Fear is a virus we can all beat.

Advertising agencies are fearful.

They are fearful for their families.

They are fearful for their jobs.

They are fighting hard to protect their own livelihoods and futures.

The last thing on their mind is a bunch of students who want to get in to their world.

They don’t even know what their world is anymore.

We’ve all been turned upside down.

And we are giddy.

Really fucking giddy.

Giddier than being on The Waltzer at Blackpool as the greasy guy with the oil stained jeans spins you around oblivious to your shouts of 'stop'!.

We could be on our own from now on.

No agency briefs.

No agency involvement.

No free toast and coffee in the boardroom at 9.30am on a Monday.

No bottles of champagne for the best work.

No placements for the best team.

That's fine.

Bring it on.

We can find a positive in this.

We have to.

There isn't an alternative.

We need to keep positive.

Because one day the industry will be desperate for young talent.

And that day might be sooner than we know it.

And sooner than you think.

Nothing has changed.

The industry has had knock backs before.

And survived.

It still needs talent.

It will always need talent.

Bright young creatives with fresh ideas and energy.

That's you isn't it?

Believe in your goals.

And use this time to invest in your abilities.

There are folk out there who will lose everything.

And I mean everything.

Give thanks to the fact you are not a 40 year old running a small agency and employing 15 staff.

You might take 6 months to get in to this crazy business.

But this crazy business called advertising is a lot more rewarding than being a banker. 

Or a lawyer. 

Or an accountant.

Believe in your goals.

Believe in your creativity.

Believe in life after virus.

You'll all be laughing at this in 10 years’ time.

Hopefully, you'll be laughing at this current situation in two years’ time.

Brands need you.

Advertising agencies need you.

And the country will need you.

This is just a hiccup.

You are bigger than any hiccup.

Hiccups go away.

Talent is not a hiccup.

Talent is for life.

The most dangerous virus out there right now is fear.

Fear stops you in your tracks.

Fear brings you down.

Fuck fear.

That's one virus you can beat.

As the late, great Curtis Mayfield once said:

'Keep on keeping on'.

And he should know.

After being paralyzed from the neck down in a freak accident he carried on writing and singing.

He recorded his last album singing each line while he lay on his back.

Here's to your future.

Good luck.

TCx

How to be creative.

1. Feel Blue

A 2009 study found that subjects solved twice as many insight puzzles when surrounded by the colour blue, since it leads to more relaxed and associative thinking. Red, on other hand, makes people more alert and aware, so it is a better backdrop for solving analytic problems.

2. Get Groggy

According to a study published recently, people at their least alert time of day—think of a night person early in the morning—performed far better on various creative puzzles, sometimes improving their success rate by 50%. Grogginess has creative perks. 

3. Daydream

Research led by Jonathan Schooler at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has found that people who daydream more score higher on various tests of creativity.

4. Think Like A Child

When subjects are told to imagine themselves as 7-year-olds, they score significantly higher on tests of divergent thinking, such as trying to invent alternative uses for an old car tire.

5. Laugh It Up

When people are exposed to a short video of stand-up comedy, they solve about 20% more insight puzzles.

6. Imagine That You Are Far Away

Research conducted at Indiana University found that people were much better at solving insight puzzles when they were told that the puzzles came from Greece or California, and not from a local lab.

7. Keep It Loose.

One way to increase problem-solving ability is to change the verbs used to describe the problem. When the verbs are extremely specific, people think in narrow terms. In contrast, the use of more generic verbs—say, "moving" instead of "driving"—can lead to dramatic increases in the number of problems solved.

According to a new study, volunteers performed significantly better on a standard test of creativity when they were seated outside a 5-foot square workspace, perhaps because they internalized the metaphor of thinking outside the box. The lesson? Your cubicle is holding you back.

8. Go beyond box

According to new study, volunteers performed significantly better on a standard test of creativity when they were seated outside a 5-foot-square workspace, perhaps because they internalized the metaphor of thinking outside the box. The lesson? Your cubicle is holding you back.

9. See the World

According to research led by Adam Galinsky, students who have lived abroad were much more likely to solve a classic insight puzzle. Their experience of another culture endowed them with a valuable open-mindedness. This effect also applies to professionals: Fashion-house directors who have lived in many countries produce clothing that their peers rate as far more creative.

10. Move to London

Physicists at the Santa Fe Institute have found that moving from a small city to one that is twice as large leads inventors to produce, on average, about 15% more patents.