Making the transition from aspiring creative to working creative isn’t easy. Never has been. Never will be.

It takes a combination of four things; talent, work, persistence and luck. Yes luck.

Talent is a given. If you haven’t got any, there’s not much chance you’ll ever crack a gig. So if you don’t have talent buy yourself a suit and go work as one.

Getting a creative gig takes work. A lot of work.

Don’t think that because you’ve got a degree you’re guaranteed a job. You’re not.

It takes work. A lot of work. That’s where persistence comes in.

If being a creative is what you want to be, what you really want to be, then you’ll get a job. Eventually.

But getting that job takes persistence.

It might take you a month. It might take you three months. It may even take you a year.

In essence, it takes as long as it takes.

I’m temped to tell you not to despair, but I know you will. I did!

But if being a creative is what you want to be, what you really want to be, you have to keep on keeping on. No matter how long it takes you.

Because sooner or later you’ll be in the right place at the right time to land a job.

It may not be your dream job. It may not be at the place you always saw yourself working. But your first job is a result of talent, work, persistence and luck. A lot of luck.

Most kids have a selection of print ad concepts in their folio.

You all know my opinions on what should or shouldn’t be in a folio, so I won’t ramble on about what I’ve said many times before.

If you do have print in your book you need to follow this golden rule – An ad should have a clever headline or clever visual. Never both.

Recently though I’m seeing concepts that have neither. Which is kinda weird.

That’s ads without a clever headline or a clever visual.

Which means they’re not clever at all. Or interesting. Or eye catching.

In fact they’re just plain dull. And have no place whatsoever in a folio.

Well not if you want to get a job.

Aw, Stan. He always knows how to hit the spot.

When I was a kid, many many years ago, rainy afternoons were often spent in front of the telly, watching old black and white movies.

I can’t recall too many of the films we used to watch, but one I do remember is Swing Time which starred Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Yes kids, I really am that old. Well not that old, but you know what I mean.

Anyway, one of the highlights of Swing Time was the song Pick Yourself Up. And whenever things go astray, at work or at home, I often find myself singing a verse from the song that has somehow embedded itself into my subconscious. It goes like this:

Nothing is impossible I have found,
For when my chin is on the ground,
I pick myself up,
Dust myself off,
And start all over again.

Of course you may think it’s easy for me to sit here quoting Fred Astaire songs to you, but if you’re feeling down or dejected or on the verge of giving up, check out this list of fifty well known people who went on to achieve success after failing at first.

Then pick yourself up, dust yourself off and start all over again.

This week Stan teaches us how to eavesdrop! Well, not really, but the next gold nugget you stumble across could come from somewhere you least expected. Eyes and ears open! Now!

I’ve written many times about the importance of gaining inspiration and ideas from your surroundings.

Just the other day I was on a train with a bunch of schoolkids who were bandying around the rather random expression “Don’t forget the bison”.

Now I have no idea what it meant. Nor do I know if I will ever use it. But “Don’t forget the bison” is now tucked away in the ideas bank buried deep within my subconscious.

In his just released book, How To Make Gravy, Paul Kelly has a section titled “Advice to young songwriters”. At the top of his list is the finest distillation of what I mean when I say inspiration is everywhere.

Pay attention.

AWARD School graduated in Melbourne this week. As usual a top student was chosen, as well as a top ten. Same thing happened in Sydney last week.

Another bunch of hungry and talented young wannabe creatives vying for the same job you are.

So if you thought finding your first job was a struggle, imagine how much harder it’s going to be now that there is even more competition for what is essentially a handful of opportunities.

Which means you need to steel yourself for the long haul, because getting a job as a creative ain’t easy. Never has been, never will be.

And maybe, just maybe, rather than putting all your effort into your folio, perhaps you should apply some creativity to the actual job hunt.

Think about the way you present your work, the shape of your business card, your phone spiel etc.

Because when two kids are vying for the same job, and they both have great books, one of them has to stand out. So make sure the one that stands out is you.

However cryptic, this week’s Whip is one of Stan‘s best. Give yourself some time to think–enlightenment will come.

