"I wish someone had told me that if you want to do creative work, it is going to be bad for a long, long time. For a long, long time before it's going to be good. You should come to peace with that. When I speak to student groups, I'll replay stories that I did when I was 25, 26 years old. It's so bad, you can't even tell what I'm trying to say."-Ira Glass
(True or false?)
True.
ReplyDeleteAt least in my experience.
I look back on the stuff I did in College. It was atrocious. Lacking concept, funny for the sake of being funny. Bad puns, tired jokes, just awful.
Then I look back at what i did when I was working for the small agency in Champaign, before I came to CPS. Awful. Straight lines when I good headline was needed, just ugly, boring stuff.
Now, half-way into my third quarter I find myself looking back at my first quarter stuff and the things I thought was brilliant and couldn't understand how Greg wasn't getting them, and I shudder.
And I'm sure in a few years I'll look back at my student book and think, how the hell did I ever get a job.
I think with time, practice, and a big, big dose of Life experience, we all become more creative. I think its a flawed idea that we'll never be more creative than what we do in Ad School, because what do we know right now about the real world and how to communicate with someone who works 8 hours a day at a job they are bored with so they can provide a better life for their families.
At least, I hope so.
The scariest thing I can imagine as a creative is for that not to be the case. Sure there'll be bright spots, ups and downs, but if I look back at the work behind me and think it was better than the stuff I'm doing now, I'll start to get a little worried.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSomething has to be said, though, for the ads you make before you even know what good or bad is. When you're still bright-eyed and dreaming of the condom ad that's going to win you that shiny pencil.
ReplyDeleteSure, most of it's bad. In the eyes of the people who have been told what's good and bad for years.
(And, yes, probably a good bit of it is bad to everyone).
I guess Ira’s quote is just another way of stressing that it’s important to have confidence in the creative process one develops over the years.
ReplyDeleteIf this confidence fails, you might give yourself the scary mirage that you’re back in badtown.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't plan on always striving to be better, plan on finding a new career.
ReplyDeleteoooh. well put, stackingchairs. well put.
ReplyDelete