A Quick Bit of Inspiration…

A lighter post this Friday. Enjoy this video on ideas and creativity:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JUFjTOM32g 

The Finish Line: What It’s Like to See It to the End

[ASIDE: I’m sorry for a lack of visuals again guys. WordPress isn’t letting me upload anything now. Been this way for months without any solutions. I’ll try next time…]

Throughout the past months, I wrote and self-published a book about my experiences in Winnipeg bands. Each step of the project took a long time to plan and execute.

First, the project itself—what was I going to write about? How will it be structured? How long will it take to do each step? It took weeks to have a short synopsis of the book, and then each chapter.

Next, budgeting for time and money. I was still in school as I worked on the project, and I’m not rich. It took more planning to make the project realistic and doable.

Then, the actual writing. The whole book is roughly 17,500 words, which isn’t a lot for a book. But each time I would tackle a chapter, I would write out an idea, then scrap it, then write another, then scrap that one, then settle on a part that didn’t make me feel sick to write.

After the writing was done, the editing began. I underestimated how much time I was going to spend editing—it turns out I spent way more time editing than writing the initial content. Probably twice as much time, actually.

So then, I contacted local publishers. I self-published, but some publishers help lay out the book, plus some design covers, get an ISBN for you, and other book-related things that are easy to overlook.

Once I settled on a publisher, I booked a venue so I could host a book launch. I contacted a few different places, and chose the one based off my needs since I planned to play music at my launch.

Then, I contacted the band members and we chose some songs and practiced for a few weeks, rented equipment, and set up at the venue. On my side of things, I made up some merchandise for the launch—t-shirts, guitar picks, and posters. This happened, of course, after contacting a bunch of places and working out the best prices and timing for each item.

Then, the actual event came, and I met with everyone who was generous enough to stop by and pick up a copy of my book as well as some merch. I played the set with the band, and afterwards, tore down the stage, cleaned up, and returned the rented equipment to the store.

But, after everything, it’s done. There are printed copies of my project on my desk. I can flip through and actually hold something that I created. It’s like having a baby, except it’s nothing like having a baby. It’s not easy, though.

Anyone wanna buy a book?

The 4-Million Dollar Ad: Superbowl and Creativity

(Apologies for the lack of photos. WordPress wasn’t cooperating.)

When spending $4 million on a single 30-second TV spot, it’s best to get your money’s worth.

Enter the Superbowl: Where some of the highest-exposed creative is loved and hated, remembered and forgotten, and—maybe most importantly—analyzed and criticized. Some spots feature celebrities, animals, children, half-naked ladies, and amusing situations of all varieties. The trick is making any of it work.

Recently, a bunch of ads were “leaked” (oh no! people will be prematurely drawn to our message! how tragic!) and naturally, I watched each of them. And, as usual, I could tell that each ad will polarize viewers’ attitudes.

Is it lazy, then, to hire a celebrity for a featured spot, then hope for the best? Actually, yes, it usually is. To simply put celebrities in your ad when they have nothing to do with your brand or messaging is lazy. This year, the Brett Favre appearance in Wix.com’s ad made me scratch my head. It wasn’t really that clever or interesting, and then they added a retired football star to the mix. On the other hand, Pierce Brosnan’s appearance in Kia’s commercial worked because everything tied together. Also, I enjoyed Eat24’s spot with Gilbert Gottfried and Snoop Dogg. Maybe it didn’t make sense for the brand, but it was entertaining. I’d also argue that the T-Mobile ad found the mark.

The same rules apply for random half-naked ladies—I’m looking (but not gawking) at you, Carl’s Jr. Men may enjoy seeing supermodels revealing skin, but I wouldn’t be too shocked if some women felt offended or sexualized. I personally feel insulted that people think I’m stupid enough to buy or support something because there were sexy women involved. On the other hand, no one is surprised that Victoria’s Secret did something along those lines. Tasteful? Maybe, maybe not. On-brand? For sure. Creative? Not really.

Next up is the family angle. Everyone has a family, and more often then not, everyone loves their family, making it a strong angle to tackle. It’s also tricky, because it can seem cheesy or fake at times. Dove and McDonald’s did it well.

Lastly on the emotional exploitation list comes animals. Puppies, kittens, and any baby animal has a way of really tugging the heartstrings of the public. Naturally, it takes a good scriptwriter to make it work, and lately, it has worked. Budweiser sure likes horses and dogs, and now they’ve triumphantly come together for this year’s ad. Also, here’s the banned GoDaddy puppy ad. I see why people might be upset over it, but as far as the spot itself goes, it wasn’t the worst I’ve seen.

