Creatives You Should Know: Jesse Juriga

Am I a groupie if I say "I know him!"? Because I kinda know him. And he's kind of a big deal.
I'm so excited to see Jesse's success post-Creative Circus.
I hope you are as inspired by him as I am.

Creatives You Should Know: Jesse Juriga
from Creativity

BBH New York Creative Director Tells Some of the Brand World's Best Stories

By: Ann-Christine Diaz, Published: Apr 30, 2012

You might call BBH N.Y. Creative Director Jesse Juriga a bit of a scammer. He landed his first job in advertising at Droga5 after telling a little fib while he was a student at Creative Circus to Droga5 Exec Creative Director Ted Royer. "He did the 'come-by-the agency-if-you-are-ever-in town' thing," he says. "I lied and said I was going to be in New York a few days later. I used the last of my student loans to book a flight to NYC to meet with him. Luckily for me, one of the art directors was on vacation and Ted asked me to help out."
Then, Juriga showed his masochistic colors. "It was my birthday, and I worked all day until 2 a.m.," he says. "They hired me a month later."

He went on to work on much of the agency's memorable work for Puma, including the Cannes Film Craft Grand Prix-winning "After Hours Athlete" which introduced Puma's new kind of competitor--the night owl. "I had the privilege of working with [fellow Droga5 creatives] Amanda Clelland, Tim Gordon and Kevin Brady on that project," he says. "We were very sensitive to making sure it felt like something the viewer already knew and had experienced sometime in life--in order to remove the cynicism that usually comes with nightlife work. The stars aligned and [director] Ringan Ledwidge worked his magic."



Last year, Juriga joined BBH New York, where he's helped to make Google one of the brand world's best storytellers with the waterworks-inducing campaign "The Web is What You Make of It," featuring spots such as "Dear Sophie," based on a real Google employee's personal project for his daughter, and the uplifting "It Gets Better," showcasing journalist Dan Savage's eponymous project to send messages of hope to LGBT teens.

"Real people are doing amazing things with the open web every day," Juriga says. "The challenge is to share their stories in real, authentic ways that express what it means to be alive in 2012." As for which is his favorite, "I have a soft spot for 'Sophie,' but I still claim somebody is chopping onions behind me every time I watch 'It Gets Better,'" he says. "When 'It Gets Better' aired on TV for the first time the entire team watched it together," he recalls. "I don't think I took a breath for 90 seconds. To be able to translate such a basic human idea into a feeling, I was more proud than I had ever been. People were chopping onions all over the place."

Today, Juriga continues his work on Google Chrome--and remains inspired by the people around him.

"When I am with people I love and respect, I'm going to do my best because they want me to succeed and I want them to succeed," he says. "It's the best cycle to be trapped in. I'm lucky enough to have had that at Droga5, and to have it again with my awesome team at BBH."

Jesse Juriga-More to Know:

On collaborating with Google Creative Lab:
Collaboration is the perfect word. They are by no means a client, but a true partner. There are no "Don Draper" presentations where we unveil ideas. It's a conversation that turns into work. We have each other on speed dial. . .or speed-gchat.

Biggest Inspirations:
A kid from India found his mother after being separated from her after 15 years or something by using Google Maps! There's a guy out there PRINTING human tissue! I can see my nieces and nephews every day by clicking a button on a phone! Ryan Gosling is real! Humans are awesome. I think it's pretty great to be alive right now.

What He Does for Fun, Outside of the Job:
I wish I could say I design furniture or play in a band in some Bushwick basement, but that just isn't true. I'm a social beast. My favorite place in the world is anywhere my friends are. So I do that. I hang out with my amazing boyfriend. I talk about reality television. I drink coffee and walk around the neighborhood. I listen to music too loud for my own good.

What keeps him creatively recharged:
Coffee.

If He Weren't in Advertising:
I'd still be telling stories, probably as a history teacher--which I'm pretty sure I will do eventually.

Little Known Fact:
Dr. Sanjay Gupta, on two occasions, has confused me for his kids' babysitter.

Check out the full list of Creativity's 2012 Creatives You Should Know.

Are you a CW or AD?

Love this Facebook page that shows some of the differences between Copy Writers and Art Directors.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, you kinda have to pick a side. So where do you stand?

Copywriters vs Art Directors

From CW versus AD

Creative Wannabe Work Commandments (again)

Welcome to the real world Interns! Several folks are starting their summer internships this week and I want to re-share some advice and tips for creative wannabes and non-creative wannabes as you step out into the work space.

