Race at work killing all: creativity, sense and you

It seems Lindsay Redding was everything about what can only dream of a creative person: he worked as art director in several agencies in London and Edinburgh, and later - in the top of New Zealand agencies Saatchi & Saatchi, DDB, BBDO, Colenso and The Campaign Palace. Interesting work, a lot of money, family. When he was diagnosed with cancer, Lindsay resigned and retired to his own house on the island of Waiheke Island, where just resting: walking, drawing, writing articles, and music. There's also a former advertising man wrote one of the most impressive items "A short lesson for the future"Published in his blog.

This article, written shortly before his death, as it draws a line under the history of the life of a successful person and the voice of the conclusions that may have come not a single creatives at the end of his career. Its just have to read all of the young advertising agency, full of strength, ideas and ambition, and all the other climbers.

Many years ago, when I first started working in the advertising industry, we have a creative partner Lawrence often practiced by the so-called night-check. We took great A2 sheets and recorded throughout the day different ideas for projects you're working on at the moment. Simple headers, puns, careless sketches black marker. By the end of the day on the sheets was a real dump of ideas: we just poured down on paper everything that came into his head or tearing off the tongue. All that was absurd, ridiculous or completely inappropriate, filtered, and the evening had already filled the corner of the room an impressive mountain of waste paper.

If the day was productive, apart from the piles of paper, cups of coffee and a crowded ashtrays remained thick wad of standing ideas. Some of them were almost completed, others - awkward curves fragments, which still had a grain of truth, or a glimpse of a smile. All this hangs on the walls of the office, and we went for a beer.

The next morning, hungover, we again gathered in the office and looked at the idea with a clear head. About a third of the ideas that seemed worthwhile and interesting, immediately went into the garbage: that night was a worthy and fun, in the cold light of the morning to lose its charm and become just nothing.

Somewhere in the mid-morning coffee, our department came to life and we were doing a normal morning ritual: wandered around the office and criticized creation of other creatives.

Creative people - very vulnerable creature, so all our criticism is always fed in a very gentle manner and was constructive. This is actually a great tool for sifting debris: often in our office were going to other teams and praised or criticized already our creations.

But the fact is that ...

Night check ideas was a great tool and a fun practice, but it is only available when you can find it on the night. We came the 90th, and our sphere of digital technologies flooded. Exciting tools, new opportunities, new deadlines.

There is an idea - implements it for a couple of hours and give.

Accountants upstairs quickly realized that with these technologies, we can make three times more for the same time. More projects - more money.

Very soon, "the night check" turned into a "dining check" when we looked at a bunch of their ideas after the break. Then, before we could notice it, we began to eat instant noodles right behind work desk and take turns to go home to kiss the kids before bedtime.

As soon as more or less standing idea is sent to the office wall, she resorted red-manager in poorly tailored suit, tore it and ran away. We have come to rely on their experience and instinct, worked out over the years. Most often, it worked, but not always.

Standards have fallen, but we have become more conservative. We do not take risks and rely on the exhaust circuit. Studies have shown that proven ideas give better results, and in fact studies have become the new god.

For real creativity need to be completely relaxed, disable the internal censor and do not think that will tell others about it.

In children, it is, therefore, they are so good to do, and in adults with Volkswagen, a mortgage, and the scope of justice and compliance - no.

Free flight of creative thought requires time and safe, calm atmosphere. Previously, departments and creative design studio provide all these creatives: they can be free to think, speak, do whatever comes to mind, and not be afraid of being ridiculed.

Then some genius came up to organize a competition, contest, race, the winner of which gets the job done.

Now everything is infected with the fever. All technologies are accelerated and more our overloaded neurons It is struggling to keep up with the computers. Split-second decisions. Found that the like. Shared. Appeared unripe thought. Report it. Do not wait. Do not be shy. Seize the moment. Do not lag behind. Then you will have plenty of time to repent of what she did was born. Yes, and to cover your ass, do not forget to put a smiley face at the end, and then suddenly you have gone too far with courage?

"Night check" - a great tool, but the nights were skipped, as well as weekends. Vacation for a week? Fine! For a month? Luxury. Now I "enjoy" their forced six-month vacation. I looked up from his work and from the past way of life, in which I always shoot from the hip, dancing through the eye of a needle, and spent all his strength. Forced separation for six months helped to look back on your life and appreciate it. It is sobering.

Now my old lifestyle look and feel is not the same as before.

