If You Think It, Do It

I keep a Moleskine notebook on me at all times. In it I write down every intriguing thought, insight or idea I have, or any interesting observations or sights I see.

Most of it is stupid bullshit that will probably never (nor should ever) see the light of day beyond those pages. But some of it I've used before in my work.

Last week I was sitting at Crossroads, the local coffee shop (and subsequent grand prize winner of over $250 on my last credit card bill), and saw a dalmation lying next to his owner. A fire engine wailed in the distance and grew nearer. As the sound picked up, the dalmation lifted his head and wailed along with the fire engine, getting louder and louder as it came closer, and then drifted away. When it was out of earshot, the dog lowered his head.

It was one of the most captivating and amazing things I've ever seen in my life. People were awestruck. Into the book it went.

Another thing I put in my book, about a month ago, was an idea for a full length TV or viral spot shot entirely from the viewpoint of someone. I didn't know for what product, why or who, I just thought that device would be great for literally putting viewers in the eyes of the protagonist.

I wrote it down in my notebook and forgot about it.

That is, until I checked Creativity today and clicked on this:



It's the newest nasty effort from LA's 72 And Sunny and director Guy Ritchie, and done much better and with a much better purpose than I ever would have. It's a fantastic spot and will be the talk of the town soon.

But that's still not the point.

The point is something I've said before and will probably say again: If you don't do it first, it will be done by someone else.

So go do it.

dubs. out.

I Don't Know Why

but I love this.



dubs. out.

Quote of The Week, Hayden – 4/27/08

Copywriting is perhaps the only non-criminal activity that allows you to make a comfortable living off your character defects. These will usually include, but are not limited to pride, anger, gluttony, greed, lust, envy, sloth and fear. All of them are useful, depending on he circumstances, so make sure you’re familiar with each in all its facets.

-Steve Hayden, former Vice Chairman, Ogilvy Worldwide

I like to think I'm pretty familiar with my characted defects. Luckily there are many to work with.

Although I don't consider myself a slothful person, what I don't have in that area I make up tenfold in the other six.

dubs. out.

Sound Is Sweet

First the spot (from DDB London):



Now, how they did it:



Our time will soon come to make things like this.

dubs. out.

Vladimir Kush

Was in a terrible mood this morning while checking Ffffound and stumbled on this Russian-born painter. It immediately made me feel better for some reason.

Great stuff, very surreal, dreamlike and relaxing. He refers to what he does as "metaphorical realism."

Here are some I particularly liked:












To see the rest of his work, click here.

dubs. out.

Quote of The Week, Rilke – 4/20/08

Go into yourself and test the deeps in which your life takes rise; at its source you will find the answer to the question whether you must create. Accept it, just as it sounds, without inquiring into it. Perhaps it will turn out that you are called to be an artist. Then take that destiny upon yourself and bear it, its burden and its greatness, without ever asking what recompense might come from outside.

-Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet

Not to sound flighty or overstated, but we need less approval from the outside world and more from inside.

The teachers always say that's it's what you think that matters. Now I believe it's up to us to start really believing it.

dubs. out.

Maybe Now That Charlton Heston is Gone...

...we can finally take the guns from his cold dead hands.

Today marks the one year anniversary of the shootings at Virginia Tech. Most people seemed to agree that it doesn't feel like that long ago.

While I'm sure every school in the country had some sort of vigil, actually going to school in Virginia with a good amount of Tech alums, things felt pretty sombering around here.

A few students posted up the following, which I found very touching.




They also put this up, which, although powerful, didn't affect me in the way that it probably should have...














...And then I came to this picture:


There are a lot of things we take for granted in this world. And ironically enough, our lives are probably what we think about least.

dubs. out.

I Hate Singing in Ads

but for some reason I sort of like this spot from LA's 72 And Sunny.



I love the bigness of the idea, which it's pretty safe to say, can't get much bigger than this.

Or maybe I just like the cameos.

dubs. out.

Quote of the Week, Collins - 4/13/08

People give us moments of their lives that they will never get back. Shopping in a store we designed, watching a commercial, surfing over a website we crafted, reading a package, book or magazine we art directed. What we do becomes part of their personal story. We owe them our best work, our best efforts, an interesting experience—and the truth.