It may just be an internship right now, but it can turn into a job later on. So make your time worth it.

Here it is again:

Whether you're an intern or junior, there are certain rules you need to conduct yourself by to make people like you and want to work with you.

Sure you're great. You know it and I know it and your mom knows it. However, these folks at Agency X have no idea, and quite honestly are too busy trying to show off their own greatness to care.

I went up to a mountain top (aka sat on my bed) and meditated (tried real hard to remember things from my internships + first year at work) and spoke to the advertising gods (napped) and put together this list of

Creative Wannabe Work Commandments.
from June 20, 2011

* Never be late. Ever. Lightning will strike you down and kill you if you are. (Or not.) Get in before everyone and leave after them. 5:30 pm is midafternoon break time. Some of the biggest client changes - and biggest opportunities for you to get called to do some work - happen at the very last minute. Which is usually about 5 minutes before you're ready to go home.

* Dress like a creative, only better. There's no official dress code for creative types, so vans, torn jeans and Random Band #7 t-shirts are perfectly fine, but don't dress as if you're going to school, your friend's house, a party, a sleepover, the beach, the bathroom or a cocktail party. Dress in a way that if someone met you, they'd never assume you were an intern or junior and if the client were in the office the team wouldn't be ashamed to introduce you. Pick the best dressed person and use them as your template.

* Never get drunk around co-workers. Even if you're at a bar. Even if they're drunk. Even if it's your birthday. Even if they encourage you to have just one more. There's a lot of socializing over drinks in advertising, sometimes at work (shh) or outside of the office. Don't ever confuse your colleagues with your college buddies. You'll have to see them again tomorrow morning, sober and straight-faced. You can't take back anything said or done over scotch and tequila shots. Remember that. 


* Keep busy. If you have no assignments, ask for one. Ask your supervisor, ask his supervisor, ask her partner, ask everyone around if they need help with anything, if you can sit in on their meeting, if you can look over their shoulder creepily. If you're finished your work, Oliver Twist out in the piece and ask for more. Volunteer yourself, offer your services, step up and slide yourself into every opportunity to do some work and - here's what really matters - impress people.

* Limit Idling (On and off line). I love Facebook and Twitter as much as the average bear and I often use them to do research, but when people walk by my desk, there's no way they can tell if I'm skimming our competitor's fanpages to see what we can do better than them or if I'm buying a cow on Farmville. And that's what they'll assume. They also assume you're taking a long lunch if you're away from your desk too long, you're gossiping if you're talking to a coworker in the hall and you're taking a nap if you're in the bathroom for too long. (Confession: I've been guilty of this.) Always look occupied and engaged so they feel like they need you there.

* Don't say no. Never turn down an assignment or feedback. You're at the bottom of the totem pole and the best way to work your way up is to (wait for it) work. So if someone asks you to do something and it's late/you're too busy/you don't want to do it - don't say no, say you'll try to work something out, or you'll see if So Andso can help or ask for more time to get it done. Don't ever turn down an opportunity to show you're dependable, hardworking and amazing. If the client or account people ask you to do something creatively outrageous, you'll learn more diplomatic ways of saying no. My favorite is "Oh, that could be interesting. I'll try to work something out with that and see what other solutions we can come up with."

* Overdeliver. If they ask you to do three versions, do four. If they ask for "some" headlines, write ten. If they say "come up with a campaign" come up with three and flush them out in a wicked presentation that shows how your idea works across all media. Go above and beyond. Treat every assignment, no matter how big or small, like it's your final assignment and your entire grade depends on it.

*  Save the drama. I was going to say for your mama, but she doesn't want it either. This is a place of business, so put your personal life on mute once you step through those doors. Limit personal calls, conversations and visits. Don't stress about your boyfriend on company time. And God forbid, don't talk about that girl you may or may not meet up with later before/during/after the status meeting. No one cares. And you don't want them to. They'll look at you different and possibly like you less. You want them to know that you're a hard worker, a quick learner and a creative genius - nothing else matters. Nothing.

* Get a mentor and an ally. Find someone on your team or on another team who you respect and can ask for guidance, advice and introductions. (Advertising is very much about who you know and who they know. So make those connections.) And find an ally, someone on your team who you can share your work and ideas with, discuss projects and day to day things, and who can say they know you, like you and think that you're a hard worker, quick learner and creative genius.  Neither of these people should be your boss, and they don't even really have to have a big title or anything, your mentor should have about 5 years on you and your ally at least 2. Just make sure you have two people you can turn to if you need rescuing or a recommendation.

