Work hard and be nice to people

And a couple of other motivational lines I’ve stolen from Anthony Burrill prints to help guide us through Adland and beyond. I hope he doesn’t mind.

Work hard and be nice to people

Some think advertising is all play. It isn’t – not all the time.

Being creative, thinking innovatively and making a difference takes time, patience, commitment, dedication and hard work.

Yes, there are light-bulb moments, wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-with-the-idea times, and successful brainstorming sessions but there are also days and weeks and months of putting the effort in to finally, finally squeeze something brilliant out.

And it can be hard to stay focused through all that.

That’s the work bit. Then there’s the people bit.

In advertising, we’re all about people. But not just the people we’re targeting. We work with loads of people – on camera, off camera, in teams, in departments, in client briefings, agencies, in partner agencies, in pitches. And some of the people we work with aren’t just talented, inspirational and fascinating. They’re nice too. They’re willing to help, guide, support and advise. They’ll remember us. They’ll take us with them to the meetings, the pitches, the lunches, the awards ceremonies. They may even take us to our next job.

We must make sure we’re remembered for the right reasons. Work hard and be nice to people.

You know more than you think you do

Imposter Syndrome. Two big words that can have a really big impact on our state of mind. Do we know what we’re doing? Is our work any good? Are we just getting away with it? Will we get found out?

Yes, we do know what we’re doing. We just lose our confidence every now and then.

Yes, our work is good. Okay, sometimes it isn’t but we live and learn.

No, we aren’t just getting away with it. There’s method in all the madness that goes with the creative process.

No, we won’t get found out – there’s nothing to find out. We’re doing just fine.

Trust yourself, trust your mind, trust your skills. You know more than you think you do.

Go everywhere. Do everything.

There’s an awards do every week in our industry.

A couple of conferences, book launches, networking events and talks a month.

It’s exhausting. But it’s fabulous.

Every opportunity is just that – an opportunity. We never know who we’ll meet or who they’ll introduce us to or who will offer us work. It’s worth going to everything and anything – to learn, experience and enjoy.

Like a cheap and loud sales ad CTA would say, don’t miss out.

Be seen, be noticed, be remembered. Go everywhere, do everything.

By Vikki Ross, Copywriter, Copywriting Tutor and Co-Founder of Copy Cabana, the hottest event around for Creatives and Clients.