I’m stuck. Now what?
Ernest Hemingway was write when he called the empty page the “white bull” - it is intimidating.
Good thing Luke Sullivan’s “Hey Whipple” wrote this to make me feel more at ease:
… being stuck is a really good sign. Really.
Being stuck means you have moved through the easy stuff. You’ve waded through all the crappy ideas, through the okay ideas … entering the outlying area of big new thoughts. Being stuck is not only unusual, it’s what you want … You can spend whole days, even weeks, trying very hard and coming up with diddly. But I’ve found it’s only after you’ve suffered these excruciating days of meat loaf brain that the shiny and beautiful finally represents itself to you. The trick is to stay with it. Suffer through it. Remember, the only way out is through.
I did manage to come up with ideas and I wrote them all down, but after sleeping on it, I didn’t find too many that were close to great. But I knew this was going to happen - I mean, it should. Everyone needs to get their crappy ideas out of the way, right?
What I really need to do is to get into the habit of letting myself go just a bit more during this creative process because sometimes, I feel like I’m holding back (as if I’m trying not to come up with anymore crappy ideas). And this is a problem I need to fix because holding myself back will do more harm than good and it’s better for me to fix this now rather than have this habit grow stronger. I just really need to get used to writing whatever comes to mind on paper without pausing to think about how great or bad of an idea it is.
But despite having some trouble coming up with ideas, I’m still enjoying this. It can get frustrating and annoying, but it’s the challenge that’s still keeping me in. Besides, I don’t think it would be as much fun if the whole process was that easy.
May 5th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
This is a problem that I seem to be experiencing. I am new to blogging and although I feel I have lots of experience and knowledge to offer I just can not seem to get it right on paper. Thanks for the adviice.
May 6th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
You’ve answered your own question Bianca:
“What I really need to do is to get into the habit of letting myself go just a bit more during this creative process because sometimes, I feel like I’m holding back (as if I’m trying not to come up with anymore crappy ideas).”
With experience comes the ability to self-edit as you go, but for the time being, look at the concepting stage as a brain-dump.
May 7th, 2007 at 4:23 pm
Dumbledore, I’m glad to have offered some advice and I wish you the best of luck on your blog
Danny, thanks for the advice. Having to write a lot of essays in university, I’ve developed a habit of self-editing, so I’ll have to try harder resisting this habit.
May 8th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Bianca-
Nice to have found your blog. I also put myself through my own ad school and am now gainfully employed as a copywriter.
My curriculum consisted mainly of obsessively ogling ads on the web. I sprinkled in a steady diet of American Copywriter and anyone else who helped me recognize great work and, more importantly, why it rocked so hard. The required reading included “Hey Whipple,” which you already squeezed and “Pick Me,” which covers landing the job.
You’re on the right track. You’ve already read some of the right books and you have all the right links on your site. Keep blogging. I promise it will help you get on the radar and help you land a job. Good luck on your quest. Oh, and thanks for the link.
May 8th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
KFad,
Thanks for visiting my blog and for the words of encouragement. I’m glad to hear from someone who’s gone through their own ad school and has found a place in the industry. I also want to go into copywriting and I’ve just begun to work on my portfolio.
Oh, and I have a question for you: when you were working on your portfolio, did you team up with an art director, or did you create your ads on your own? Some have suggested to team up with an art director if possible, but some have also said that doing them all on my own is do-able. I’m curious to know what you think about that.
(And you’re welcome for the link. I enjoy reading your blog :))
May 8th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
I art directed my own stuff. But I could have done cooler stuff if I had an art director to team up with. I didn’t want my stuff to look like crap. So I stuck to concepts that I could execute without killer design skills. So, yes, you can do it by yourself if you have some skills.
A partner is also someone to concept with. Having someone in it with you seems to keep you moving when you’re struggling. So if you get the opportunity to work with a good art director, especially one who churns out great concepts, pounce on it.
Keep posting your progress. You’re in my feed reader.
June 15th, 2007 at 11:14 am
Interesting stuff and thanks for adding me as a contact. Good luck with it all.
October 6th, 2007 at 5:00 am
Thank you for sharing!