Category: Agency Life
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Gratitude in the Creative Process: 17 Years, 17 Lessons
Seventeen years ago, I wrote my first real piece of copy. It was a series of radio commercials I wrote as a favor for a colleague and it led to my first agency job. I had no idea that one small line would lead to a career spent chasing clarity, connection, and that rare, shimmering…
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From Freelance to Fractional: Rethinking How You Hire Creative Talent
The creative industry has a language all its own: Freelancer. Contractor. Fractional. Full-time. They sound interchangeable, until you’re the one trying to hire the right partner for your brand. Let’s be honest: choosing the right creative partner isn’t just about budget or bandwidth. It’s about chemistry, trust, and the kind of energy you want in…
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Creative Leadership Without the Title: How to Influence as a Senior Creative
At one of my previous jobs, I was a senior copywriter who desperately wanted to be promoted. I was doing the work, mentoring the juniors, bringing ideas that stuck in pitches, but the organization was flat. There was nowhere to go. No title to chase. And no ladder to climb. When you’ve put in the…
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From Freelance to Fractional: Rethinking the Future of Creative Work
Freelance is a word everyone knows. It conjures images of coffee shops, pajama pants, and the occasional “Hey, can you turn this around by tomorrow?” email at 9:47 p.m. It’s flexible, it’s scrappy, and for a lot of creatives, it’s been the way to balance passion with a paycheck. But lately, there’s a new word…
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The Art of the Creative Brief: How to Set Yourself (and Your Team) Up for Success
The success or failure of a project almost always comes back to the creative brief. A great brief doesn’t guarantee a great campaign, but a terrible one practically guarantees mediocrity. Done well, a brief is less about checking boxes and more about setting the stage. I like to think of a brief as a GPS…
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This Little Piggy Went to Cannes
While I was fairly sure that this work didn’t stand a chance of winning, there was always the faintest possibility that it could. Our team poured our heart and soul into this campaign over the course of several months, creative shifts, and client whims. Of course, it was going to win something.
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A Tale of Two Kitties
Actually, this is a tale of 17+ kitties, to be exact. I’m freelancing at an advertising agency this week and am enjoying the corner cubicle of someone who has the good fortune of a full-time job with paid vacation time (sigh…). Like any good armchair sociologist, I looked around her space today to get a…
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Junior? Senior? Does it Really Matter?
Before we answer that burning question, allow me to address another one—where have I been (or, more specifically, why haven’t I been keeping up with my blog?)? Truthfully, I’ve been busy. I’ve had some amazing opportunities to do some pretty incredible work with some of the smartest people I know, so like a good little…
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What Kind of Creative are You?
During an interview, hiring managers often ask cringe-inducing questions. Of course, these questions are designed to get an insight as to how well you’d fit within their organization. If you’ve done your due diligence, you know exactly what they want to hear, but wouldn’t it be liberating if you could be completely honest? The question…
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And Here…we…Go
I’m back on the freelance trail…this time, as a freelance writer for another agency. The back story on this is simple: a friend quit her position as a copywriter at this agency and she very graciously suggested me as a replacement. So far, things are going great – I’m really busy (always a bonus for…
Sara Barton 