* Always take notes. Write that one down. Always have a pen and pad with you. Write down all the important things to remember during the meeting - and things to Google later (People throw around terms like "top of the line" and "POP" and "MCOW" like they're Skittles.) Jot down your first thoughts, doodle, write tag lines, make product pro + con lists. Plus having a pad always makes you look much more serious and involved than everyone else.

* Be professional. Creative Departments are super laid back. People skate board, play Wii, drink beer, curse, slam doors, blast Kanye a little too loud and throw balls across the room. However, these people have been working there far longer than you have. One day, you will be that person. But today, you're not. So be on your Ps and Qs. Don't get too casual in conversation or email. Avoid slangs, curses, sexist/racist/homophobic statements or jokes, oversharing and being loud. Your coworkers are not your friends. Your office is not your house. You are here to work and make sure everyone sees that that is your #1 priority.

* Keep track of your accomplishments. People may not notice how much you're doing, what you've contributed or the kind of progress you've made. So create a folder or make a list and keep all of your wins so in 3 or so months, you can see how far you've come and most importantly, prove that you're an asset to that agency. Feel free to title the folder or list "Evidence of My Greatness." I won't judge you for it.

So you wanna be a Creative Director?

Me: So what are you? What do you want to do?
Creative Wannabe: A creative director.
Me: *face palm* 

Here's the thing my loves, you don't start off as a creative director. All creative directors started as a copywriter or an art director then they make it to CD and manage teams of copywriters and art directors under them. 

You saying you want to be a creative director only shows your lack of understanding about advertising and agency life and honestly hurts you more than it helps you.

Get ready for some Creative Wannabe Tough Love. 

Stop telling people you want to be a creative director when you haven't even had one job in an agency. Creative Director isn't an entry level position. It takes people years and/or several awards to become a creative director. You can't just walk in with that title. You have to earn it.

Pick a side. Be an art director or a copywriter. You can have both skills, but when it all comes down to it, someone needs to open Word every day and someone else needs to open Photoshop. Which one do you prefer using? Pick a program and then get good at it.

Copywriting isn't "easier." I cringe when people say this. It's not easy. Not everybody can write. Not everybody can craft. Not everybody can think strategically. Nike's tagline could've been "You keep saying you're going to do it, so why not go ahead and do it." But no. It's "Just do it." Adidas had a line a few years back that was "Impossible is nothing."  Loved it. Crafting strategic, creative and compelling copy - whether 150 words for body copy or 50 characters for a banner headline - requires time, effort and skill. And not everyone can do it.

Learn how an agency works. Take a class. Read a book. Google. Wikipedia. Ask people. Get an internship. You need to know the different departments, what they do and how they work together. Find out how the process works from brief to execution. No one is going to walk you through this on your first day. You'll need to hit the ground running. So start training now.

Create a portfolio. A real portfolio. Of fake ads. With concepts and strategic thinking that show you understand the craft, the business and the process. While you don't have a real budget or client doesn't mean you should operate like it's a free for all. Advertising is a business. We're here to sell. You're not going to get hired to produce work no one but your partner will see. Agencies want to see that you know how to think, you know how to execute and you know how to sell. Use your book to show that you get it. 


Get a website. For Oprah's sake. There's Cargo Collective, Carbonmade, Posterous and so many others out there that you can use for free, or for a small fee. Get your work on the Internet. It's 2012 for crying out loud.

You can't get a job doing something you don't understand in a company you don't understand in a industry you don't understand. 

Do the research.

Do the work.

Get it together.

Shout outs to C. Gorman who covered this creative director garbage in her blog a while back. (Just want to prove that I'm not just saying this to be mean, it's the truth. I love you and want you to be great, so seriously... get it together.)

Inspiration: Interesting Designs

Sometimes I feel like I don't give the art directors and designers enough love. Me and all my words. Ugh. Here's a post just for you art, type and visual loving folks. 

Enjoy.

http://www.thisisrealart.com/#/projects/view/78/type-museum/brand

 

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/page/5/

http://wallpapers.vintage.it/65-stefania-sandrelli-wallpapers

http://thecuriousbrain.com/?paged=2

http://www.digart.pl/zoom/4456245/AUCWS.html

http://www.myagency.co.uk/case-studies/thr-royal-parks-foundation

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Animal-alphabet-a-sneak-preview-%28UPDATE-03%29/3717532

 

 

http://theblackharbor.com/telegramme-studio/landfill/

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.digart.pl/zoom/7049327/Frida.html

Things to stop doing. Immediately.

