continuing our adventure in egoland

The best creatives find a way to get their ideas across. But unlike strategists, they don’t have the option of simply giving up credit and being content to know their idea was used. Our livelihood depends on having good ideas attributed to us. How can we get good work while avoiding the ego game and still be viewed as a valuable contributor?
Despite the need to have great work credited to you, a good creative is one that realizes that the idea is king. It doesn't matter where it came from. A lot of people probably touched it and changed it along the way. One project you carry the load, the next time it'll be your partner's turn. Being precious with an idea is a sign of insecurity. The need to garner full credit because of the fear that you will get none. People can notice that good ideas always happen when you're around. It's the balance between taking care of the idea versus taking care of yourself. But if you always err on the side of humble, you'll be known for both.

egomania

Egomania has its advantages. Maybe that's why advertising is full of it. Because of their perception of eternal flawlessness, egomaniacs have the luxury of by-passing an internal edit, the first killer of work. Also, this elevated perception can be contagious. Being so undeniably certain about your work can fool others into the same mindset. The ability to ramble about various subject matter just to hear yourself talk also projects the image that you have much to say about many things. The overwhelming amount of words coming out of the egomaniac's mouth can make it seem like their portion of actual work is equal to or greater than the hot air they dispel. A gross exaggeration of character.

But seriously, I wonder if egomania comes out on top when pitted against quiet brilliance? I've witnessed this argument in process regarding a few people. However, I can attest to the fact that I did notice it happening, so that must mean others have noticed as well. There is a distinct difference between confidence and egomania. I'm not saying we should all become argumentative assholes. It's the natural tendency of creative types to err on the side of insecurity and uncertainty, but if we are to get the best work out of ourselves and our group members we all need to be more brazen. Relinquish the certainty of your uncertainty. Believe you are right while being open to the possibility that you are not. We have all mentally kicked ourselves when we ignore our gut feeling only to find out later that it was right. If you put it all on the table you will never have to deal with that feeling again. For all the self abuse we inflict, we all need one less tool for torturing ourselves.

Shiny objects

It's so easy to get caught up in the pursuit of image. Production value. All flash and no substance. Where is the truth in what we do? Everyone is off chasing the "cool factor" that sometimes they forget about the insight. Sometimes it's about saying something obvious in a cool way, but I find that saying something insightful makes more of an inpact. Obviously execution and insight are the ultimate goal. But it seems like most people chase the first rather than the latter. I feel like I'm starting to forget my own point of view because everything/everyone around me is trying to be one thing and I start to think I need to be that too. It's a shiny object and bright lights, it's easy to be distracted and drawn to it. The gold lives in our own experiences and connecting to those experiences. Not in throwing up an idealized image and making people feel bad that they're not that. It doesn't matter how cool it looks if it's not genuine.

haza!

I'd like to thank Jake Kamath for being living proof that more than one person reads this thing. Haza!

Anyhoo, on with the gibberish. When presenting teamwork, everyone should strike the word "I" from their vocabulary. It doesn't matter if you came up with the idea. It was probably born of someone else's comment or idea. We can't do it alone. Art is not original. Continuously saying "I" in a team presentation is slightly demeaning to the rest of the team and diminishes their contributions. Being a team is partly about giving up credit. And knowing when to ask for help. Sometimes we think we can do it all ourselves and pressure ourselves to come up with a miraculous answer, when in reality the answer is held in a conversation. Shared knowledge and adding to a nugget. This whole post is really cheesy. But completely genuine. Maybe people don't realize they do it. Is it a lack of self-awareness or arrogance? Is it over-compensating for self-esteem and a need to publicly validate their contribution? Maybe I'm the only one that notices. Or maybe it's the time in the semester when I don't know what the hell I'm doing coupled with the fact that I can't drink caffeine or booze for a week.

anyone out there?

I've begun to realize that one person reads my blog. He's sitting about 5 feet away from me. It's one of my roommates, Mike. So basically I am blogging to him. This is reminiscent of our summer at Ogilvy as a creative team. We were so lazy that our only mode of communication was through IM despite being 3 feet away from each other. And through the miracle of blogging, we have somehow found a less efficient mode of communication. Soon we will be sending letters through snail mail, messages in a bottle haphawardly through into the ocean, and hiding notes at the end of a loaf of bread. Hey Mike, tell me when you get this. Did you pay the rent?