You never think you will meet your heroes. And when you are a creative at the bottom of Africa far from everywhere, you really don’t think you will meet your heroes. But then you do. You meet one of those people that makes you believe. One of those special humans who does work that makesContinue reading “Dan Wieden and The Imitation Game.”
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Creativity. To hit the target, you have to go too far.
“Ah, good taste! What a dreadful thing! Taste is the enemy of creativity.” Pablo Picasso There is nothing quite like a drag queen singing a Britney Spears number within a false eyelash of your face to make you think very deeply about life. It has been a beautiful blur. It was The Monkeys Aotearoa 1stContinue reading “Creativity. To hit the target, you have to go too far.”
Advertising. Fawlty Towers and the art of prediction.
“Most successful pundits are selected for being opinionated, because it’s interesting, and the penalties for incorrect predictions are negligible. You can make predictions, and a year later people won’t remember them.” Daniel Kahneman The legendary comedian John Cleese is being interviewed on the radio. He is explaining how arguably the most successful television series, FawltyContinue reading “Advertising. Fawlty Towers and the art of prediction.”
So, what will the truth be like in the future?
“Don’t be so overly dramatic about it, Chuck. What-You’re saying it’s a falsehood. And they’re giving Sean Spicer, our press secretary, gave alternative facts to that.” Kellyanne Conway “Look, alternative facts are not facts. They’re falsehoods” Chuck Todd This polite, and in hindsight, almost quaint exchange happened in January 2017. I will get back toContinue reading “So, what will the truth be like in the future?”
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Lipstick.
“One can be the master of what one does, but never of what one feels.” Gustave Flaubert Sell Harry Potter to kids and their parents. This didn’t seem to be the hardest brief in the world for a young creative. And to make it even easier, the marketing director informed me that we would beContinue reading “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Lipstick.”
The 11 occasionally immutable laws of advertising.
“Hell, there are no rules here – we’re trying to accomplish something.” Thomas Edison I have been in advertising for twenty-five years and I swore I would never write a ’Ten rules of’ article. So, I didn’t. I wrote one with eleven laws instead. In my defence, I felt I had to because in theContinue reading “The 11 occasionally immutable laws of advertising.”
Creativity. How to make scrambled eggs way better.
“Creativity is a gift. It doesn’t come through if the air is cluttered.” John Lennon Space. Time. Distance. Pretty big stuff. These are the rules the govern the universe. But not the imagination. That’s tricky because human beings really like rules. They like to know how to measure stuff. They like wrong and right. WeContinue reading “Creativity. How to make scrambled eggs way better.”
Do you believe in The Roaring Twenties brothers and sisters?
“Skate to where the puck is going not where it has been.” Wayne Gretzky Creativity: The use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness. So, what happens afterwards? What happens after a catastrophe? How do you carry on and what role does creativity play in all this? I started thinking about all thisContinue reading “Do you believe in The Roaring Twenties brothers and sisters?”
2020. A Space Odyssey.
“Music is the silence between the notes.” Claude Debussy Just put one fucking word down. It is a strange feeling to start writing without knowing what you are going to write. It is a feeling of absolute uncertainty. It is so powerful that it can cause paralysis. You can’t do what you know you mustContinue reading “2020. A Space Odyssey.”
Creativity. Bill Withers vs Joe Exotic.
“Legacy is not leaving something for people. It’s leaving something in people.” – Peter Strople It is always going to be a strange week when Tiger King appears and Bill Withers disappears. If we put the global pandemic to one side (now there are words I never thought I would write) I felt the universe wasContinue reading “Creativity. Bill Withers vs Joe Exotic.”
Damon's Brain 