Four myths that hurt young creatives

This is a great article from John St., an advertising agency situated in the city of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. Who better to write than from their very own copywriter Simon Bruyn discussing 4 myths that hurt young creatives when it comes to the advertising world. This can be found on their blog.

Be sure to check John St.’s newly redesigned website and follow them on Twitter: @thetweetsofjohn.

Myth #1: Agencies only hire you based on your book.

They mostly hire you on your book. But they also hire you on how they think you’ll fit in. Not being an asshole always helps. If you’re looking to get in at a smaller agency they’ll probably also be looking to make sure you’re a person they could comfortably put in front of a client. This isn’t just about appearance (though facial tattoos probably won’t help) but also how your social skills are. Poise helps.

Myth #2: Great creatives are one of a kind people who come from a different field than advertising.

Our culture is obsessed with overnight success. People love it when Gill the accountant from Tobermory wins Canadian Idol despite having no vocal training. The truth is most professional musicians did it the old fashioned way. By working super hard and putting their time in. Boring, I know.

The same is the case for advertising, for some reason you hear stories about how an ex-comedian who dabbled in puppet based performance art came out of nowhere to nab a lion at Cannes. You hear less about how most of the other winners just worked really hard at, well, advertising.

Agencies don’t help this either when they mention they’re looking for “creative people” or “people from a different background than advertising”. Most agencies look for those people because they don’t find good enough people in advertising. With all that said, side projects, hobbies and outside interests are extremely important—they often become fodder for the work you do—just don’t count on them being the reason you get hired.

Myth #3: Award annuals are only a collection of things that have already been done, and aren’t worth focusing on.

This one doesn’t pop up as much as some of the other ones, but it’s so bizarre it’s worth mentioning. It’s like a lawyer saying they don’t research previous cases, or a doctor not reading up on previous surgeries, or a historian not reading about……..you get the idea.

As a young creative, learn as much as you can about what’s won in the past. If your goal is to do good creative work, it’s important to know what good creative work is. Award annuals (though at times a tad controversial) can be your best way of finding out what is and isn’t good work. Unless your lucky enough to come from VCU or Miami Ad School, award annuals might be one of your few opportunities to surround yourself with great creative work. (that’s no insult to other schools, I just think having Dan Wieden teaching a class might expose you to a thing or two you might not see otherwise.)

Also, one little extra bit. If you land an internship, having an expansive knowledge of what’s won in the past is a way to help you get some street cred in the agency’s creative department. To a lot of people it proves you give a shit.

Myth #4: Spend as much time on one thing as you do on the other.

If you land at an agency, chances are you’re going to be getting a lot of work coming your way. Although it’s nice to think that every project you get is an opportunity and deserves an equal amount of time, the truth is the opposite. Prioritize your work based on where the opportunity is. Don’t be afraid to ask account people and other creatives if they think there’s an opportunity in the brief. Sometimes a coupon ad needs to be a coupon ad, and there’s nothing wrong with that—especially when it frees up your time to work a lot more on something that could be an opportunity.

Now don’t misinterpret this into thinking this means you can fluff off work you don’t want to do. Even on simple briefs you have to make sure your work is up to snuff. But if doing your work adequately on one brief saves you a few hours to go that extra mile on another brief with a real opportunity, go for it.

Simon Bruyn, Copywriter