As I was looking at these ads I kept hearing Seth and Amy in the background going "Really?!"

The problem is, I also see a lot of this in student books.

Stop it.

Stop being shocking for the sake of being shocking.
Stop talking about sex, making sexual innuendos or douchey penis jokes.
Stop doing ads for products that don't need more ads (like Nike) or that are too easy/niche/random (like the Korean-Jamaican-Lebanese restaurant on your block).
Stop using Hitler in your ads. This also goes for snow globes.
Stop relying on borrowed interest.

Just stop it. 

 In portfolio school we had a quarterly awards show called the Baddies. It's were we featured and celebrated the worst work we'd done that quarter and had shots of Jameson to cover up the shame.

Like I said before: Don't Benetton Your Book. Get all that garbage out of your system now and keep your book smart, strategic and creative.


Check out (and vote for your favs) of The Chip Shop Awards

Tuesday Inspiration

Two Reasons I Got into Advertising

Love is the first reason, of course.

When I was back home for the holidays, one of my mother's friends asked me what I do for a living. Then she said "Probably something that involves writing and talking."

Yup. That sums it up.

Reason number two can be best expressed by some of the award-winning work at the One Show Interactive this year.

Being able to do things like this



or this

Annoy Your Coworkers

Creative office etiquette is an interesting thing.

We're encouraged to be free-flowing and funky, and the rules are a little looser in an ad agency -- but there is still a point where too much is too much.

For the most part, we sit in open spaces with half or no walls. I've been in offices with Wiis, X-boxes, foosball tables, pool tables, bars, graffiti walls and one strange place that had a shower in every bathroom stall.

However, no matter how fun the place looks, we're business people. And you have to remember that (contrary to everything your Mom's ever told you) you are not the center of the world. So pipe down and keep it together.


Here is a small list of Things My Coworkers Do To Annoy Me (And you shouldn't do to anyone else. Or else.)

1. Play their obnoxious loud music on their shitty Macbook speakers. I don't care how awesome that band is or how much you love this song -- I'm trying to concentrate/have a client call/have to come up with an amazing idea in 2 hours and you're throwing me off.

2. Start convos with me while my headphones are in. And then get mad that I don't hear them. Um, hey buddy... I'm staring at a tiny screen with these little buds in my ear. It may look like I'm focused and being productive because I am. So if you need to talk, signal to me and wait until I take out my earbuds or better yet -- just email or IM me.

3. Have loud phone conversations. Either put it on speaker so I can be fully involved with your argument with your wife or the exciting details of your sister's wedding or use your inside voice. If you have no inside voice, trying going outside.

4. Interrupt my ad hoc meeting or concepting session. If the building's not on fire or Tina Fey's not in the lobby, then whatever you have to say can wait until I'm done with the business at hand.

5. Come to work all gross and sick. I mean, come on! Have a little respect for yourself - or better yet - for me. I know you have stuff to get done, but so do I and how is anything going to get done if we're all home sick? Do everyone a favour and keep your nasty germs to yourself and work from home. Or here's a crazy thought - take a sick day, rest up, get better and come back to work when you're 100%.

Maybe it's just me.

I can be particular and according to my friends "difficult" but while I love fun as much as the average bear, I also have work to do and when it comes to your interruptions and distractions, my friend Sweet Brown says it best :

So here's my office advice Creative Wannabes 
Be considerate.
Don't be an asshole.
Respect the work space.
Respect your coworkers.

(However if it's  after 3pm on a slow Friday and you wanted to annoy them, nyan.cat always does it for me)

Go Art Director Go & Other Thoughts about ADs

Meet the makers of Go Art Director Go! a tongue-in-cheek celebration of art directors or "words of encouragement from copywriters" as they put it.

Chris Baker, a 6^th quarter Copywriter, and WillBenham, a 7^th quarter CW, both at the Creative Circus, launched this site a few months ago. It initially started out as just a joke but within 24 hours, it took off across the Internet. (Oh Internet, how I love thee)

The site was solidified during a late night Chik-fil-A run and has turned into a viral sensation they can both put in their books. Plus – it doesn’t hurt to have your name out there. They were able to earn internships at Crispin Porter + Bugusky this summer!

Here’s an interview with the pair on why they went to Portfolio School and how they feel about working with art directors.

Why did you decide to go to portfolio school:

Chris: Mad Men. Cheesy, I know. It had never clicked in my mind that somebody made ads for a living. So I audited an intro to creative advertising class and fell in love with it.