-Brian Collins, COLLINS

If I've learned one thing at this school, it's that we must, above all, be cognizant of the fact that people don't give a shit about anything we create. They only watch what they want to watch, and the same goes for where they go and what they interact with.

If what we do doesn't interest them, then it won't be seen or remembered, and no beneftis will be reaped.

We should be honored when we create content that people actually want to see. It's something to strive for every single time, because without it, we're dead.

dubs. out.

Ad School Is Not Really School

I had an interesting revelation last night, thinking about Honda Generators in one of those crazy dazes between awakeness and sleep. When all the best ideas finally poke their heads out like scared squirrels, amidst the cruel reality that you’ll most likely forget them when you finally drift off.

But this much I remembered.

There seems to be a trend here for the students to believe that this school is like regular school. I’ve fallen victim to that as well. It seems that we sometimes think of it as a place where you just have to get through and appease the professors like most of us did in undergrad, and, every now and then, we’ll have something cool to drop into our books.

But the truth is, it’s not. It’s an opportunity. And so is every single assignment.

We’re paying for the opportunity to come up with real solutions for real brands in a fake environment, and if we work hard and actually do a good job, it's something that we’ll be paid money for within 2 years, when the environment is very real.

I once saw in someone’s internship minibook (about working at their summer internship agency): “Itʼs a bit like winning the lottery only to find that you havenʼt won a check for a million dollars. Instead, what youʼve won is the chance to earn that million dollars for yourself.”

Well put.

dubs. out.

The Shout-Out of All Shout-Outs

Snagged this one off of Ernie Shenck's most recent blog post, but for good reason. Check out the bottom of paragraph 4 in the second column and you'll see why.

It's an open letter from Charlotte's BooneOakley to the 2008 One Show judges. Wonderfully-written, funny, and very honest. (To read it click here).

BooneOakley-- My hat's off to you. I loved you when you came to speak at our school, and after witnessing you as a truly new agency with real balls, I'd be thrilled to work with you one day.

Will it make it into the One Show?

I'll bet it does.

dubs. out.

Quote of The Week, Arden - 4/6/08

The world is what you think of it. So think of it differently and your life will change.

-Paul Arden

In honor of Arden's passing, I thought it appropriate to quote him here. To my surprise, it's the first time.

This was always my favorite of his. It goes along with the idea that if you keep thinking the same things, doing the same things, seeing the same things, eating the same things, then you'll always get the same things.

Change doesn't happen by doing everything like you always do. It happens by doing things like you always don't.

This is something I've got to work on.

dubs. out.

40 Years Later...

And he's still relevant.

This is U2's tribute:



"Through our scientific genius we have made of this world a neighborhood. Now through our moral and spiritual development, we must make of it a brotherhood.

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

dubs. out.

One More Great is Gone

The author of the two books below died today. The latter of which was actually sitting on my desk when I heard the news.




If I could recommend only 4 books on advertising, they would be Hey Whipple Squeeze This by Luke Sullivan, And Then We Set His Hair on Fire by Phil Dusenberry, and these two.

The self-proclaimed "World's Best-Selling Author," Paul Arden was Executive Creative Director at Saatchi London for 14 years.

He died of a heart attack.

The man was a genius, but not just that. He was a genius who understood the fear and aprehension of young people in this business, and he went out of his way to appeal and write to them in a way that championed and harnessed those feelings.

Small and easy to read in one afternoon, his books are not just handbooks for how to succeed in advertising or any creative endeavor, they're pocketsized motivation for doing something cool and worthwile in this world, even, and especially as a junior.

dubs. out.

An Epiphany:

Fast Times at Ridgemont High has 3 future Best Actor Oscar-winners in its cast.






K, see ya.

dubs. out.

I Haven't Been To The Gym In 2 Months

Was checking out the Creativity Top 5 and stumbled on this new BBDO NY spot for New Balance:



I then went on to watch the rest:









Maybe I just dug the writing, particularly the last line and tag, but something in there was working for me. Something in there made me feel like going for a run.

So I did. Along with my roommate, Tristan.

What sort of world are we living in, where commercials are our (at least my) main motivation to get off our asses and go outside? Whatever happened to wanting to run for the love of being healthy and for feeling good about ourselves? For the pure joy of being alone with just our thoughts and bumping music on deserted Richmond sidewalks?

Whatever happened to not needing a fucking shoe company to make us move?

dubs. out.