“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” Bob Marley A couple of days ago I was walking down a windy Queen Street, the main street in Auckland. It is a street every port city has. It is heady mix of high-end fashion stores, tourists that have just stumbledContinue reading “The preachers and the busker.”
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Creativity. How to make a Neo-Nazi sad.
“Are you a communist?” “No I am an anti-fascist” “For a long time?” “Since I have understood fascism.” Ernest Hemingway. For whom the bell tolls. With the tragedy of Charlottesville only a couple of days old I came across something from all that sadness that made me smile. Some KKK members were marching down aContinue reading “Creativity. How to make a Neo-Nazi sad.”
Advertising. Ideas. They are not for everyone.
“Ideas are easy. It’s the execution that really separates the sheep from the goats.” Sue Grafton Narratives that don’t make sense. If you have been in advertising for more than 10 minutes you will have seen this before. Invariably over time you find these narratives have far more to do with making or saving moneyContinue reading “Advertising. Ideas. They are not for everyone.”
Advertising. What if the right answer is wrong?
“For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong.” H.L Mencken The thing about process is that it leaves very little room for madness, obsession and mistakes. To be human. My fear is that our business at the moment is having a lot of conversations about ways to get toContinue reading “Advertising. What if the right answer is wrong?”
Cannes. Strangers at the Circus.
“Great perils have this beauty, that they bring to light the fraternity of strangers.” Victor Hugo There were two boats in Cannes. They were part of the seemingly endless cavalcade of behemoth yachts moored in the South of France for the Cannes advertising festival of creativity. One belonged to some venture capitalists and was obscenelyContinue reading “Cannes. Strangers at the Circus.”
Advertising. The wisdom of taxi drivers.
“All the stories I’ll ever need are right here on Main Street.” Robert Cormier Many years ago, I was in New York for the first time. I was in a yellow cab I had seen in a hundred movies. It was like cinematic deja vu. From the journey, I remember two things. The first thingContinue reading “Advertising. The wisdom of taxi drivers.”
Perhaps a little more Roger Moore?
“Some are blessed with musical ability, others with good looks. Myself, I was blessed with modesty.” Roger Moore Ok, so this one isn’t really about advertising. Let me explain. I had been thinking a lot about inspiration lately. What it can do. Where it can take you. And the fact that these moments last andContinue reading “Perhaps a little more Roger Moore?”
Judging D&AD. The Hustle and Strive.
“First comes the sweat. Then comes the beauty if you’re lucky and have said your prayers.” George Balanchine Where do you find inspiration? As it happens, I found it on a windswept balcony overlooking Shoreditch. It is a part of London that is made of grit and questionable glamour. A suburb that has urban decayContinue reading “Judging D&AD. The Hustle and Strive.”
The Kool-Aid is strong with this one.
All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure. Mark Twain It would seem I was beaten to writing about the new Pepsi commercial by about 6 million people. Perhaps that is a good thing. It gave me time to think and look at what everybody has been sayingContinue reading “The Kool-Aid is strong with this one.”
Advertising. The postcard is never the place.
“Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.” Oscar Wilde “Maybe that’s what life is….a wink of the eye and winking stars.” Jack Kerouac I had been walking with my new friend Alexander Kalchev through Chinatown in San Francisco. I had visited these streets before in my head. As a young man I usedContinue reading “Advertising. The postcard is never the place.”
Damon's Brain 