Will: I did an internship with a small agency in Decatur, GA and my boss told me if I was serious about being a copywriter that Creative Circus was where I needed to be. For some reason thought making a book was for suckers. I tried to land a job without a portfolio and surprisingly no agencies wanted me based on good looks alone.

What are some your favourite things about working with an art director?

Chris:

1.     How different the brain of an AD is when compared to that of a copywriter. They see things I’d never think of. Ever.

2. When it starts clicking and ideas are flowing – it’s as close to a jazz jam session as I’ll ever come.
3. They dress better than I do.
4. They laugh at my jokes sometimes.
5. I see the world differently now because of them. I’ve started looking at logos and kerning and everything. It’s crazy.

Will:

1. They use fancy words like “grid” and “color theory”.

2. They force me to edit myself to a reasonable length.

3. Whenever I feel like I’m overwhelmed I can just look at their to-do list and know that I can handle mine just fine.

What are your 5 least favourite things about working with an AD?

Chris:

1. Sometimes there is a disagreement as to copy size.

2. They make me watch movies where the visuals are great but there’s no story. And they’ll want to know if I liked it. No, I didn’t fucking like it. I just stared at a moving painting for two hours.

Will:

1. When our different brains don’t find that happy place and we’re just throwing ideas at each other and nothing works.

2. Their disdain for the written word.

Will: When I get frustrated with a partner I just try to remind myself that what makes us different makes us stronger. And I remember that without them I would just have words on paper written in what appears to be a third grader’s handwriting.

Chris: What Will said. It’s absolutely true. From what my fledgling and naive mind can tell it’s an exciting, passionate, and often times infuriating business. And I’m ready to dive in headfirst with whatever wonderful AD I get paired up with.

Art & Corny

Plug in your headphones and enjoy this short film about Cornelius Trunchpole, an real-life ad man from the 60s (Move over Draper) who is touted as being one of the inventors of modern advertising.

The film premiered last week and features some of the modern-day big names (Jeff Goody, Gerry Graf, Steve Hayden to name a few) discussing how Trunchpole inspired and influenced them.

My fav part was this quote in the beginning:

Advertising is the art of making whole lies out of half truths. – Edgar A. Shoaff

Be sure to watch it to the end. Inspiration (and admiration) awaits you.

Make People Remember You

Remember when I said "I don't remember you"? And asked What's So Special About you?

I wasn't doing it to be mean. I really want to help you.

Part of being hired is being memorable.
Part of the interview is showing your personality.

Be someone people want to work with. Be yourself. Be memorable.

We're in graduation season so there's about to be 50 billion creative wannabes out there trying to get the 23 jobs that are available.

Having a good book isn't all it takes.
Having good connections (start networking, emailing and meeting people asap) and having a memorable personality will help even more.

After a while you all start to look and sound the same.



Trust me when I say there are about 45 other guys with beards, tattoos and chucks out there. There are about 37 girls with hair dyed a random colour, oversized dark-rimmed glasses and way too many accessories for one person. And about 634 people who are "hard working", "enthuiastic" and "ready for the real world."




Yawn.

Here's an article with some tips you should start implementing yesterday.

6 Habits of Truly Memorable People

From INC

How to stick out in the minds of your colleagues and customers--no gimmicks required.

In order to succeed, almost everyone—whether business owner or employee—must be memorable.

While you don't have to be The Most Interesting Man in the World, being known is one of the main goals of marketing, advertising, and personal branding.

Out of sight is out of mind, and out of mind is out of business.

But if your only goal is to be known for professional reasons, you're missing out. People who are memorable for the right reasons also live a richer, fuller, and more satisfying life. Win-win!

So forget the flashy business cards and personal value propositions and idiosyncratic clothing choices.

Here's how to be more memorable—and have a lot more fun.

1. Don't see. Do.

Can you speak intelligently about how clothing provides a window into the inner lives of Mad Men characters? Do you find yourself arguing about how the degree of depth lost in the Game of Thrones TV series as compared to the books?

Anyone can share opinions about movies or TV or even (I'll grudgingly admit) books. That's why opinions are quickly forgotten. What you say isn't interesting; what you do is interesting.

Spend your life doing instead of watching. Cool things will happen. Cool things are a lot more interesting and a lot more memorable.

That's especially true when you...

2. Do something unusual.

Draw a circle and put all your "stuff" in it. Your circle will look a lot like everyone else's: Everyone works, everyone has a family, everyone has homes and cars and clothes....

We like to think we're unique, but roughly speaking we're all the same, and similar isn't memorable.