The next type of ad is my personal favourite: The bizarre or unexpected category. I like being surprised with something funny or nonsensical. Skittles, Avocados, and Snickers made the touchdown (ha, get it?) for me. BUT—this category isn’t a shoe-in for every brand to try and be as weird as possible. Sorry, Squarespace, Newcastle, and esurance (that Lindsey Lohan stuff hardly scratches the “celebrity” category, by the way)—this was bad. Really, really confusing and bad.

Not a lot of ads went straight for the funny bone this year, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t try. Gieco was weak, for example. A stronger example is Mophine’s “Powerless” spot—this is a favourite.

Car ads were sparse this year. Ads featuring kids and movie trailers also had standard spots. One odd newcomer was this spot for Equador. And what would a Superbowl ads series be without an appearance from Ron Swanson?

And lastly, No More’s “911” spot, which the Superbowl donated, is brilliant and needs to be seen. It has to be the most important spot this year, and it may even change trends for future Superbowl ads.

Hopefully this was at least enjoyable to skim through. It took me hours to check the ads and link them up for you. Enjoy. Also, feel free to watch the actual game and half-time spectacle.

Summing Up Creativity with Digital Synopsis

I’ve briefly talked about the wonderful portfolio website, Behance, in the past. It’s great to sort through interesting, hypothetical work for inspiration. It’s actually amazing to see how someone who chose to change the font of, for example, McDonald’s copy, can totally change the feel of the promotion.

I’ve actually found the holy grail of what my blog is aiming to achieve: a website called Digital Synopsis—an advertising, design, and creative hub. From ad campaigns to inspirational posts, this website is possibly one of the best tools for helping escape stagnation. Although the site is smaller, it’s still full of useful content. Have a look if you can spare a few minutes.

How Tentacle Porn Can Make You More Creative

There’s a game out there that triggers creativity in a spontaneous, strategic way. It’s bold, it’s crude, it’s something you shouldn’t play with your parents.

I’m referring, of course, to Cards Against Humanity.

CAH is an ingenious concept where three or more players take turns creating the most obscene, offensive, tasteless phrases based on the cards placed in front of them. Nothing is off limits, from dead babies to 9/11 to tentacle porn.

So what does a game involving peculiar sexual fetishes have to do with creativity? Actually, quite a bit.

Not only do you have limited resources to come up with a clever phrase, but you also have to tailor your response based on the person to whom you’re presenting your response. You begin to learn who laughs at which references and jokes. You’re forced to connect obscure ideas to other obscure ideas.

All things considered, it’s a great way to get the creative gears moving in your mind.

Recently, The Juggernaut, a design agency from Toronto, released a very limited supply of packs of Advertising Against Humanity. Although not an authorized release, Advertising Against Humanity is a seamless homage and a real treat. It’s unlikely that you’ll get your hands on a pack, but if you do, cash in immediately by putting it on eBay.

(Or, you know, keep it. Whichever.)

Hailing a Cab: DesignTAXI

DesignTAXI is my BuzzFeed. Simple, short, informative, and light. TAXI is great for when you have a few minutes to kill. Fortunately, the website is more than just for wasting time. Personally, it goes onto my list of resources for inspiration.

TAXI tosses out a lot of neat stuff, like the hottest advertising, design, and even food trends. Having TAXI on Twitter is a great way to stay current and entertained with somewhat meaningful and inspirational material.

There’s nothing like a light post every now and then, as long as there’s something to take away from it.

Exploring Reality with Salvador Dalí

So I went to see Dalí’s exhibit at the Winnipeg Art Gallery this weekend. Salvador “Melting Clocks” Dalí is famous for his surrealist style, which essentially means he painted things doing things they shouldn’t be doing.

This is probably normal.

Dalí had his signature style—his own flair that became his identity on the canvas. But how did he find that style? How did he find this rare and precious way of creating?

Dalí had his own way of finding inspiration and creativity. It came to be known as the paranoiac-critical method. This method combines elements of psychology with surrealist techniques.

It was, simply put, a way to look past what was right in front of you and see what your subconscious sees. It’s a way of seeing something in a different way, but without really changing your environment. It’s almost like coming to terms with what you really, REALLY see when you look at something. Not the literal, but the part that you ignore when your brain picks up on an element that has a specific meaning to you.

What does this have to do with creating, or inspiration? Almost everything.

It’s our subjective viewpoints that give us our own voices in our works. Comedians make observations from their points of view. Artists paint from their viewpoint. Filmmakers shoot from their perspectives. It’s all about what we see that others don’t, or noticing what they miss, or pointing out what no one else wants to say.

It’s what makes us different from each other. Dalí was just a bit more different, I guess.

Couldn’t resist getting this after the exhibit.

They’re Out There: Where the Best Ideas are Hiding

One thing that bothers me about the advertising industry is that many creatives look into the industry for inspiration. Personally, I can’t imagine trying to come up with the “next big thing” by looking at work that’s already been done.

