EDITORIALS
It's Hard to Sing When You Can't Breathe
Sterling Rice Group made a fun video for their new hires intended only for internal use. The video got leaked, hit The Egotist, and some people said some unflattering things about it. I'm thinking this might be one of the reasons David Snyder called Denver claustrophobic.
If this video were made in New York, Chicago, or LA, no one would pay any attention. But the Denver Advertising/Design scene is pretty self-conscious. We want to make sure every little thing we put out is top shelf because we don't want to be seen as a second-tier creative city. Unfortunately, these collective obsessive-compulsive tendencies make it hard for people to feel free, and feeling free is pretty necessary for making baller shit.
There are a couple takeaways here. First, everything gets out. You can't create even the smallest piece of content without imagining it being seen by the world. I sent an email that was intended for the creative team at CP+B and it ended up in Israel. It also got me fired.
Second, if you're one of the criticizers, realize your criticism might be counter productive. If your intent is to make sure nothing but badass creative comes out of Colorado, elevating our stature in the creative world and bringing high profile clients and assignments to the greater Denver area, alienating people and creating a suffocating atmosphere of criticism isn't going to further your cause.
When I look at the SRG video through the lens of its intended audience, it's awesome. If I worked there, I'd be stoked that my agency took the time to create a welcoming piece for new hires and get people working together on something fun. It sucks that they did something with good intentions and ended up catching flack from an audience they never anticipated.
The Egotist is a powerful tool. It gives us the ability to connect as a community and help each other build a creative industry we all love to work in. I'd like to see more people use this blog with that kind of thinking driving their actions.
Faithfully,
Fernando
Fernando is a passionate defender of advertising. He blogs at www.bigfuckinglogo.com.
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Comments
Bravo!
*slow clap*
I really appreciate your posts!
Golf clap.
This post is baller shit!
Yep. Thanks for saying it.
Would it by completely hypocritical of me to say I loved this post? Being the surly curmudgeon that I am, and often bashing things, I only want what's best for Denver. This positive attitude is spot on.
Great job man.. Seriously we gotta support CO however we can.. If you have to bash, bash on on LA, SF, or NY... We know we the best so lets not trash our own teams stuff.
High-five Fernando. I think we all appreciate your stance on this post.
Awesome. Creativity is such a weird thing. It gets better from a weird mix of freedom and criticism. I think the criticism we've got down, pat. Let's have more freedom.
Matt, your awesome blog is one of my new favorites. Cool that you're contributing to the Egotist as well.
Well said Fernando and fellow commentators.
Two words: disruptive collaboration
It happened at SxSW and continues throughout the digitally evolving ad industry. As Edward Boches says, how can we "collaborate and innovate together in an effort to not only reinvent the future, but blow up the now." Colorado and beyond. It's time to break down some walls and strengthen our creative community.
Instead of just trashing an idea, find the idea potential and offer up constructive criticism. More rock stars, less anonymity.
http://edwardboches.com/collaborating-with-competitors
Very nice article.
Thanks above for the SxSW link, interesting idea.
I've always liked Bruce Mau's idea that no one in a creative session is allowed to call something a bad idea.
Of course there are bad ideas, they tend to whither away through the process, but something original that may be dismissed out-of-hand may actual develop into a great idea. Or at the very least be a catalyst around which other ideas develop. A sort of 'kulturbarer' for your process. It may not be good in and of itself, but it transforms the discussion around it.
It's hard, because I love to hate things.
It's easier than seeing through the clutter to what is good.
Thanks to all who contribute to this site. I really like it.
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