Listen. I’m passionate from miles away. But, I’m still with it. Present. You can call me hype. But, the hype isn’t real. I’m all real. I’m too real. This is too real.

Trill.

Let’s begin.

It has been a while since my last journal entry because I have been finding more things to do in Boulder.

A copywriter for Fallon, who is a pretty renown rapper as well, told me that you need to have breaks and hobbies outside of advertising. Well, that I do. But, when you’re in a foreign place, just trying to get your feet wet, it is pretty hard.

I went out with my teammates this week for National Margarita night, and they took me around Boulder to different restaurants. Overall, the night was a success, and we got to come closer to each other as a team. Going out for a happy hour is highly advised if you’re in the business of persuasion. For example, the person who leads the project management aspect of our team is entirely different outside of work and same with the strategy people. Since I’m a creative, there really isn’t much of a difference for me. It’s a time to get to know one another and to share an experience, which is also a tremendous fundamental basis for advertising.

As a creative agency, your goal is to share an experience, create emotional content that will resonate with people, and to change society’s culture positively. Oh, and yes to persuade people into purchasing your parity product.

You can’t forget that.

So yes, creating synergy or symbiosis with your teammates is very essential to creating work that is up to your agency’s standards, because energy is contagious.

Me and the other writer have been working really well together, becoming a creative force on our team. We are like mules; carrying the creative load.

One of our other CD’s said for us to stop strategizing and start making the big ideas come to life. Hopefully, this get’s other people on the same page as us, to encourage the other four to let loose, have fun, and ideate.

This job is supposed to be fun, you know.

My engine is roaring.

I take work home with me every night to set myself up to come back stronger for the next morning. Or, I actually do more work.

I love every second of this.

The bottom line is that you want to have that hunger to contribute to the goal at your highest potential to make the best campaign that wins changes a culture and make people remember.

I live for this.

One of the founding people of the agency invited us to join the company’s podcast, The Woodshed, for this week’s episode.

We had to ask this advertising wunderkind one or two questions, and it was easy for me.

Everyone in Minneapolis says his understanding of a client’s brand is on a whole other level from anyone else. So, I asked him, “For someone early in their creative career, how do you develop a prowess for understanding a brand to make a powerful campaign.”

He said it is like method acting. You need to try the product and love the product to understand it, and it is that simple.

Well, I have that in common with him.

During my segment, the other person asked what you should do if you’re stuck with coming up with ideas.

He said that doesn’t happen to him ever because he isn’t scared to put down something stupid until a great idea comes out.

I have this in common with him.

He also said that inspiration is everywhere, so you don’t have to search for it.

I have this in common with him too.

Three things to show commonality between a rookie and a veteran shows me that we are all human in this industry. Anyone can create. It’s just about being fearless.

Audacity, tenacity, and swagger are what you need.

Moving on, I’ve learned a couple more things along the way. When coming up with executions, and you’re using metaphors, they absolutely need to line up with the strategy, insight, and campaign. No questions asked.

Another one is to show people and not to tell. People don’t want to be told what to do. They need to be displayed in a creatively compelling way.

This made me understand the guidelines of the “see say” philosophy in advertising. If you can see it, don’t say what you can see.

Another big lesson is the concept of moral. You need to find a way to rally your consumers in a way that will tug their heartstrings for the consumer to buy your product.

Now, remember that even learning these lessons it is still up to me on how to effectively learn them well enough to add to my repertoire.

With this… ABC.  My new advertising philosophy to all the homies out there trying to make a name for themselves in the industry.

Always Be Concepting. ABC!

Don’t be afraid that your ideas get killed by your CD. They are the ones having your back on the project. Feed ideas like you’re making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for an army of seven-year-olds.

Don’t take it personally. I had a ton of ideas for a client campaign extension to follow a huge commercial. A ton of ideas. Only one of them made it to the final round before the client pitch, and it was one of my worst ideas that made no one excited. The cool part of this was creatives took this idea and innovated it to a different incarnation.

What is the lesson? Participate.