So occasionally do something different. Backpack to the next town just to see how many people stop to offer you a ride. (Don't take them up on it, though. Unless you appear to be in distress, the people who want to give you a ride are the last people you want to ride with.) Try to hike/scramble to the top of a nearby mountain no one climbs. (Trust me; take water.) Compete with your daughter to see who can swim the most laps in three hours. (If you live in my house you'll lose. Badly.)

Or work from a coffee shop one day just to see what you learn about other people... and about yourself.

Whatever you do, the less productive and sensible it is, the better. Your goal isn't to accomplish something worthwhile; the goal is to collect experiences.

Experiences, especially unusual experiences, make your life a lot richer and way more interesting. You can even...

3. Embark on a worthless mission.

You're incredibly focused, consistently on point, and relentlessly efficient.

You're also really, really boring.

Remember when you were young and followed stupid ideas to their illogical conclusions? Road trips, failing the cinnamon challenge, trying to eat six saltine crackers in one minute without water... you dined out on those stories for years.

Going on "missions," however pointless and inconvenient, was fun. In fact the more pointless the more fun you had, because missions are about the ride, not the destination.

So do something, just once, that adults no longer do. Drive eight hours to see a band. Buy your seafood at the dock. Or do something no one else thinks of doing. Ride along with a policeman on a Friday night (it's the king of all eye-opening experiences.)

Pick something it doesn't make sense to do a certain way and do it that way. You'll remember it forever—and so will other people.

4. Embrace a cause.

People care about—and remember—people who care. When you stand for something you stand apart.

But...

5. Let other people spread the word.

People who brag are not remembered for what they've done; they're remembered for the fact they brag.

Do good things and other people will find out. The less you say, the more people remember.

6. Get over yourself.

Most of the time your professional life is like a hamster wheel of resume or C.V. padding: You avoid all possibility of failure while maximizing the odds of success in order to ensure your achievement graph climbs up and up and up.

Inevitably, that approach starts to extend to your personal life too.

So you run... but you won't enter a race because you don't want to finish at the back of the pack. You sing... but you won't share a mic in a friend's band because you're no Adele. You'll sponsor the employee softball team but you won't play because you're not very good.

Personally and professionally, you feel compelled to maintain your all-knowing, all-achieving, all conquering image.

And you're not a person. You're a resume.

Stop trying to seem perfect. Accept your faults. Make mistakes. Hang yourself out there. Try and fail.

Then be gracious when you fail.

When you do, people will definitely remember you because people who are willing to fail are rare... and because people who display grace and humility, especially in the face of defeat, are incredibly rare.

Friday Treat: 20 Most Viral Ads thus far

First off let me just say that you don't "make a viral video." You make a video and people watch it, share it, it gathers buzz and voila - it's viral. So whatever you make, make it great. Or else it won't go viral.

Secondly -- thank Oprah it's Friday. This week was a beast.

On to the fun stuff.

Here's my recent fav that I hope makes the list soon (so wish I came up with this.)

The 20 Most Viral Ads of 2012 
From Viral Video Chart via AdFreak






























































If your boss or prof catches you watching these, just tell them it's research or that you're hunting inspiration. You can't go wrong.

Inspiration: Enjoying NY as a Creative

Yesterday I met some young strategists from VCU who were considering moving to New York. I recommended they go out for a day, get lost and then decide if they could handle living here.

Being lost within this hustle and bullshit is THE WORST. But if you're lucky, you'll realise a few things - people aren't that rude, the city is on a grid so once you know where West and Uptown are you can figure most things out, and if you stare at a subway map long enough you'll get dizzy.

"This city is awful, but I love it." Was my closing remark. And seriously, I'm a full-out cliche: I heart NY.

It's the most alive and inspiring place I've every lived -- and I've been around. While it's loud, dirty and full of itself, New York is one of the best places for creative people. It's so random and irreverent and wide open for exploration and creation.

Whether you're coming to visit or just looking for some new vantage points, here are some places to spend a few hours inspiration hunting. 

MUSEUMS
Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Parkway
Go any day but it's free on the first Saturday. Plus there's a block party, talks, tours, performances and more. 
http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/visit/first_saturdays.php


MoMa (Museum of Modern Art)
11 West 53rd Street
It's free on Fridays and has some of the coolest exhibitions of modern art, films and great giftstore.
http://www.moma.org/

Whitney Museum of American Art
945 Madison Avenue
Great collection of mixed media - paintings, photos, installations, videos, etc. They're currently hosting their Biennial - an international art show
http://whitney.org/

Here's a whole listing of when other museums have free admission (But if you can manage to donate $5 or so, do it. Don't be an asshole. Support the arts.)