And here's the thing

It turns out that my life is not like me as much as it seemed before. I know this because I met my former colleagues. They enthusiastically tell me about their latest projects, ask my opinion, demonstrate their skills. I listened politely as they boast of them slept less and more having dinner at fast food restaurants. "I have not seen my wife since January, I do not feel the legs from fatigue, from fast food and will soon begin scurvy, but the client is going on vacation, so that the plow at this pace for another three weeks. What I think?"

What I think?

I think you're - fucking crazy. So you fall out of the reality that it is not even funny. It's all fucking TV commerce. I want to tell you, I was just in shock. It seemed to me that all this is just a hoax, a scam, a hoax.

This scam is arranged as follows:

1. Creative industry works largely on an unstable self-perception of creative people to their low self-esteem and spiraling out of control ego. We set ourselves the highest standards, and we alone - the most severe criticism for himself.

Meet our high demands much more difficult than the customer's requirements, which, in my experience, do not hard to please.

All artists subconsciously think of themselves scams and charlatans, and live in constant fear of exposure. If we work for wear, as if we are hiding that we have not found, and all the people, exploiting the creative people, are well aware of this weakness.

2. A truly creative people do not see the motivation of money. Wealth for us - a sign of recognition of our ideas and projects. Simple but heartfelt "well done" from a reputable person dearer to us than the cash prizes and bonuses. Again, the owners of our industry cleverly used this feature, insecurities and vanity. Glamorous and useless trinkets, different bonuses - all this is intended to give us the motivation to create new masterpieces.

We, as magpies, fly to the shiny statuettes vyklovyvaya each other's eyes, and it is much cheaper than the reward in the form of seats on the board of directors or the stake.

3. Craving for creation. This need creative people who just need to satisfy. When I worked for six months, it is every day I have something to draw, write, compose bad music. It's just an itch or something, just need to scratch. This strange, eccentric feature, but very useful in commercial terms.

What is now happening with the creative sphere, reminiscent of the industrial revolution: the idea put on stream, they become disposable goods and sold at the lowest price.

As soon find a way of outsourcing ideas from China, gladly will.

IdeaWe value the most, was just a cheap plastic toy, trinket for extolling products. Now we need to stamp hundreds of ideas and at the same time fit into the schedule. "We have six ideas until morning. The client is going on vacation, you have to show him. Do not think otherwise, he only pays for one, so to turn out something there. Oh, and he loves green. See you in the morning, I'm in the club. "

Have you ever tried to come up with ideas at gunpoint? Creatives do it every day, and then, when looking at the idea, thought up in an hour, he comes face to face with his terrible critic - himself. And all the others. And receives the following: "Customer is quite like green, only need to change the fonts, images, words and ideas. And yet, perhaps, make the logo bigger. "

This is a dangerous and tedious work. And what's the prize? Golden statue? I saw a lot of creative people, who in the end turned out to be on the sidelines. Alcohol, drugs, constant anxiety, stress, ruined families, even a couple of suicides. Man does not survive in such a hostile environment and poisoning. Nevertheless, there is still no shortage of young professionals. Energetic and creative young people in turn become, to try their luck in advertising.

How I survived for 30 years? It was run on a razor's edge. Inside, I'm very sensitive, so I just hid his uncertainty and fear, and fled so quickly that no one noticed. I also convinced myself that there is no longer any case, I would prefer advertising that is my true calling and I was incredibly lucky that I get paid for it.

An epic act of self-deception, and ultimately countless nights and weekends, holidays and anniversaries, school concerts and birthday parties - all this I laid on the altar of their work. High-end, which will always pay off, but then, then ...

Now I understand that it was a hoax. There was not anything really significant and high. It was just a mechanism without facing the consequences. We just sell products. Just feed the beast, as I call it now.

So was it worth it?

Of course not. Turns out it was just an advertisement. It has no higher calling, no prize worth fighting for. Just a lot of loss, yellowed paper and old cassette that I can not see, even if I wanted. Oh, and certificates in frames and small golden statuette. Mountain packages of Prozac and empty bottles, mop of gray hair and cancer indeterminate size.

It may seem that I myself regret. This is not true. It was cool, it was fun and interesting. I was good at what he did, met a lot of talented and intelligent people, has become a real pro, could permanently satisfy their creative itch and earned enough money to provide for his family, which is sometimes even seen.

But I did not do anything really standing up for life. At least in the works. I helped to promote some products, increased profits of several companies and has made one or two people even richer.

At the time I thought it was a great idea.

But I do not think it would have passed the night test.

Sorry

If you are reading this, sitting in the dark studio or tortured by the question, in what hand housewife must take the laundry detergent - to the right or to the left, do a favor and cut down electricity. Lock the studio, go home and kiss his wife and children.