Twelve Tips on Being Creative From Hugh MacLeod

Famous "cartoons drawn on the back of business cards" creative guru Hugh MacLeod offers twelve tips for anyone heading into or already part of the advertising creative process. While causing the most stress between creative types and business types in the advertising business, the number one and most important trait one must possess to succeed creatively is to "Ignore Everyone." Giving in to consensus dilutes a renders all ideas un-creative. All early stage ideas should be allowed and encouraged. Never stifle the process. That is until politics come into play and there's no choice. While in the ad business creative control ultimately rests in the hands of the one paying the bill, that does not mean the creative process needs to be hamstrung by arm chair quarterbacking during the idea generation stage.

An idea is great because it is different. Not because it had been vetted by research or by focus groups. Most great creative never sees the light of day because it is forced through a rigorous process of checks and balances that forever waters down any breakthrough idea it might once have had. Of course, advertising is not art for art's sake but art with a commercial purpose so while allowing a great idea space to breath, making sure that idea supports a given strategy can not be ignored. No one said creating great advertising was easy. But allowing great advertising ideas the chance in the first place is well within our grasp.