OPEN SPACES
The Highline
Above 10th ave and 14th st and upwards
Public park along old railroad tracks. Great views of the city. Also sometimes has art installations.
http://www.thehighline.org

The Cloisters
99 Margaret Corbin Drive
A museum and garden with art and architecture from medieval Europe.
http://www.metmuseum.org/visit/visit-the-cloisters

Brooklyn Bridge Park
Pier 6, Pier 1, Empire Fulton Ferry, Main Street
Walk the Bk bridge, take the ferry, take the train or bike there. It's along the water with great open space.
http://www.brooklynbridgepark.org/

Check out TimeOut's 10 Best Parks

PEOPLE WATCHING
Washington Square Park
 5th Ave and Waverly, West 4th and Thompson.
Lots to observe: musicians playing, old men playing chess and people playing in the empty water fountain.
Google Maps Info

Union Square Park
E 14th St and Broadway
There are little vendors, skate boarders, performers, a green market and a dog park. Grab a snack from Whole Foods and just sit and watch humans interact. 
http://unionsquarenyc.org/

Williamsburg Waterfront
110 Kent Ave (L to Bedford)
Hippies, yuppies, buppies, weirdos, hipsters and two or three normal people. Oh and there are concerts during the summer.
http://www.timeout.com/newyork/performing-arts/the-williamsburg-waterfront

Avoid Times Square, Herald Square

Article: Making It: Thick Skin Required

So proud to see one of my readers writing! Here's some great advice from an aspiring CW on what he saw and learned at Creative Week.

If you have any great blog posts you'd like to share, email to me and let's make it happen.


MAKING IT: THICK SKIN REQUIRED 
By Bennett Bennett

From Creative Week

Dear ADspirants,

Creative Week is real.

Real, like, the ish in rap songs. The events that I’ve attended, the people that I’ve met, the things that I can see myself doing…it’s all great. That being said, a very large, “Thank you!” goes out to Tiffany Edwards and Chavonne Hodges-Brown of The One Club. I helped them out on Monday’s Portfolio Reviews, and stopped by to watch the panel discussion based off of the new advertising book, My First Time by Phil Growick.

It’s moments like Monday and Tuesday that made me want to change course with this letter to you.

I saw a lot over the past two days. 

Beautiful, eye-catching, effective ads made by students. Successful, young, hip, whimsical creatives. When these two forces collided for the reviews, it wasn’t the best. There were the aggressive portfolio kids, who’d take five, maybe six reviews at a time. Then there were the ones who tried playing by the rules and succeeded in making an impression with professionals.

Finally – and I really hope to not end up in this category when I make my portfolio – I saw those that suffered. Not by the physical fatigue of waiting for their appointed time. But by the emotional drain of traveling long-distance, waiting for hours for an agency recruiter to check out their books – traditional and virtual – and possibly offer them an interview.

Better still: 

A position as a copywriter, art director, designer, or on the creative team.

My heart went out to those that had to wait until the end to have their spec ads seen, especially since there was legitimate talent and wonderful personalities to go with it. I hope you know, if you read this, that I want y’all to make it. 

The industry needs that. 

Keep pushing.

In other news, as real as the talent was, there was rejection even more real: 

The fear, the process, and the aftermath of it. 

Let me tell you a story for each.

1). The Ambitious Designer: She was on edge for hours. 

Traditional portfolio in a briefcase, high resolution packaging designs, speculative (fake) ads, and other works of graphic design. We had chopped it up for a bit, and she was legitimately scared. She had a skill set in graphic design. She was studying graphic design at Temple’s Tyler School of Art. Sweetheart, I tell you. She pushed her glasses up a little bit and told me that she wasn’t sure what to expect. 

Someone had stolen her appointed time slot with a recruiter.

She hadn’t had an appointment before then.

The review session was almost over.

And she was stuck with me trying to calm her down.

She wanted to make it. Her graduation is merely weeks away. Her dreams were as vast as the ideas in her book. One day, she’ll have her agency. Her sister was already a copywriter, so why not chase that dream?

Her fears were just as big. 

She didn’t know if advertising was the it in her life. She left for 20 minutes to have her portfolio reviewed, and I walked around. You could see the optimism and frustration shuffle around the floor of Eyebeam in Chelsea. Some were satisfied with meeting dope designers to shape their copy. Others – the ones who felt rear-ended by the whole experienced – looked at me, spoke their minds, and kept it moving.

