Pandora/Creativity Paradox (reposted from Oct. 2008)

Reposted from Oct. 2008

Creativity is all about connecting seemingly unrelated things to form something fresh and unexpected. And Pandora Jukebox introduces you to stuff you should like based on what you do like. What’s my point? Sit back and let me explain.

As a creative professional, my passion lies (lays? Grammar Girl, Help!) in knowing a little bit about a lot. I’m curious about everything from theoretical physics to how roof shingles are made. These teeny-tiny nuggets of knowledge are what I call “dots”. And when I’m searching for an idea, I try to connect these dots. The more dots I have, the better my odds are for hitting the big idea jackpot!

Enter Pandora. For sake of comparing apples to apples, the songs played in Pandora will be called dots. Do you see where I’m going with this? If not, hang tight. I’m closing the loop. In order for Pandora to be a good source for discovering new songs (dots, remember), you need to create lots of “stations” of lots different artist/genres and so on. But the system is flawed because you’ll get plenty of repeats, which will sound like your local Top 40 radio station. Not cool.

The solution? Fake it. Create stations around artist/songs you wouldn’t normally purchase. You know, the ones you sing along with in the car but won’t shell out $.99 for on iTunes. Better yet, get a friend to load a bunch of his crappy stuff. The result? A whole lotta cool new stuff.

Finally, closing the loop. Start learning about stuff you’ve avoided and collect some valuable dots.

Tune-Deaf Scott Brown Opens Pandoras Jukebox.

Super-short stories

Here’s the start of super silly, super-short stories— written in a 140 characters or less.

Follow me on Twitter to participate. I will ask for random words from my followers. If you’re fast enough, I’ll use your word(s) in my next super-short story. Sound fun? Here are the first two super-short stories. Enjoy.

July 6, 2009

# 1 With their BRAINS working as 1, the LAUNDRY ZOMBIES strolled to the BEACH to feast on lifeguard SOUP. EAT they will. And in a BLINK, burp!

#2 “OOF” echoed thru the rafters as #9, LOVE, bulldozed Oscar into the boards. His HOCKEY HAIR clung to the glass. JOY was heard. PEACE ended.

Check  back often to read more super-short stories here.

Walk Away

[repost from June 2008]

Sometimes it takes a leap of faith to keep moving forward. Sometimes that means saying good bye to friends and co-workers. But if you have to do it, do it with style. Like me.

An excerpt from a recent email:

Parting is such sweet sorrow. But like a good neighbor, I’ll be there. So no more tears. It was good to the last drop. And the future is bright. I want to make money the old-fashion way… being a pimp!

Frank Lloyd Wright once said,

I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.

He’s right. Once you pop, you can’t stop! A mind is a terrible thing to waste. So reach out and touch someone. Hello Moto!

Franklin D. Roosevelt penned,

Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.

But don’t squeeze the Charmin. Ok, just do it! You deserve a break today. Maybe you can try the other white meat… tastes great, less filling!

Dan Quayle recently squawked,

I stand by all the misstatements that I’ve made.

Mr. Potatoe Head means well. But how do YOU spell relief? Plop pop, fizz fizz, oh what a relief it is. Can you hear me now? Good.

Mark Twain put it this way,

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Calgon take me away, somewhere over the rainbow. I’ll taste the rainbow. I hear it’s finger lickin’ good.

The Twitter Code

Time to have some fun with my Twitter followers. I’m gonna start tweeting in code. Simple alt-alpha code. Here’s the key if you want to know what I’m tweeting about over the next few days… maybe longer.

å = a 

 ∫ = b

ç = c

∂ = d

´ = e 

ƒ = f 

© = g

˙ = h

ˆ = i

∆ = j 

˚ = k

¬ = l 

µ = m 

˜ = n 

ø = o 

π = p 

œ = q 

® = r 

ß = s 

† = t 

¨ = u 

√ = v 

∑ = w 

≈ = x 

¥ = y

Ω = z

 

Follow me on Twitter @chadschomber

 

Be Better Than Vanilla> http://chadschomber.com

Give Hockey (and Me) One More Shot

Only you can bar Joel Stein from ever mentioning hockey again. Hockey — it’s that sport they play in Canada

read more | digg story

Move that bus

It’s easy to start a creative project—professional or personal. The freshness of working on something new makes us feel invincible. So why is it so hard to finish with the same intensity?

