The article below looks at 13 questions you need to ask the recruiter:

Do you have the job in hand?

Have you placed with the client before?

Where is the job located?

What is the compensation package?

What is the company’s culture / core ideals?

What’s the job description?

Top 3 Reasons To Go To AdColor

What are you doing September 18^th – 21^st? 
The correct answer is going to AdColor in LA.

The AdColor Industry Conference and Awards show is a spectacular exhibition of talent, inspiration, knowledge-sharing, celebration, and of course, color.

There's so much I can say about it, actually there's too much. It’s kind of like the Grammy's, One Show, Lifetime Achievement Awards but with seminars, panels, a ridiculous amount of networking and slightly too much fun.

Last year was my first time going (mostly because of this gem) And this year, I’m fortunate to be going back and speaking on a panel, Madison's Browne's F@#$ The Titles town hall. Hashtag excited.

Now. Let’s talk about why you should be there.

Advice From Recruiters

Here are two great recruiter blogs I really enjoy. Bookmark, read and learn.

Confessions of a Creative Recruiter

Be here. Now.

Ever been in a meeting and a couple folks bring their laptops? Then they spend the entire meeting typing away and half listening to what's going on? I don't get this.

First, it is definitely not quiet. Second, what good is half listening? Half good in my eyes.

Nothing says "I'm really much busier than all of you

How To Work With A Recruiter

Working with a recruiter/head hunter is kind of daunting at first. Who is this person? What do I talk to them about? What if I say something stupid and they blackball me? 

This post, written by Laura Bonetti should help break things down and make it a little easier. 

Laura is a creative recruiter/head hunter at Kay & Black. Agencies go to her and say “Here’s the type of person we want and the type of things we want them to do. Bring me that person.” 

She’s kind of like a match-maker.

Understanding what Laura does, how she does and how to best work with her – BEFORE – you even approach her (or people like her.) will be very valuable for your career.

I covered Things Recruiters Love/Hate a while back, now I’d like to share a How To/ Behind The Scenes/ Intro To post about

Inspiration: Move Something

Your goal as a creative is to move people and to get people to move. That's why you include a "call to action" in every ad - some action-verb-fueled sentence that tells people what to do and where to do it.

Click to learn more...Buy now...Ask your doctor about...Like us on Facebook... (Side note: Like BFFC on Facebook, and follow the board on Pinterest.) 

And that's why you try to come up with ideas that have human truths and make a connection to people's emotions in order to elicit a response. 

Make them laugh. Make them cry. Make them buy. Make them talk. Make them share.

In this age of social media, a Share is one of the strongest and most coveted call to actions.

Criticism and Praise are Twins

Negative reinforcement often motivates me more than positive. I'm a bit masochistic, perhaps. Tell me what I'm doing wrong and I'll bust my ass to do better, to fix it, to make sure you never have to say that again. 

Tell me I'm great and I blush, feel uncomfortable and change the topic. Look, there's an owl! 

I like critique. I like challenges. I like being taught and sent on the right path. I like hearing No. (Unless it's in any way related to ice cream) And like I posted here, Praise Make You Feel Good, Critique Makes You Better.

Of course, we all need our backs patted every now and then, and a good ole fashioned high five never hurt anybody. That acknowledgement and support go a long way. But if it's too much,

The Truth About Your Career

There are a lot of things people won’t tell you. Not me. Not your teachers. Not your boss.

Not your mother.

A lot of life is about gaining experience and figuring things out. So don't be afraid to explore, to question things, to try and to fail.

Remember: Mistakes are valuable. Assumptions are not. 

I read this post a few weeks ago and wanted to share it. It is great because it lists some of those assumptions and ill-conceived notions that some people, especially those new and young,

Dealing With Self-Doubt

Being a creative is horrible for your self-esteem. I should've been something more uplifting. Like a dolphin. Or a rainbow. 

That leads me to another confession: Sometimes I doubt myself. 
Sometimes just for a brief moment before I do a presentation or when I get a new project. Other times it lasts days. 

It can come after a series of losses (like projects dying, ideas not being sold, concepts being butchered, projects being given to other people). Or after a string of almosts (almost selling that idea, almost writing a good headline, almost coming up with something everybody loves). And usually after any iteration of the sentence "Close. But not there." 

Doubting yourself is part of the creative cycle. How you deal with it is part of your personal growth. 

You can let it cripple you and keep you from moving forward

67 Ways To Be A Better Circus Act

Creativity, like any other skill, requires practice. There is a large part of being a great creative that comes from talent, the rest comes from experience. Over time the ideas come faster, you know whether it's good or not quicker, and you know when and how to take risks.

To be a great creative, you have to practice every day. Even when you don't want to. Especially when you don't want to.

You have to train your brain to jump through hoops with a flaming baton in its mouth. Every single time you snap your fingers.

You have to practice starting, then stopping, then starting again.

Are You A Big Deal?

Choose your words wisely. The way that you describe and sell yourself may be working against you.

You may be coming off as arrogant. As an asshole. As an amateur. A poser.

Is that what you want people to think about you?

When somebody reads your About Me section on your website, social media profile or LinkedIn page, the first impression they get of you is exactly what you give them. So make sure

Assignment: 10 Days of Inspiration

People often ask where I find inspiration. The quick answer is everywhere. Talking to new
people. Watching movies. Reading articles. Travelling. Looking at good ads. Looking at bad ads. The bottom line is you have to be active and seek out things and experiences to inspire you.

I try to start my mornings going through a few ad blogs and looking at some of the latest work out there. I came across this collection of 60 ads recently and thought I'd share.

The Inspiration: 
Here is a link to 60 Mind-blowing Advertisements That Will Boost Your Creativity to help inspire you this week. (Some of them you have to click through to, so don't think they're not working if you don't immediately see an image) 

The Assignment: 
Go through 6 a day for the next 10 days

99 Movies. 4 Reasons to Watch.

Creatives need to be big movie geeks. Not only are commercials mini movies, but being able to understand the art and craft of storytelling helps you make better radio, print and digital, too.

Check out this amazing 6 minute video that covers 99 movies

How to Sound Smart

You know that epic-eye roll you give you hear some using a string $10 words... well, someone may be doing it to you whenever you use these $2 words incorrectly. Irregardless of the fact that most people probably don't know the difference in all of these - and don't know that irregardless isn't a word - this list is worth reading, sharing and most importantly, studying.

I'm not ashamed to say I didn't know all of these (Numbers 3, 6 and 9). I'm proud to say that my daily quota of learning one new thing is fulfilled. Number 7 is my fav.

Kudos on the writer below for the Princess Bride and Lion King references. 

10 Words That You've Probably Been Misusing

via Hello Giggles

inconceivable

There are so many words in the English language that it’s not surprising that the definitions for

some of them have gotten mixed up over the years. It’s possible that you’ve gone your entire life