That’s me in a year.

She came back. Proud that she got through this first review, but torn between wanting to try another review and heading back to campus. I suggested a second opinion. It wouldn’t hurt. Athletes do it. The kids from the Circus, the Brandcenter, Texas Creative…they do this all the time. They’re trained to be rejected. We all need to be. And if I felt she was good enough (and still do – wait, my opinion shouldn’t count for anything!), so someone out there would hopefully would see the same thing – and if not, simply deliver some constructive criticism. 

She’s got great ideas.

All in all, I can say this: 

People drop money to have their stuff checked out by the best of the best. 

Make it worth it. 

2). Generational Top Dogs –Everyone has a first time.

• Jimmy Smith, CEO and CCO of Amusement Park Entertainment 
• David Baldwin, Lead Guitar at Baldwin& 
• Greg DiNoto, CCO at Deutsch 
• Ted Royer, ECD at Droga5
• Rob Rasmussen, CCO at Tribal DDB

They started at our level. They made it. And they maintained it – to the point that they now run it.

Each of these “mad men” spoke on their first ads, failures, successes, and lessons learned.

Most of these men started out in the late 70s or early 80s. Who knows rejection better than they do? For example, Jimmy Smith, one of the top black executives in the industry, recounted his first job at Burrell – and his journey to get his commercial for McDonalds aired. Leo Burnett got wind of it, and criticized it for being targeted for a general audience. When asked how they could make it “black”, he replied:

“A black man wrote the ad.” 

Amid the laughter in the crowd, there was that uneasy feeling in my gut: Is it still difficult for blacks, not only as consumers, but as professionals in the industry?

On rejecting others, Ted Royer recounted his travel to Miami Ad School to teach for a week. He ripped a hole in one student’s work, only to get a call from her once he returned. 

“I’ll prove you wrong!” was her reaction. 

Turns out, she’s a respected associate creative director now.

Two notes to take into consideration: 

David Baldwin admitting that if younger him was trying to make it today, it’d be difficult with all the portfolios out there. DiNoto and Smith chimed in that portfolio school books tend to end up cookie-cutter.

Smith added: 

“I never graduated college. I was a few credits short.” 

Didn’t stop him from making impact. 

“Non-portfolio students have that advantage of not being drawn into making what everyone else makes.”

Pros and cons, pros and cons.

3). The Teammate –I’m not the only writer that I know that wants to make it. 

A classmate – a good buddy of mine and a truly prolific wordsmith – told me that she admires my drive.

I laughed it off. 

“I’m not there yet.”

“But you know what you want. All I wanna do is write.”

“And that’s not what I wanna do?”

“True,” she said. She sat up on the maroon and pine couch that we sat on. “But you have that plan. You know what you want to do and you’re going out to do it.”

“But I’m not there yet.” 

It’s that truth that has me writing to you. All of you. We’re not portfolio kids. We’d just been telling stories for years. She’d been surrounded by customers who work in the industry, but didn’t know how to work up enough chutzpah to talk to them. I came off as friendly – approachable, even – knowing enough of how to handle myself.

Mind you, I have no phone – and limited access to social media. 

Sidenote: 

I apologize for missing your texts.

I’m here, though, aren’t I? And my struggle is hers. And the shared struggle of my classmates’, and those non-portfolio kids (I need a fancier name for them, by the way). We have jobs, families, struggles, and fears that we won’t make it 

because we don’t have that edge.

Guess what? 

We do have an edge. 

We have our stories – not just the written ones that my classmate and I pour out on Tumblr. We’ve been students of the game from the first time the news went to commercial, the first time we turned the page to a high-concept fashion ad. 

We breathe it. 

No, better:

We drown in it. 

And our goal is to be life rafts for society. 

No, not even: 

We wanna sell life rafts to society. 

Make them “have it their way”.

Make them feel as smart, as informed, and as savvy as we want them to be.

First, we have to get over our fears – and do what it takes while keeping what it is that makes us great. I’m not the best out there, but my ambition may get me far enough to get people at events to remember my name.

Then again, my name just sticks out.

But I want it. 

And I’m willing to do what it takes. 

You need to as well. 

Rejection will come – and the pain that comes with it is inevitable. It’s up to us to shake it all off and keep moving.

I’ll end it with this quote by one William Bernbach: 

“The men who are going to be in business tomorrow are the men who understand that the future, as always, belongs to the brave.”

Let’s make it happen.