Of course, looking into the industry has its advantages, such as knowing what’s already been done and which major trends are dominating. But I wouldn’t look inward for inspiration; I’d do it to avoid accidentally recycling another person’s concept.

Cue Maria Popova.

She’s a major-league blogger and creative champion. After working years in the ad industry in the USA, she realized that too many creatives were searching for ideas inside the industry. That’s when she got the idea to create a newsletter about various interesting topics for the office. She wrote about anything that interested her, and excluded content from the industry. The newsletter became a hit.

It wasn’t long afterward that she started her own website. Brainpickings.org grew organically overtime and became a daily source of inspiration for me. There is a ton of content that has nothing to do with the ad industry, such as psychology, philosophy, and history, but it still focuses on creativity and inspiration.

When asked what the best advice she ever received was, she stated:

“Go the fuck to sleep.”

That’s coming from a woman who reads 12 to 15 books per week and hundreds of bits of online content daily!

So if you’re struggling with an idea, or you’ve got writer’s block, remember that the whole world can help you find the right idea, so keep searching. And don’t forget to check in the spots you haven’t yet searched. Oh, and maybe get some sleep.

Creative Spices

For me, sitting around and waiting for ideas to show up doesn’t work. I have to do something that promotes creative thinking. One of my favourite ways to do that is by cooking.

One of my creative workspaces.

I love cooking. I started cooking last summer and it’s changed the way I think about food. I no longer buy completed meals from restaurants now. I search for recipes, I find fresh ingredients, I use certain tools, and I create. It’s exactly like any other form of creativity. This one’s a bit tastier, though.

So tasty.

Cooking includes a process towards which I’ve grown fond: Preparation. Peeling potatoes, chopping carrots, trimming meat, mixing spices, kneading dough… it’s the perfect length of monotonous action that allows my mind to wind down a bit, then to step away.

This “stepping away”— thinking about work, remembering what your friends talked about, wondering what’s happening Saturday afternoon—this is the right amount of time my mind needs to sort everything out. It clears out the clutter, and keeps my hands busy. And, with that, ideas start showing up for me.

Cooking permits people to follow a recipe or create something completely on their own (and at their own risk and potential dismay). But either way, it puts my mind in the right place to explore and incubate thoughts. With a bit of luck, those thoughts become ideas. Concepts. Stories. Even jokes, if I’m in the right mood.

Cooking itself is a creative outlet, and cooking promotes creative thought.  And because of it, I won’t let anyone cheat me out of that process.

Homemade guacamole is better anyway.

Roger von Oech, the Obscure Genius

It was about a year ago when I first heard of the creative genius Roger von Oech. Kenton Larsen, the first-year advertising instructor, mentioned an app called the Creative Whack Pack. Simply put, it was life-changing, and I use the app regularly.

Roger von Oech created this app to be used as a portable creativity tool. If I had to guess, I would say that the Creative Whack Pack is the best creativity tool ever crafted since it can suit any creative or inspirational need. Let’s break it down a bit.

Essentially, there are four roles in the creative process:

1) The Explorer, which is the part of you that seeks out new information and absorbs any potential creative material found in your surroundings;

2) the Artist, which is the quirky, daring part of you that asks funny questions, breaks rules, and releases your inner wonder;

3) the Judge, which is the part of you that uses logic and reason to decide if your idea has a solid foundation; and

4) the Warrior, which is the part of you that fights for your idea and pushes you onward to your goal.

Each “card” in the Creative Whack Pack breaks down simple sources of inspiration into useful questions or examples to help you with your idea. For example, one Explorer card, called “See the Obvious,” might seem unhelpful, or even… well, obvious at first. But if you read the entire card, you might begin to see the value and depth of the otherwise plain expression.

The card explains that bicycles used to have pedals that attached to the front wheel. This made the front wheel larger and the ride dangerous. Eventually, someone figured out that attaching the pedals to the rear wheel made it safer and more practical. Changing from the front wheel to the back wheel may seem obvious in retrospect, but it really stumped some bike engineers in the 1800’s.

The “See the Obvious” card also uses a popular joke to explain that sometimes the lack of obvious things. The joke goes as follows: Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went camping, and set up their tent before falling asleep. In the middle of the night, Holmes wakes up and asks Watson if he sees anything peculiar. Watson says that he sees millions of stars; some of which may host living beings within their respective galaxies. Holmes then replies, “no, you idiot. Our tent is gone!”

Try out the app. Use the “Card of the Day” feature for a quick bit of inspiration, or dive into the four roles of the creative process. You can also buy von Oech’s books, A Whack on the Side of the Head and A Kick in the Seat of the Pants, for more insight on creativity and inspiration.

What are you using to get inspired? What sparks your creativity? Hear any good jokes lately? Tweet me @labossiere25, or write on this page.