So you don’t work at Crispin, or Droga, or BBDO, or WD. You work at your shop. You do your assignments. You come up with your ideas. And you try to sell them to your client. That should be all you focus on. Whopper Freakout, Virgins and Sacrifice are all great pieces of communication (whatever you think of them they get people talking), but you didn’t work on them. You worked on your retail ad that has been re-sized 15 times, and has six messages in it, and they just said you have to try in cram in a 7th message.
So own that. Just because Creativity isn’t posting your spots doesn’t mean your client isn’t happy. After all, isn’t that what really matters. One of INXS’s last CDs was titled “Welcome to Wherever You Are.” They could have been talking about ad agencies. It’s true. You can poke holes, be in awe, discuss, rip, or praise any work out there. We’re all critics. But you should never let another piece of work negatively alter the way you view your jobs or assignments. You have your job. They have theirs.
Maybe one day your name will be on the top of this list. Maybe one day you will work at a great shop. If you’re talented enough and driven enough you will. But until then focus on the brief in your hand. Focus on the job you have RIGHT NOW. Be happy with that job. Not content, happy. Too much of our time is spent foolishly trying to emulate other people’s work, other people’s jobs, instead of creating our own. We all have our place in this business and you need to recognize it. If you’re always looking to Boulder, or Singapore, or NY, you may miss what’s right in front of you, and you may regret it. If you don’t believe me, just ask someone who was recently laid off. They might have a different perspective.
I found this written by Mark Moll a CD/Copywriter recently laid off from Deutsch/LA posted over at Please Feed the Animals. I came across this while just trolling the web. Like everyone else, I'm worried about what's going to happen. Being freelance has ups and downs and currently it isn't pretty, I know many folks in the photography industry from assistants to photographers to retouchers and overall it isn't going as well as everyone hopes. I know one photographer who's monthly earnings fallen more than 50% of what it usually is last year...I've done what everyone else has done - cut expenses and tighten the belt as much as possible. The fat is trimmed. The best thing I can do right now is to keep marketing myself and pushing forward. No use moaning about it.
Oh, back to the article. There was a great comment left, #15.
TODD wrote:
One of the nicest and meanest things anyone ever said to me was the simple thought that “water finds its level.”
Simply put, where you work NOW is where you’re supposed to be. Doesn’t mean we can’t all strive for bigger and better, but it’s like being in the NFL not everyone can make it there and that’s why it’s so special.
Thanks for the thought, Mark. I am at a place that - at least on most days - makes me quite happy. And that’s about all i can ask for, in any economy.
