Category: creative

Creativity isn't a habit. But it helps to have habits that will nurture it. Every creative has days where ideas are a little harder to generate. It's what we do every day that helps us to either be able to spring back from a block or whether we fail to…

In Creativity, Inc, Ed Catmul, the founder of Pixar tells the story of the creation and success of Pixar and also breaks down why he believes they have been so successful in producing blockbuster after blockbuster. Most of all, Creativity, Inc. is Ed's story and his philosophy on running a creative…

Who are you and where did you come from? This is a powerful question that we often use to describe ourselves to ourselves and to others. It can have a profound impact on how we treat others, others treat us and how we treat ourselves. This is profoundly important on…

I'm a huge fan of process. Having a great idea can't really help you or your clients if you don't have the process that gets you from a great idea to a great execution. Without great execution you end up with a so so. All the great studios, production companies,…

I've worked as a writer/ad creative and producer for over 20 years. Needless to say, I've felt blocked more than a few times. The most important thing about breaking writer's block is not to freak out. It's called writer's block because we all experience it from time to time and…

Sharpened pencils. A quit room. A still mind. That certain type of background music. Preparation is often the key to getting the most out of the time you set aside for creative work. And doing the same thing each time is one of the best ways to do that. I…

I've seen a whole lot of change in advertising and media production business over the years. Mainly in the transition in the media we use to communicate with audiences and the technology we are using to create the communication. Back in the mid 90s I worked at an agency where the…

My daughter is a smart kid and an excellent student. She's also pretty good at a lot of extracurricular things. She's still young, 11, maybe she'll be great at a one or two before she's an adult. One of the things she's good at is drums. When she was 8…

My grandfather wasn't known for communication skills. He rarely talked to me or anyone besides his golf buddies and my grandmother. He was also a man of conviction. One conviction was that Thanksgiving stuffing must contain copious amounts of sage. My stepmother did not share his conviction that sage was…

For those who don't know, scietism is the excessive belief in the power of scientific knowledge and techniques. This to me sounds a lot like the ad industry over the last decade with it's obsession over data, technology and measurement. In some ways, these obsessions have overtaken the core business…