BrandsAmongMany

I’ve “borrowed” this image from the blog of Deborah Morrison, one of two who inspired me during my education into this crazy business. When I had her as a professor/coach/creative coaxer, Deb was the head of the advertising program at UT Austin. Ever-inspiring, she had an inane-yet-profound statement that always served to put things into perspective for me. Perhaps the one that stands out the most to me, not because it was life-changing or even game-changing, but rather because it hearkened back to everything that I’d learned as an acting student throughout my undergraduate studies, was:

It’s not about what it’s about.

You’d be amazed at the parallels that one can draw between preparing a character for the stage and trying to create an ad if you have the right kind of leadership coercing you to be creative. Deborah has since moved on to head the ad program at the University of Oregon (if any of you Oregon students happen upon this, take advantage of every moment you spend in a classroom with Deb!).

The reason I’ve grabbed this particular photo is the title at the top of the board. See, when I was a student of Deborah’s, the discussion still revolved around “Art Directors” and “Copywriters” forming creative teams to make things happen. It was a mentality that I wasn’t in a place to argue with at the time, despite continually questioning the dynamic and my place within it. See, I spent my entire “ad school career” bouncing between the two (or covering both aspects for various projects). So I was both surprised and delighted to note that her current classroom discussions are taking into account something further, especially given that part of my current title (if you force someone to name one, and depending who you ask) is “creative strategist” - a role that I like to describe as encompassing the most fun parts the old “creative team” dynamic.

So bravo for keeping things forward-facing Deb! Your students are lucky - hopefully they realize it early enough to take full advantage!