There are essentially two things that will make you wise — the books you read and the people you meet.
If you want to produce special work, it’s worth collaborating with special people.
Constantly chopping and changing your specialty will hinder your success.
Having the courage and determination to focus on one subject or area of expertise gives you the solid foundation that is absolutely necessary if you’re to come up with a truly great idea, one that will be key to your future success.
Too many creative people think they don’t need to specialize, that they can have lots of ideas in lots of different subjects all of which are going to be great.
It can be easy to settle on something that feels right. Something that seems to make sense of all the confusion.
You’ll feel relief when you get to this point. You’ll think you’ve cracked it. You’ll feel good.
But then you have to take a step back from what feels really good and ask:
But is it great?
More often than not coming up with a great idea is a rollercoaster ride of thoughts with no logical progression;
ou lurch from the interesting to the absurd to the good back again to the absurd.
Respect don’t revere.
Putting anyone on a pedestal is dangerous. It implies they’re better than everyone else; but they’re not.
We’re all stepping-stones for the next generation.
In the end, everything is connected and the more connections you make the more interesting your work will become.
There is no doubt you get better when you surround yourself with great things and great people.
Without inspiration, our creativity dries up and we start repeating ourselves.
To be a successful creative person you have to be fascinated by the world and all its wonders, absurdities, failings, and mishaps.
Stay open to new ideas, new places, and new people will feed your creative soul.
Lack of inspiration may be just another way of saying lack of experience.
Of course, the danger is that your passion spills over into obsession and you become a bore.
Nobody wants to be one of those.
I work in advertising but I don’t live it.
Storytelling is the most powerful form of communication ever invented.
Through stories we learn, entertain, communicate, and socialize with each other.
If it’s a race to get into minds and stay there, then it’s the artists who make their points faster, smarter, and more thought-provoking that will be the ones who succeed.
From your smart TV to your iPhone to your iPad, we’re seeing more but reading less.
All courtesy of digital technology.
When you are intent on putting a great wrong right, creativity will often exceed all expectations.
Out of conflict comes purpose.
For most of us, anger amounts to stress, and the worst type of stress at that.
But for artists, anger can be a positive force.
If focused and channeled into a piece of work, it is capable of producing something of great profundity.
When I’m asked, ‘When do you do your best thinking?’ My answer is always, ‘When I’m not thinking.’
That is why a brainstorming session is a complete and utter waste of time for the truly creative person.
Creativity doesn’t work like that. Too much thinking jeopardizes the creative process.