I’ve talked about this in the past.
How when a terrible event happens, everyone rallies around you.
How they give you comfort and love for the worst time of your life.
But the next day, it changes.
Not because they’re mean or unkind or unthoughtful … it’s just they have their own issues and situations to deal with.
But for you, you are alone.
Floating in the wilderness.
More isolated than you were before.
Caught in the no mans land between pain and grief.
Numb and confused.
Yes it gets better. But it doesn’t go away. And on the anniversary, it all comes rushing back.
Nothing captures this like a story I read recently in The Atlantic.
Tragedy. Love. Conspiracy. Hope. Despair. Loneliness.
It had it all, but never expressed with hyperbole or exaggeration. Just raw feelings of confusion, loss and guilt – interspersed with a desire to be angry at someone … anyone … to try and make sense of the impossible.
It’s one of the most powerful things I’ve read about that fateful day on September 11th 2001.
Everyone should read it.
To understand what tens of thousands of people try to understand and deal with every single day.
Which is my way of saying that while tomorrow there will be tens of thousands of people all around the world feeling like the worst memory of their life is being thrust back into their present, I am thinking of you … Dave, David and Andy.
Big hugs. Bigger love.
_________________________________________________
No comments please. This is for them.
I passed my driving test in 1987.
NINETEEN EIGHTY SEVEN.
And while there were 25 years where I basically didn’t drive – except when I popped back to England to see Mum from living in Asia – the reality is that while I got the odd parking ticket and got stopped by the odd breathalyser check, I only got 1 speeding ticket in all that time.
In 1991.
And while I bought cars in America and the UK, that single speeding ticket was maintained.
Then I moved to New Zealand.
Despite being here 6 months, I’ve managed to ‘achieve’ the following.
2 x parking tickets.
2 x breathalyser checks.
2 x speeding tickets.
1 x road tax sticker error.
And – last week – I received the ticket for the icing on the cake of my fucked-up, stupid day … where I was caught holding my mobile at a red traffic light while a Police Car was next to me with the police officer staring right at me while I was doing it. [See above]
And while I am guilty of ALL these things, the thing that surprises me is that I’m a much safer … much more conservative and considerate driver than I ever was as a teen.
Which highlights 3 things.
1. I obviously have my mothers Italian genes in my driving style.
2. I am even more amazed I passed my US driving test first time.
3. I now understand why there’s so many episodes of NZ Traffic Police show, Highway Cops.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Creativity, Culture, Effectiveness
And please note – unlike someone who commented when I posted this photo on insta – I know Pluto isn’t a planet which is why it has ‘disqualified’ on it. That said, having judged a bunch of awards recently, and seen what some think qualifies as worthy, then the Pluto commentator is already miles ahead of many in terms of what is valid and what is dodgy. Happy Wednesday.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Agency Culture, Attitude & Aptitude, Authenticity, Comment, Confidence, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Differentiation, Emotion, Planners, Planning, Point Of View
For years I have used song lyrics for creative brief inspiration.
Specifically, the Point Of View.
It’s been hugely useful to me because lyrics don’t just convey a story, they ignite emotion … which is especially useful when you want to capture the creatives imagination.
Mind you, I once used whole sections of lyrics from Bon Jovi’s Blood On Blood as my entire strategy presentation for Jeep and that didn’t go down so well.
Heathens … hahaha.
What’s interesting – at least to me – is when I was younger, I never really cared about lyrics. For me, it was always the guitar and the melody. Hell, I didn’t even know the lyrics to music I wrote myself … which, on hindsight, is probably a good thing, to be honest.
But since I hung up the guitar – or at least hung up playing it 8 hours every day – I have been captivated by lyrics. The stories and opinions they hold … and recently, while working on a project, I got reacquainted with the song Town Called Malice, by The Jam, which is above.
I remember when this song came out and I didn’t like it much.
Well, I loved the title – which I still do – but the rest was, blah.
I was into metal back then so I saw it as soft, sell-out, fancy suit shit.
Hahahahahahaha.
But 40 years later – fuck – I have learnt to love this song, especially for the lyrics.
Specifically, “stop apologising for the things you haven’t done”.
That’s a powerful line.
One that is even more pertinent today than it probably was in 1981.
I have to say, I am over people feeling they have to apologise for stuff they haven’t done.
OK, if they promised to take the rubbish out, I get it. But the rest can fuck off.
Life seems to be a continuous cycle of things we are supposed to have done … a slow force into complicity and parity.
Planning is particularly bad for this …
The books we should have read.
The people we should be following.
The methodologies we should all use.
Yes, there is a lot of good stuff you can get from the names constantly being suggested, but they are not a mandate. They certainly shouldn’t be the people or processes we have to apologise for having not followed.
Our job is to be interested in what others are interested in, not just what other planners are interested in. The naval gazing of the industry is insane.
On one level I do understand it.
Many planners feel they are imposters and so knowing what people they think are ‘real planners’ like, lets them feel a bit more validated to do what they are paid to do.
But here’s the thing, the people who think are ‘real strategists’ also feel like imposters.
Truly.
So what this means is the people who question their credentials are following the words and actions of people who also question their credentials. Which means the whole ‘things you should follow’ ends up being even more ridiculous.
While we should all be investing in our knowledge and awareness – and giving respect to those who keep doing work that tries to push things forward – that does not mean we should all be blindly doing the same thing as everyone else. If anything it means we need to be doing a whole bunch of different things from everyone else.
For example …
Read different books/magazine in different categories from different countries.
Follow people doing interesting things from different categories and cultures.
Be curious about people who make interesting things, not just talk about interesting things.
Learn from people who approach creativity in different ways to your own industry.
[Though I appreciate the irony of me telling people to follow what I do, haha]
All this is another reason why the industry needs to be hiring different sorts of people from different sorts of places and backgrounds … even though I’ve heard on the rare occasions that they do, they then tell them they need to be like the establishment to ‘be taken seriously’.
FFS!!!
While we all need to develop our craft, experience and knowledge … rather than apologising for having not done/read/followed the exact same person/process/book as every other planner – however good they may be – how about celebrating whatever it is you are doing, exploring and learning … because trying to find your own voice is a far more noble act than simply trying to replicate someone else’s.
Filed under: Comment
Yesterday, King Mercury would have turned 75.
Jesus Christ.
While Brian and Roger are still flying the Queen flag, I’m not sure Freddie would be.
Maybe he wouldn’t have gone to such an extreme as John … but I am sure it wouldn’t be in the way the others are doing it.
Part of this is because he once said if he looked stupid prancing around in a leotard, he wouldn’t want to do it any more.
What I particularly love about this statement is that he is saying he never thought he looked stupid prancing around in a leotard.
But then he didn’t.
At least when he was on stage.
There, he looked every inch of what he was – a Rock Star.
Sure, in the mid-80’s he – and Queen – evolved into entertainers, but even then, they were still a special live act.
Given their last concert as a full group was 1986 and Freddie died in 1991, the fact he – and to a certain degree, the band – remain in contemporary culture is incredible.
For that alone they’ve been more successful than most brands – with their tens of millions in research – and that’s before we talk about their ability to command such insane loyalty while also evolving into movies, plays, books and games.
I am sure Freddie would find that amusing, which is probably the best birthday present he could have.
So to dear Freddie … Happy [late] Birthday darling, I hope you’re having fun with your cats.
I’ll be listening to one of my favourite moments of your exquisite voice in celebration.