It appears the well has run dry …

… at least temporarily.  At least I hope it’s temporary.  I’m referring, of course, to the fact that I’m sitting here, completely uninspired.  Not a thought in my head. I knew it would come to this when the whole week passed without an idea coming to me.  Not even a mediocre idea.  Not that I’d want a mediocre idea.  Not that I’d use a mediocre idea.  But still.

It seemed odd, to be honest, because I’ve been on such a roll lately.  I’ve been struck with new ideas, for new blog posts while I’m writing posts, for God sake.  I’ve had to stop what I was doing, stop writing, just so I could jot down the gist of the  idea, so I’d remember enough of it to get back to it, later.  I’ve had blog posts stock piled, all written, saved and ready to be published in coming weeks.

And now, suddenly, nothing.  N-O-T-H-I-N-G .  Nada.  My mind’s a complete blank.

Well, not totally blank, just as far as ideas go.  With everything going on in the world you’d think I’d have

The tighter they are, the better I like it …

No, I am not talking about my jeans.  Or Spanx.  I’m talking about deadlines.  Yeah, I’m one of those sickos who loves deadlines.  I thrive on ’em.  So needless to say this WordPress Daily Prompt is right up my alley:

“Do you thrive under pressure or crumble at the thought of it?  Does your best stuff surface as the deadline approaches or do you need to iterate, day after day to achieve something you’re proud of?  Tell us how you work best.”

It’s a good thing I’m a stress junkie, because advertising is all about deadlines.  They’re a constant and they’re brutal.  And they seem to get worse and worse all the time.  As I think about it, it’d be a stressful business even without the deadlines.

Why?

You try sitting in front  of a blank computer screen every day waiting for an idea to hit you, or words and sentences and images to start forming in your mind.  It’s not easy, trust me.  I’ve been doing this for a

Day 291. Finding Inspiration

Yesterday I wrote about the goal I set for myself when I started this blog. The author of Book Peeps, a WordPress blog I follow, commented. When I responded to her comment, I talked about how my career in advertising, an industry where ‘ideas’ are what we sell, has taught me how to find inspiration.

She then wrote back, suggesting I make that the subject of another blog post. Here it is.

It’s interesting. Whenever I tell anyone I blog each and every day I get the same reaction. “I wish I had your discipline”, is one. And the other is, “I don’t know where you get all those ideas”.

Obviously there’s nothing I can say or do to make you, or anyone else, a disciplined writer. It’s something you have to do for yourself. You either are, or you aren’t. My contention is, you have to want to do it. Whether it’s

Day 226. A Mystery

Yesterday I spent some time talking about advertising.  It made me think a lot about the industry.  And the people who are attracted to it.  As I said, it’s very stressful, and not just occasionally.  It’s pretty much the norm.

The hours are long.  There’s no such thing as overtime pay.  Budgets are tight, and getting tighter all the time.  There’s never enough people.  There’s never enough time.  The pressure is always on.   The days of 2-or-3-hour, 4-martini lunches are long, long gone.  Never to return.  If they ever really existed at all.

So what’s the draw?

Why do we want to work in the business, to begin with?  Why do we knowingly walk right into the fire?  Eyes wide open.  What keeps us there?

Are we masochists?  Martyrs?  Gluttons for punishment?  Into pain?  Stress junkies.  Out of our minds?

What’s with us, anyway?  What’s the common thread?  Do we all have a gene no one else has?  Or are we missing one, most

Day 115. The Sequel

Hello there.  It’s me again.  And yes, I decided that I still had too much ‘creative thinking’ on my mind (no pun intended), to switch topics and write about something completely different today.  Hope you’re okay with that.

So yesterday I talked about a lot of ways non-creative people are still creative.  See, it’s not an oxymoron. But I did confine the conversation to those of us who work in ad agencies, an industry perceived as being ‘creative’ anyway.  And because I think it’s important for you to know that I am a firm believer in the fact that creativity can, and should, and does, exist outside of ‘creative’ businesses, I’m approaching the idea from a different perspective, today.

At its very simplest, it’s called out of the box thinking.  Being willing to turn a problem, or a tough challenge, on its ear, looking at it from a different angle, through a different lens.

Being willing, regardless of what you do for a living, to sweep aside the status quo and embrace new ideas.  Different ideas.  Unconventional ideas for your industry.  Client-centric ideas.  Revolutionary ideas. Never-before-considered or tried ideas.  Regardless of whether you work in the private or public sectors.  Regardless of

Day 95. Need Some??

What kind of a writer would I be if I never talked about ideas?  Well, today’s the day.  Ideas have been my stock and trade since my very first day, on my very first job.  Actually, even before then.  Goes back to my art college days.

Ideas are my life.  No, I’m not exaggerating.  Think about it.  To put it bluntly, a creative person without an idea isn’t a creative person.  That’s the beginning and end of it.  Without an ‘idea’ I’ve got nothing to say.  Or do.  Or sell.  That’s my reality.

The scary part of it is, though, if you ask any of us how we come up with ideas, for the most part I think you’ll get the same answer from everyone.  “I don’t know”.  There’s no formula.  No mathematical equation.  No template.

No switch you can turn on and off.  No phone number to call.  No idea therapist. No magic button.  No swami.  No genie in a bottle.  No idea fairy.  No idea swap shop.  No iPhone App. Not even a recipe.  There is no quarter cup of this, no pinch of that.

We just can.  Until we can’t.  God forbid.

So we all live in fear of the day (which will hopefully never come, but could) when there are no more

Day 31. Navel Gazing

Day 31.  I’ve been at this for a month.  Can’t believe it, actually.  Yes, there have been days when I’ve woken up, groaned and thought:  “Oh, I don’t have time to think of an idea and write a blog today.”  And then, miraculously, an idea pops into my head and next thing you know, it’s done.  For another day.  Sometimes, several ideas pop into my head and I write notes on them (so I won’t forget) and store them away, like a squirrel saving nuts for the winter.

The bottom line is, I’m having a blast.  And the month has flown by.  Really.

As part of my wow-it’s-been-30-days-and-counting celebration, I decided I’d re-read all my stories.  One after another, as if I was reading a book.  It took quite a while.  About two thirds of the way through I realized, because so many of them are about my own personal experiences and memories, likes and dislikes, I’m revealing myself to myself.  I’m becoming aware of aspects of me I wasn’t all that conscious of before.  It’s like looking in a mirror and seeing your soul reflected back at you.  It’s interesting.  Enlightening.  And a bit weird.

So what have I discovered?  Well, I can’t be described in just one word, I’m complex.  There are a lot of layers to me; and the more you peel away, the more is revealed:  I’m observant.  Sensitive.  Emotional.  Kind.  Serious.  Cynical.  Compassionate. Loving.  Appreciative.  Demanding.  Giving.  Creative.  Tolerant.  Intolerant.  Introspective.  Outgoing.  Friendly.  Bold.  A loner.  Inquisitive.  Adventurous.  Affectionate.  Honest.  Spiritual.  Aesthetical. Independent.  Liberal.  Patient.  Impatient.  Superstitious.  Open.  Passionate.  Loyal.  Indulgent.  Sincere.  Judgemental.  Self aware.  And that’s just for starters.  Just kidding!!!

All that from thirty blog posts?  Well, yeah.

But my most significant discovery is this:  When you look at the list of characteristics that define me, they’re pretty much the same characteristics that define each