I miss my girlfriend, dogs, cat, and family. It’s hard waking up without her, doing things without her, and coming home when she isn’t there.  Luckily, I have a really cool roommate who has bonded well with me this week.

I’m going to use this time to enjoy solitude to bring perspective, give me strength, and to improve my never-ending quest of having a powerful prowess of creative control.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and this absence makes me love my girlfriend and support group back home even more. My aunt has sent me care packages, and I talk on the phone with everyone whenever I can to combat this loneliness that I’m dealing with.

Loneliness can mean a lot of things. I’ve made friends here, and I have friends in Boulder and Denver that I’ve seen, but I just miss people back in the land of 10,000 lakes.

I miss my girlfriend’s hangover hugs and calm down kisses. But for now, loneliness is a friend of mine.

Changing lanes here, I need to remind myself of the fire that’s in my stomach.

1. My Uncle, who disrespected me after my Grandfather died. He is a failure as a copywriter. He started his own agency, works in his attic at home, and has almost no client base. His disrespect towards me, kicking me out of my Grandparent’s house when I was 22 will never be forgotten. My disconnect with him gives me some sort of visceral vendetta (don’t take that too literally, the alliteration just sounds cool), in which I will channel into positive energy for myself. This is what motivates me.
2. This girl who told me to work at Mono Agency, and to pursue a career as a copywriter. This came from me telling her I wanted to go into advertising as a writer. She set that goal for me, which I never saw. She told me that it was one of the best agencies in Minneapolis. She said to me that advertising is tough to break into and to not be scared to do it. Then she left me after three and a half weeks. Regardless, her break up or whatever you want to call it, lead to brunch with an old friend. He said to talk to an agency owner who he connected me with, who told me to go to ad school.
3. My freshmen roommate from college, who started LYM, a big purpose-driven social justice brand. I’m working on a purpose-driven brand right now. The disrespect, racism, and narcissism he had towards me make me want to take my main project a massive success.
4. My girlfriend. I want to give her everything.
5. My Mom. I basically live my life to make her proud of me. Which, seems impossible at times. She didn’t know what a copywriter was until I graduated ad school. I don’t blame her, coming from an immigrant Asian Mother whose goals for you to be a doctor, lawyer, or engineer, I wouldn’t expect her to know what a copywriting role is. But, nevertheless, she was very supportive during my time in ad school when I needed her support the most. I talked to her on the phone last night, and I told her all about agency life, and she was amazed. I could tell in her voice that she was proud. I mean like a tiny bit, which is amazing for me.
6. There was this guy who was CEO of three agency within the past 40 years in Minneapolis. A well-connected guy in the ad world at a global level, he told me that I wasn’t good enough, yet that is. He says I make stupid mistakes, and I just don’t get it at this point. Just remember not everyone is going to love you on. Look at a bell-shaped curve on a scale because there will be outliers. It’s just this one really motivates me.
7. Myself. I’m doing this for me. I love it, and I always remind myself to enjoy it. To be honest with you, I’m just having fun with it.

I need to channel this to create an unstoppable force. The most important one is the last one.

Tom Brady definitely channels the fact that he was picked 199th overall to motivate him towards success. He said ” I think I’m going to buy a house,” during his rookie year as a fourth-string starter.

Well, I think I’m going to buy a house in Boulder, Colorado. That would be cool.

Here are my goals for the week.

1. Come up with better ideas everyday.
2. Work harder when I get home from work.
3. Get to know more employees and to build stronger relationships.
4. Try to get more work from CDs.
5. Take care of my mental and physical health.
6. ABC. Always be Concepting.
7. Take direction even better from the CDs.
8. Be a great teammate.
9. Listen and learn.
10. Enjoy.

With all of this, here is a freestyle rap to end this journal entry.

Remind me where I know you from? These ideas got me frontin. Hustling. Lovin. Living long love and large. Take this concept and take charge. Channel the fire come back hard. Feed ideas, don’t ever starve. Keep eating, keep reaching. Keep shooting that star. Most important, know who you are.

Remember,

“The Zos Knows”

-David Zosel 

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