Another weekend rolls around. Another Saturday morning where I sit and wonder what on earth I’m going to write for the Monday Whip.

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working on a big pitch, which has proven an excellent source of Whip material.

But now the dust has settled on the pitch I found myself sitting staring at a blank piece of paper.

Much like I do every day it work.

And much like I do every day at work I scribble a few thoughts, toss around a couple of ideas, then get started.

Most times it’s a struggle. Sometimes it comes within minutes. But unless I overcome that piece of blank paper I will have nothing.

And nothing isn’t going to inspire you. Nor will it keep me in a job.

Dude, don’t think so much, you’re gonna give yourself a headache. Simplicity is the key. Sit down, make some stuff, and listen to Stan.

While working on a pitch recently I watched suits and strategists going around in circles arguing propositions.

Not just for an hour or so. But for days.

Without a proposition there is no brief. And without a brief work cannot commence.

Or can it?

My motto is to worry only about the things that you can control.

I can’t control the circular habits of suits and strategists. So I put pen to paper instead.

Rather than waiting, I start generating.

So by the time the brief is ready I already have a body of work.

Obviously much of it will not be right or even usable, but by exploring many different territories with complete creative freedom, I will almost certainly stumble across one or two ideas that fit the brief.

Which means that when work is supposed to commence, I am already halfway there.

Today is a public holiday and our man Stan is whipping from his office. So this advice couldn’t be more real.

If you’re looking for a job as a creative you’ve got it all wrong.

Why?

Because it’s not a job. It’s a lifestyle choice.

As I type this I’m sitting in the agency working. It’s Sunday morning.

I was here on Saturday too.

And suffice to say I am in the office right now. On the Queen’s Birthday.

My wife tells to make sure I take some time off in lieu.

I just grin and say it is what it is.

Because working as a creative isn’t about doing 9 to 5. It’s about rolling up your sleeves and getting stuck in. Whenever and wherever it is required.

If you want a job where you go home every day at 5pm go work in a bank.

Opportunities for a job, internship, new love or random cool thing are around all the time. But, as Stan sees in you all, would you know what to do if you saw one?

Last Wednesday I joined a selection of Melbourne Creative Directors for Portfolio Night. For those of you who are not familiar with it, it’s like a cross between speed dating and showing your folio.

Without wanting to overstate it, the night is pretty much a chance in a lifetime for aspiring creatives, as it allows juniors to hawk their wares to around a dozen CDs over the course of a single night.

Notice how I said hawk their wares, not show their folio? Well sadly many of the kids that I saw came simply to show their folio.

I’d say I saw around a dozen kids on the night. And all of them had at least one interesting piece in their folios.

But very few of them came prepared to make the most of the opportunity.

I asked every person I saw if they had a business card. Two people gave me a card and one gave me a cd of their folio. But the others didn’t have anything for me to put on my pinboard or keep in my drawer.

Which is an opportunity missed.

This week, Stan reminds us all that getting things done relies on one thing and one thing alone… Stopping. Because stopping means finished, and finished means do something else.

The PR machine kicked into overdrive last week for the 40th anniversary edition of the Rolling Stones’ album Exile on Main Street.

Generally regarded by fans and critics alike as the greatest record the band ever made, at its time of release it was not well received.

People derided its loose, sloppy, dare I say it, shambolic sound. In essence it sounded as if they had released a collection of rough-hewn demos.

But over time people grew to love it and recognise its raw beauty.

This week sees the release of the anniversary edition, which includes a bunch of out-takes and unused songs.

I already have many of these out-takes, so was looking forward to hearing them polished up for official release.

Boy was I disappointed.

The Stones have messed with perfection. What was once rough ‘n ready is now overly overdubbed.
What made the original album what it was, was that the Stones knew when to stop.

Sure they could have smartened up a few songs, or even culled one or two, but they didn’t. They trusted their instincts and knew what they had created could not be improved upon.

You need to develop this kind of instinct for your own work.

Know when it can be better. Know when it isn’t quite there. And know when it is finished. Because if you don’t, you may find you overwork your work so much that the simple beauty of the initial idea ends up getting lost.