my own ad school

I absolutely enjoyed this video from Common Craft. I checked out what this compnay was all about and after going through their website, I was taken in. I don’t think I’ve heard of a company like this before – what an amazing idea! The concept is just great: “Our product is explanation”. Common Craft is a consulting company that creates short, entertaining and informative videos for clients, explaining in the simplest forms the services and/or products of that client. Their videos are made using a method they created called Paperworks, which simply involves a whiteboard and paper cut-outs. Does anyone else know of any other companies like Common Craft?(Thanks Armando for that post!)

Carbonmade is an online portfolio site where designers, writers and artists can upload their work for free (or sign up for the pro plan, which lets you upload a whole lot more).

I’m really glad I discovered this site because:

a) it’s a great source of inspiration: it’s not to copy or imitate others, but if you browse through a few projects, it can definitely get your creative flow moving.

b) it can give you sense of direction: you’ll find a variety of creatives in different phases of their professional careers – some have just started out, while others have already produced work for well-known companies. By looking at their work, it can give you the drive to step up and find what was missing in your portfolio, or it can help you set goals for yourself (for example, learning another program or skill).

c) it gives you a sense of who you’ll be competing with out there. By looking at what others have done, it can help you figure out what you need to do and what you need to show to make yourself stand out to clients.

and finally,

d) it can further fuel your drive to succeed as a creative. Even though there’s a large pool of talented creatives out there, it doesn’t mean finding work to add to your portfolio is rare. Ok, it is competetive, but there’s always going to be projects up for grabs, especially with the rise of entrepreneurs creating new businesses every day. So if it’s a bit of hope that you’re looking, you can find some here.

I am absolutely amazed with this ad! (Thanks to American Copywriter) Every second of it has been a pleasure to watch and it’s truly one of those things that keep me inspired to get into advertising. NORDPOL+ HAMBURG rightly deserved a Gold Lion for this.

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.

From gapingvoid’s How To Be Creative:

1. Ignore everybody.
2. The idea doesn’t have to be big. It just has to change the world.
3. Put the hours in.
4. If your biz plan depends on you suddenly being “discovered” by some big shot, your plan will probably fail.
5. You are responsible for your own experience.
6. Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten.
7. Keep your day job.
8. Companies that squelch creativity can no longer compete with companies that champion creativity.
9. Everybody has their own private Mount Everest they were put on this earth to climb.
10. The more talented somebody is, the less they need the props.
11. Don’t try to stand out from the crowd; avoid crowds altogether.
12. If you accept the pain, it cannot hurt you.
13. Never compare your inside with somebody else’s outside.
14. Dying young is overrated.
15. The most important thing a creative person can learn professionally is where to draw the red line that separates what you are willing to do, and what you are not.
16. The world is changing.
17. Merit can be bought. Passion can’t.
18. Avoid the Watercooler Gang.
19. Sing in your own voice.
20. The choice of media is irrelevant.
21. Selling out is harder than it looks.
22. Nobody cares. Do it for yourself.
23. Worrying about “Commercial vs. Artistic” is a complete waste of time.
24. Don’t worry about finding inspiration. It comes eventually.
25. You have to find your own schtick.
26. Write from the heart.
27. The best way to get approval is not to need it.
28. Power is never given. Power is taken.
29. Whatever choice you make, The Devil gets his due eventually.
30. The hardest part of being creative is getting used to it.
31. Remain frugal.

* Make sure you click on the link to read what Hugh wrote under each tip.