Monday, November 28, 2011

I am not fast.

After nearly 30 years in the advertising business I have attained a reputation for being "fast." To people who don't know me, I appear to be able to churn out creative both rapidly and prolifically. Once a boss, befuddled and more than a little astonished said to me "you're writing copy faster than I can review it."

Here's the thing: I am not fast.

Over the long weekend an assignment came my way. A stupid piddling putz of an assignment but an assignment nonetheless. I was pissed to get an assignment when I had time off and still more pissed that the account people--ever obsequious--had promised to present to the CMO tomorrow, Tuesday.

Nevertheless, despite all the ass-fucking over-promises of account people, I still have a job to do. I'm not going to let my client down. I'm not going to not come through. (I will deal with those account people later.)

I didn't work for one minute over break. Didn't re-read the brief (which was actually pretty good.) Didn't start scribbling at my Mac.

I did, however start doing mental calisthenics.

By the time I got in this morning at 8:20, I had two ads "in my fingers." Ready to be typed. Typing them, writing copy for them, gave me another idea.

I was done with the assignment by 8:56.

These ads didn't take me the 36 minutes they seemed to take.

They took me all weekend.

As I said, I will deal with those account people later.
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4 comments:

  1. Tore ClaessonNovember 28, 2011 at 3:20 PM

    and it will take another 11 months and 1,347 revisions before it's finished for real.

    ReplyDelete
  2. rebrivvedNovember 28, 2011 at 3:44 PM

    When William Saroyan was asked if it was true that he wrote The Human Comedy in three days above a drugstore, he responded: “I typed it out in three days,” he said. “It took me my whole life to write it.”

    ReplyDelete
  3. george tannenbaumNovember 28, 2011 at 4:32 PM

    R--It's so nice to see William Saroyan mentioned in a blog on advertising.

    When I was young I tried desperately to write as simply and clearly as he wrote.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousNovember 28, 2011 at 9:10 PM

    Geode, go kick some account ass all the way up to the CMO. You remind me of the guy in that movie Network. Screaming in the streets" I'm mad ashell and I'm not going to take it anymore"

    Wendy F

    ReplyDelete