…I recommend questioning everything: the media buy, the research, the whole reason the client is advertising – all of it. It’s likely you won’t be able to change anything one bit…But in the asking, in the challenging, whole new approaches may reveal themselves. Remember, the most important word a creative person can use is why. – Luke Sullivan [Read more…] about Always Ask Why
Work Life
Do the Honorable Thing and Apologize
The past few years, I have dedicated myself to saying “I’m sorry” more often. It’s been a journey because my perfectionist self doesn’t like to apologize. She’s rather proud. She doesn’t like to admit when she’s failed.
Don’t Feed the Piranhas
When I say, “Don’t feed the piranhas,” I mean, “Don’t feed the paranoia.” The two words have similarities outside both beginning with the letter “p”; feeding either only increases the frenzy of the paranoia and the piranhas. They get a taste of blood and flesh and go in for the kill and, in so doing, produce madness, mayhem, and broken relationships or business partnerships.
Living on Mission
When you figure out what you’re meant to do – what you’re really, really meant to do – things begin to come into focus. You begin to view your life through a certain lens, a particular mission. The more you work with that lens, the clearer the picture becomes. You turn it this way and that to account for the extra light or darkness. You do what you must to keep that picture clear and in focus.
The Words Entrusted to Me
I always feel a hesitance when a new writer approaches me. I wonder, “Can I do this? Can I help this writer? Will my insights and questions and thoughts and sometimes tangents be beneficial?” I don’t know, but I take a deep breath and accept the work. [Read more…] about The Words Entrusted to Me
Working Ahead, Staying Ahead, and Buffer Zones
Working ahead is my default mode. I don’t like waiting until the last minute to complete a task. I like to have a buffer. I like to give things space and time. In the case of my writing, the extra space and time allows me to edit the work and to tinker with it until I know it’s as ready as it’s ever going to be. I hit publish or submit the work and keep moving forward. I keep working ahead.
[Read more…] about Working Ahead, Staying Ahead, and Buffer Zones