Vagabond Linkage leaves his phone on while pissing in the shower

All that annoying stuff you hate? Blame Advertising.

Baby steps.

The day I scored a free Chipotle Burrito

This summer, I have made a concerted effort to increase wallet size by decreasing trips to local eating establishments. Unfortunately this means reducing visits to my beloved burrito bordello. But alas, with the weeping weather today, I couldn’t prepare my lunch at the backyard grillerly and decided to discretely visit my forlorn latino lunchery.

Upon arrival, everything was normal. I ordered the usual barbacoa, black beans, hot salsa, sour cream and cheese please. But then, as the manager handed the foil wrapped beauty to the cashier, he calmly whispered the most beautiful words in the Spanglish language, “This burritos on me.”

Stunned, my mind failed to process what had just transpired. Dozens if not hundreds of visits, and finally the coveted free “We think you have an addiction” burrito? Did they hear of my plans to lower loyalty? Was this their attempt to subtly seduce me back to the tortilla side?

We might never know, for I took the gratis delight and booked it for the car, fearing those in line behind me might raise a ruckus. I managed to return unscathed to the basement, and enjoyed that burrito like few others have been enjoyed before it.

That’s all I really remember of the day. I faintly remember loud diatribes from the far corners of the office bookended by cackling cougs, but I cannot be certain of anything that occurred.

I’m on a Boat (LIVE)

Vagabond Linkage Returns

Tim Floyd takes down another program

awkwardfamilyphotos.com

In Japan, clients lack the ability to say no.

How they got from two guys taking a piss to . . . well, the advertised product simultaneously dumbfounds and inspires me.

Art & Copy

Sometimes between the sans-logic client revisions, seemingly meaningless one-offs, and the profitability before creativity mantra – I forget. Advertising kicks ass.

I get to solve problems. Make people laugh. And create… All on a daily basis. All while wearing jeans.

But for the me, right now, the best part comes when I see great advertising and the passion behind it. Shit I’d kill to do. Concepts I’d give up Chipotle for an entire month just to have. Ad icons I’d work for free for just to attempt some sort of thought capital osmosis.

When I was a kid I used to dribble around my driveway for hours hoisting shot after shot at the hoop. I loved it. I had some friends who would shoot from the same place countless times, or do regimented drills. But for me, the joy came in imagining my driveway wasn’t surrounded by minivans and a cul-de-sac, but rather by a bevy of maize-clad students. I could play pretending I was Chris Webber or MJ until the blacktop turned my hands so dirty I’d have to take an sos pad to them. It inspired me to aspire to something greater.

So when I see videos like these, where people (it doesn’t really matter who they are) speak so passionately about advertising, I can’t help but get a little excited. I think the inspiration lies in the shared passion. I hear them talk about the joy in hitting one of those ‘it’ ideas, and I can relate. I have the same feeling when I get an ‘it’ idea.

I think the challenge is to get my ‘it’ ideas – which are currently a Taco Bell Bean and Rice Burrito left on the counter over night – to the level of the freshly prepared Chipotle Barbacoa with Hot Salsa (no gauc) masterpieces that the Boguskys, Clows and countless other creative geniuses endlessly serve up daily.

Hopefully it goes better for the jean clad jr. copywriter pounding away at headlines for a soon-to-be ignored newspaper ad than it did for that 10 year-old melanoma-challenged, baggy-short-toting kid who couldn’t make anything out of that a slick fadeaway jumper on an empty driveway (and 8 foot hoop).

Hey Alex… 2.23.09

Hey Alex… What spawned your fascination with P.T. Barnum?

Creative Flow

Great – albeit long and science heavy – discussion of the power of finding your creative flow, and how finding this state can induce happiness.

I couldn’t agree more. Hitting that creative flow in someways removes you from your body. I write things and look back and say where did that come from. Sometimes the writing is even good. I can also attest to feeling this in things other than writing – whether it’s finding the zone in a basketball game or making a powerful connection with another person.

I also find the arousal segment interesting – as demonstrated on this chart (for those of you that didn’t make it through the entire 20 minute video):

When you are challenged beyond your skill level, Czikszentmihalyi oozes commons sense when he suggests this is when you learn the most. Which brings me to something else I’ve been tossing around internally for a while. You hear all the time that the best teachers show you instead of just tell. Don’t tell me that 2+2=4, show me through some demonstration.

Well, if that applies to teaching, shouldn’t that apply to learning. If you want to learn something, go out and challenge yourself. Put yourself in situations where you will learn by seeing and doing, not just by asking someone for the answer. It sucks, hardly anyone likes getting uncomfortable, but it really is the best way to learn.

Anyways, as I climb down off my soap box, I’ll leave with this quote from Anita Roddick, who asides from having a name suitable for an Austin Powers’ flick, has some pretty good life advice:

Look for your passion. What makes you excited. What turns you on?… Go towards companies that you really like, really admire… Find organizations that move your spirit if you can. Work along side them… And have fun. There’s so much fun to be had… When you spend 95% of your life in a work environment, it can’t be dour.

I walk by a bunch of people everyday staring blankly at charts, and each time I thank my lucky stars I enjoy the hell out of my job. Not everyone has the talent or drive to find a job/career where they have fun and find “flow.” If you have it – go for your passion and never look back.

Vagabond Linkage 2.10.09

2.10.09

Perspective.

NSFW Language

Burger King names thing logically. People react illogically.

Super clocks: More accurate than time itself

So wait, teens look at porn?

Alex, the world is clamoring for more Seinfeld.

Jorts. That is all.

Cigarettes smoking people.

If I told you I knew of the whereabouts of every TGIF star, would that be something that interested you?

Will the Snuggie steal advertising’s soul?