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Time's up.

Whether working on personal projects or for clients, I sometimes catch myself negotiating more time in order for the “creative juices” to flow. The ones with myself are the funniest and most depressing. But that's how things work, right? One can’t really rush creativity. My recollection of agency life reinforces this -- always a conflict over timing between creative and account folks. Creatives want more time and account people need magic made yesterday. “Television spots aren’t made in 2 weeks. My friends, client expectations have been set.”

Who makes these rules?

I’ve come to loathe more time. The more of it alloted to a project, the more interference incurred along the way. Whether it’s second-guessing a great idea, the client’s wife hating the color or someone beating you to the punch, time isn’t always on your side. I wouldn’t presume time can never be a blessing, though. Even a few extra hours can make a world of difference from time to time. What I’m getting at is longer timelines shouldn’t exist by default. There’s real beauty in gesture drawings and something profound can come off the top of your head if allowed.

It’s more about doing and less about waiting for the thought of what to do. In fact, many creative-types force themselves into daily exercises -- quick ones, mind you -- with the specific intent to spur on creativity. (skulls / purchases / collages) The same philosophy is applied in many cases through “shallow holes.” But sometimes we dig so many shallow holes, we find ourselves a few weeks in the hole with nothing to show for it. I’m rambling a bit, but I guess I have this idea of making stuff that’s inspired rather than well-thought-out. Does that make sense?

Gotta run -- till next time.