cutting edge advertising II

"Being creative is about why we're here. The primary directive of existence must be growth. The moment that stops, we die. Either physically, intellectually or spiritually." Souder draws an analogy with water. "Running water promotes life, stagnant water suffocates it. We can continue to grow by being like running water, through experience and assimilation of new things. By going where we haven't gone before. That could be the execution of an ad, finding a new way home from work, or selling everything you have to live with an isolated tribe on a remote tributary on the Amazon for three years. Because the more things we see, the more things we taste, the more things we try, the more accurate our personal model of the universe is, and the closer we get to ultimate truth."

and you thought advertising was evil, didn't you. say advertisers have no soul around me and i will a) be baffled beyond comprehension and b) probably slug you for being such a idiot.

ultimate truth? i kid you not, this profession borders on raging taoism, sometimes. as does this book (cutting edge advertising II). it's not some obsolete, sugary book i just happened on, either. it's been recommended to me by every creative director and copywriter ever to instruct us, lecture us, or put up with me and in an interview.

and it's not a bad book. if you're interested in sparking some creative juices of your own go ahead and pick up a copy. it might dispel some mths that advertisers are the soulless lawyers of the marketing industry. that is, pick it up if you can stomach a spattering of empassioned italics and the naughty, naughty word that is "advertising" being nestled deep in rants of "creativity", "honesty", "insight", and "deep connection".

who knew.