The longer a project drags on, the harder it is to stay focused and energized. Let me illustrate, metaphorically.

Imagine you’re on top of a mountain (pick your favorite). This is your starting point. As you view out, you see another mountain top. This is your finish line. It doesn’t look far, does it? Ah, but the only way to get over there is down your mountain, across the wicked valley and up the other mountain. (Bridges are for hacks.)

It’s fast going down that mountain, right? Enjoy the ride because it doesn’t last long. From the bottom, the finish line now looks forever away and there’s a bus in your way. Oh, and it’s all up hill from here (haha). Seriously, the climb up is exhausting. But damn it, you’ve come so far. Grab your EpiPen and jab it into your heart. You’re not gonna just finish. You’re gonna conquer this mother. And ram the victory flag down her throat and do a Irish jig. Or tap dance. Whatever.

Did I lose anyone? Ok. My point is… you have to, even if there’s a bus in your way, finish strong not just finish. 

later…

Chad

Be Better Than Vanilla> http://chadschomber.com
Follow me on Twitter> http://twitter.com/chadschomber

Expect the unexpected

Social media is buzzing loud and spreading fast. It’s easy to shrug it off and go on with your life. But you’d be missing out on all the fun. 

I was commenting on Sue Spaight’s blog today when I likened social media to Plunko on The Price is Right. Except the name of the game is Plinko, not Plunko. That innocent mistake led me to Uglydolls after I Googled Plunko (the dude shown above). And now I want to buy every Uglydoll for my office. So in a very real way, without social media participation, I would’ve never discovered Uglydoll or my new buddy Plunko!

So participate on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. and see where it takes you.

belch.

Follow me on Twitter  @chadschomber

140

What can you say in 140 characters? Just ask the millions on twitter changing the world one character at a time.

Belch.

 @chadschomber 

Need vs. Want

I need cash. I want a career. I need to finish the project. I want to blow their socks off. I need food. I want a grilled PB&J.

What we need and want are often in conflict. It’s a constant battle of compromise. We’re always blurring that line to justify our decisions. The risk is that we get caught up in wanting what we don’t need. Stop me if that just flew over your head.

Ok, maybe this will help. When you find yourself saying, “I need…,” take a second to ask yourself the following question: how specific is that need? For example, “I need new clothes” is pretty nonspecific — only specific enough to keep you from buying motor oil. Most people, including myself, will make that statement more specific by exclaiming, “I need pair of J.Crew Broken-in Chinos.” What I really mean, deep down, is I “Want” J. Crew Chinos. I “need” a nice pair of pants for work. Is any of this making sense yet?

Advertising/Marketing is the business of converting needs into specific wants. So what I just said above is almost heresy. But in my defense, to be any good in this business, you better know what you’re doing — creating want. Once you accept that fact, you give yourself permission to have big ideas.

 

Thoughts? Questions? Stories? Let me know.

 

Belch.

Chad

Be Better Than Vanilla> http://chadschomber.com

Follow me> http://twitter.com/chadschomber

It’s done when it’s done

Getty Images 84837414

 

I remember my Dad saying, “The toughest thing for an artist is knowing when to stop.” At the time, I didn’t fully appreciate what he was saying. He was warning me about having the confidence to say, “I’m done!” And let the criticism or accolades fall where they will and then move on. I failed to understand that little bit of advice for way to long. The same truth applies to writing copy. How many times do you tweak a headline or finesse the body copy? Usually, you’re working towards a deadline, so ready or not you’re done. But what about personal projects? 

As a copywriter, I’m battling myself every day. Is it any good? Will people get the message? Am I just a hack? All that creeps in when I write. Doubt and fear paralyze my creative judgement so I edit and revise to no end. For example, I sat down the other day just to polish up a couple spec ads in my portfolio. After 3 hours, every single word changed—from headline to body copy. The problem? I don’t know if it’s better, worse or just different. ARRGH!

So what have I learned? Positive feedback feeds egos. I want, er, need someone to poke holes in my ideas. I mean rip them a new one so I can learn, grow and be an ad biz superstar. Ok, maybe not a superstar. But you know what I mean.

Later…

Chad

Follow me> http://twitter.com/chadschomber