ROOFTOP banter

This Is How I Cook Up Creativity

Posted By: 

Julie Jones

Date: 

December 8th, 2009 /// Inspiration

As a busy copywriter constantly juggling family, friends and career, it can be tough to find extra time to fuel my creative mind. I’d love to spend countless hours journaling, taking classes or writing prose, but I don’t have limitless time to give. So, I’ve resorted to making the most of everyday activities to stave off creative hunger.

I have to eat to live. I have to be creative to make a living. I combine the two and use the kitchen as a place to nurture my imagination. Cooking has a big pay off that’s unlike any other creative exercise for me – I actually get to consume my creativity.

Rather than connect words in ways that “resonate with target audience,” I unite ingredients to “please the palette.” I get to handle them, season, prepare and plate. And the physicality of being on my feet and working with my hands, has an odd ability to steady my soul while also making my neurons rapid fire.

Manipulating ingredients isn’t such a departure from wordsmithing. Food simply acts as the verbiage. With time and practice, I learned how to pair ingredients to create something unexpected. I know when and how to take risks that enhance the flavor profile of a traditional recipe. The variety in preparation is just like the variety in media – sometimes I braise, other times I blanch to achieve the desired result.

Feeding a creative mind is a never-ending pursuit. And finding inspiration in something routine can be a refreshing creative challenge. I’m probably not the first to recognize that when this portion of my mind isn’t consistently nourished, I’ll find myself starving for ideas when it counts.

I challenge you to take an everyday activity – doing the laundry, driving to work or shopping for groceries – and transform it into a creative exercise. We’d love to hear about it so make sure you share!

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How shenanigans can make you millions

Posted By: 

Brandi Hensler

Date: 

November 3rd, 2009 /// Inspiration, Keathley Take Fives

Freestyle writing. Yoga. Radiohead. Creatives use many methods to get (and stay) inspired. An inspired and practiced mind is much more prone to moments of creative genius.

People may be born creative, but in order to harness creativity, it needs to be exercised. Creativity is not a bike. You can’t jump on it after years without practice. You’ll probably crash, and definitely won’t land a 720 bar spin.

Advertising agencies know this. Smart ones encourage behavior that inspires creativity because creativity impacts their bottom lines. The question is: Would this mode of thinking benefit other businesses that may view these behaviors as a waste of company time? Maybe the answer is no. Then again… more industries than advertising rely on ideas.

Creativity-inspiring activities aren’t necessarily time consuming.  A break from intense thinking for some short-lived fun has substantial positive results. Redirecting attention for a moment of entertainment and creative release refreshes creative mojo. We bet modern psychology can back this up. And we’ve known it to solve problems on many occasions.

In the names of all those whose work benefits from a 5-minute Fun-Time Refresh, we’ve decided to compile a collection of examples. We’ll call it the “Keathley Take Fives.” Keep an eye out for additions. Here’s one to get you started.

Situation: This Keathley Take Five manifested itself in the form of an email chain. Becki Cooper, Account Coordinator, had to stay home one morning for a kitchen appliance repair. She sent the following email to inform the staff of the situation:

Dishwasher guy said he will be here at 11. Probably be in around 12-12:15. Feel free to email me w anything.

Becki Cooper
Public Relations Coordinator
Keathley Advertising

As any levelheaded colleagues would respond, the staff took the last line of the email quite literally. The following is a glimpse at some of the responses.

Hey Becki:

Hate to bother you, but I have a pressing question I wanted to ask.  Typically, people don’t read labels properly and shampoo their hair incorrectly.

I’m sure you know this, but it says to “Lather. Rinse. AND Repeat.”  I know a lot of people don’t Repeat and only Lather and Rinse once.  This is a shame.  I just wanted to see if you were aware of this situation and were taking steps to assure that you are indeed Repeating as the label implies.

I just don’t want to get into a “He-said” “She-said” situation when it comes to these types of things.  Can you please put together a 20+ page internal policy report on how we can correct this issue in the future (and we might as well put together something on how it can be corrected in the past while we are at it).  If you could have that ready by noon for review that would be great.

Thanks.
–

Zachary Linquist
Director of Interactive Media

________________________________________________________________

Hey Becki:

I hope things are going well with your appliances. I was just sitting here pondering an important question: Twix: Cookie or Candy? I thought that, with your background in cake design, you might have some insight on this.

Would you mind doing some primary and secondary research on the subject? It’d be great if you could post a formal survey on your Facebook page and ask all your Twitter followers.

Please compile your findings in a detailed report, along with at least 22 related web articles and a summary of your final conclusions, by EOD today.

Thanks,

Jack                                                                                                                                                                           Associate Creative Director

________________________________________________________________

Hi Becki,

I need some consultation about an area of your expertise. American Idol, while obviously the most annoying and mentally insubstantial show ever to have disgraced the screen, is somehow the most successful show in history.

Is the success of American Idol due to it being a meritable reality program or a string of self-obsessed publicity stunts and scandals?

Topics of discussion:

• Paula Abdul and young boys
• Paula Abdul on drugs
• “Coke” cups: promotion or insinuation?
• Gay guys finish second
• Ryan Seacrest

Please advise.

Thanks

Brandi Hensler
Copywriter

________________________________________________________________

Conclusion: Did Becki deliver on these requests? No. Was the combined 15 minutes spent on this a waste of company time? Maybe. But the award-winning campaign that was concepted later the same day says otherwise…

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Blast through white noise with creative environmental

Posted By: 

Renee Arwood

Date: 

October 9th, 2009 /// Inspiration

Billboards. Commercials. Magazine ads. Posters. Junk mail. Pop-ups. Product placement. On a given day, most Americans are exposed to about 3,000 different commercial messages. We all know that the days of three TV channels and undivided attention are long gone. If you don’t say something worth hearing, no one will listen. It’s not about forcing attention – it’s about earning it.

We’re always working toward new ways to break through the clutter, create intrigue, and get people to stop and think. With a little creative thinking, you can command attention without being obnoxious. One of our favorite strategies is to create unexpected entertainment through non-traditional messaging. Here are a few of our favorite non-traditional tactics.

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Setting Incites Inspiration

Posted By: 

Zachary L.

Date: 

September 28th, 2009 /// Inspiration

Creativity is best served in an environment as creative as the people working there. The Keathley staff enjoys working in the top floor of the Castle Hall building, which was built in 1878. Our office once served as a ballroom for the Knights of Pythias.

In our world, creative inspiration is always at arm’s length thanks to our rooftop conference room, cozy couches, huge windows flooding sunlight and dramatic Victorian Gothic Revival architecture. When scenery isn’t sparking the magic, 20-foot ceilings always make Frisbee a possibility.

Check out some of the coolest agency interiors. If you can’t get enough, go to This Ain’t No Disco for more.

Where do you find inspiration?

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Finding Inspiration With Your Head in the Clouds

Posted By: 

Julie Jones

Date: 

August 25th, 2009 /// Inspiration

Apparently I’m not the only one with my head in the clouds. Check out the 30 Creepiest Clouds on Earth, including faces, animals and weird images.


Make sure to send us cool images you catch in the clouds! Email your pictures to cloudy@keathleyad.com, and we’ll post them on our blog for the world to see.

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