Tomorrow Will Worry About Itself

Unless you are in the extremely fortunate position of working for a bulletproof industry (see Gambling, Alcohol, Debt Collection, Bankruptcy Law, Politics, etc. for possible careers), you have absolutely been affected by the recession. Marketing has definitely taken its hits. Every day, I talk to folks stressed out over lack of work, what the future holds, how to make ends meet, how to collect, etc. - or just as bad, grousing over having to do their jobs for less on the dollar, faster or during extended hours. Take a deep breath, people. For the most part, we are all in the same boat. We all have the same number of hours in a day. We can only do what we can do today and then go to bed. No point in staying up all night worrying about it. Be cheerful in your approach. Be grateful for any opportunity to come your way. Look for ways to help someone out, even if it's for free, because when this ride is over, you will be remembered for how you performed. Matthew 6:33-34 says "Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Share a smile, offer encouragement, lend a hand, give thanks. Jelly beans for everyone. God bless your day!

Creative Inspiration

Everyone is creative. Read that again. Everyone is creative. I remember early in my career strutting my stuff as a "creative" stud at a big agency. The creative team was always pampered and led to believe they were "special." I think this is wrong. It actually stunts creativity if you ask me. What a proud, arrogant ass I was. Thankfully, I grew up. I know now, we are all creative. In fact, some of the best ideas I ever produced were ideas other people came up with...clients, account service people, vendors, family, friends. In fact, the very word "inspiration" means to breathe in the Spirit. I capitalized the word "Spirit" here, because the "agency" that provides the creative spark is Divine. My partner Bill and I have had this conversation often. The act of creating is a holy, spiritual act, not unlike prayer. You have to first reflect deeply on the circumstances surrounding your topic, taking in information directly related to the topic, but also scanning information about and around the topic - sometimes even well off the topic. (I like to look at advertising award annuals after I soak up all my notes and information, to get the creative juices flowing.) When you feel you have filled up on the entire case, silence yourself. Let the creative muse strike. Soon (and sometimes due the pressure cooker of deadlines), creative ideas begin to flow. I record them in large quantities. I'll often have pages and pages of them. Headlines, descriptions of visuals, offshoot ideas that may or may not lend any value. There are no rules. Lastly, I leave the list for awhile and let my critical nature return. After an hour or so (sometimes even days), I review the list and narrow it down to a couple of winners. These are ideas we end up presenting to our clients. These are the ideas the Spirit has provided. It's unquestionably an ecstatic experience.