WHIP – Junior - Celebrating life at the bottom

Aug 29, 11

The Monday Morning WHIP // 143

(http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com)

Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com) reminds us this week that just because we’re in the business of ideas, it shouldn’t be joyless

In my experience, having fun is the key to having great ideas.

So it stands to reason that if you’re not enjoying doing what you do, it will probably show in your work.

And if you didn’t enjoy creating something, then chances are the people looking at it won’t love it either.

So stop complaining about the quality of briefs, the crap timelines, the shitty suits, your part-time job and all those other things that get in the way of you being awesome.

And just be awesome.

Of course if you can’t be awesome, you’ll need to work a little harder, but the same rule still applies.

Aug 22, 11

The Monday Morning WHIP // 142

This Monday get doing, get making, get calling, get mailing, get printing, get shooting, get – well – doing something. Because as Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com) tells us it’s all about making it happen yourself.

Japanese writer Haruki Murakami is the author of one of my favourite coming of age novels – Norwegian Wood.

When he’s not writing Murakami is running. A lot.

He’s completed several marathons and has recently published a book looking at the links between his writing and his running. It’s called What I Talk About When I Talk About Running.

Like me, Murakami believes that talent will only get you so far. And that persistence, passion and discipline are essential to success.

Here are three points from his new book. I suggest you give them some consideration:

“I’m often asked what’s the most important quality a novelist has to have. It’s pretty obvious: talent. If you don’t have any fuel, even the best car won’t run.”

“If I’m asked what the next most important quality is for a novelist, that’s easy too: focus – the ability to concentrate all your limited talents on whatever’s critical at the moment. Without that you can’t accomplish anything of value.”

“After focus, the next most important thing for a novelist is, hands down, endurance. Fortunately, these two disciplines – focus and endurance – are different from talent, since they can be acquired and sharpened through training.”

As I’ve touched on many times in these Monday Morning Whips, talent is just the beginning.

So stop sitting around, wondering why nobody has yet to recognize your genius, and get stuck in to making your career happen.

Aug 15, 11

The Monday Morning WHIP // 141

It’s Monday. Which means it’s time for another Monday Morning WHIP. If you’ve just landed on this site, you might be wondering what the heck this is. Well you’re about to find out. See, every week for the last couple of years Stan’s been serving up his unique brand of ‘smarten the fuck up’. And this week is no exception – Stan’s serving the truth. What happens next is up to you.

It’s graduation time at Award School.

And over the last week or so dozens of eager young creatives in Sydney and Melbourne have ventured tentatively into the world with a fresh new portfolio under their arm.

They’ll be joined tomorrow night by a bunch more from Adelaide.

Which means that there is now even more competition for the handful of creative jobs that come up for juniors each year.

Sorry.

Aug 08, 11

The Monday Morning WHIP // 140

This week Stan’s (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com) advice is simple…

Digital is now an everyday part of our life. Both personally and at work.

We shoot on digital cameras. We write on computers. Even our TV signal is going digital.

So it stands to reason you should have digital ideas in your folio.

By digital ideas I don’t mean clever banner ads – they’re just ads done digitally.

I’m talking about ideas that either exploit the opportunities offered by digital or ideas that would not be possible without digital.

Now the problem with ideas of this type is that they can often be hard to explain with little more than a picture and a few words.

This however is your problem. Not mine.

You need to learn to use your creativity to explain or sell an idea as simply as possible.

An elevator pitch is the term they use in Hollywood. They probably use it in Silicon Valley as well.

So if you have some clever yet complex thinking in your book, put your thinking cap on and find a way to make it easy to understand.

Because if you don’t you’re going find it very hard to get people to fall in love that that idea.

Aug 01, 11

The Monday Morning WHIP // 139

Nothing like a bit of inspiration from Paul Arden to start the week.

The late Paul Arden once said that energy had a lot to do with being successful.

I have to say I agree with him. Hard work always pays off.

Of course there will always be a handful of people who are possessed by genius. People who don’t need to try. But most of us are not.

We are talented. We are creative. We are big thinkers. But geniuses we are not.

What Paul Arden also said was that energy was around 75% of the job.

And that if you weren’t prepared to put that much effort into your work then you should at least learn to be nice.

So put aside your ego. Think about someone other than yourself. And focus as much of your energy as you possibly can on doing a great job.

Unless of course you do happen to be possessed by genius.

In which case we might get you to come and speak at the next Junior Drinks night.

Jul 25, 11

The Monday Morning WHIP // 138

Only Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com) can say it all in three little words.

I read a great article in the Harvard Business Review this week about internships. It was probably about 1,000 words long.

Rather than share a link to the article with you, I am going to give you my advice on doing an internship.

It’ll save you a lot of reading time, as it is nowhere near 1,000 words long. Here it is;

Make yourself indispensable.

Jul 18, 11

The Monday Morning WHIP // 137

This week, Stan’s (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com) really got the whip out. Read below, and if you start to get the feeling your cheeks are burning, do something about it.

Know what I’m sick of?

I’m sick of excuses.

“The brief’s not good enough.”

“Didn’t have enough time.”

“This just a rough.”

“We thought we’d fix it later.”

“Yeah, I know, but…”

“Really needed more time.”

“It’s just so hard.”

Etc etc etc.

The time has come to stop finding reasons for falling short.

And that time starts now.

Jul 11, 11

The Monday Morning WHIP // 136

Sunshine! Holidays! Fun! Inspiration! Yes! Brightness! Woo! Anyway, Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com) has been hanging out in the sunshine, if you missed him last week.

Spent last week on a hard earned break up in sunny Far North Queensland.

While I was there I lazed in the sun, wandered in an ancient rainforest, cooled off in a waterhole and swam with turtles on the Great Barrier Reef.

I also thought of an idea for a client while sitting on the beach. And had a terrific idea for a self-promo piece. Not to mention a couple of fun story ideas for my Marketing magazine column.

Which makes me think that maybe a change of scenery is good for the creative mind.

So if you’re struggling for ideas why not get away from your usual workspace and go somewhere completely different to work and think.

Obviously going up north is nice, but a simple trip to the library, a café or a local park can be just as good.

Because, as the old saying goes, sometimes a change is as good as a holiday.

Jun 27, 11

The Monday Morning WHIP // 135

It’s Junior’s End of Financial Year WHIP! That’s right, this week Stan’s (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com) got advice that’ll have you working in no time. Freelance opportunities – out they go! This is the time to get your folio in order and hurry into your nearest agency. HURRY! This amazing window of opportunity MUST END SOON!

With the end of the financial year coming rapidly to an end brands are looking to spend the money in their annual budget that they have yet to spend.

They do this because if they don’t spend all of their allocated budget, then next year their budget is reduced by their company’s finance people.

Which means June into July is a busy time at agencies. And when agencies get busy they tend to turn to freelance creative people for help.

So why not use today to get on the phone and make a few phone calls to the people you have shown your folio this year.

You may get lucky. You may not.

But regardless of that, you should always stay in regular contact with the senior people you show your ideas to.

Jun 20, 11

The Monday Morning WHIP // 134

We think Stan (http://branddna NULL.blogspot NULL.com) might have been on a little Beatles binge this weekend whilst writing his WHIP. Listen to this (http://www NULL.youtube NULL.com/watch?v=r4p8qxGbpOk) while you mull over how to approach his words — if anything it’ll put you in a great mood on a Monday!

If you want to be a creative you have to love what you do.

Because if you don’t it shows.

It shows every time you make a half-arsed excuse.

It shows every time you settle for good enough.

And it really shows when you produce a piece of work that you know you could’ve been so much better.

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