Swipe right on a Swipe File
It sucks to get stuck, doesn't it? Let's change that.
I feel you, Ken.
And I am sure at some point, as a creative, you too have felt your delusional imposter syndrome get to you, leaving you paralysed and uninspired by the very thought of putting your work out in the world.
It’s a challenging situation, but you can change it.
Advertising output is entirely dependent on the inputs.
This statement might seem simplistic and obvious but think about it for a second.
What was the last thing you created, and what instance in your life inspired the core idea?
What conscious effort did you put to surround yourself with valuable input that resulted in your desired output?
Let’s break it down further.
We can loosely classify inputs into two categories:
Conscious or Direct
These are inputs we consciously let in when working on a problem - facts, figures, behavioural research, target audience, audience psychographics, or any other form of information we consume to make a sensible ad.
Subconscious or Indirect
These inputs are absorbed and influenced by our environment, relationships, life experiences - related or unrelated, to the problem we are solving and many other factors that form part of what we call ‘life’.
Take the example of the evergreen communication ‘Googly Woogly Woosh’ created by Piyush Pandey, Executive Chairman of Ogilvy India for Ponds Cold Cream, in 2009.As mentioned by Piyush Pandey in his book Pandeymonium, Googly Woogly Woosh was a direct lift from what his wife, Nita, did in a romantic moment grabbing hold of his cheeks and saying, ‘Googly Woogly Woosh’.
The campaign ran for ten years and made the life of people with chubby cheeks unbearable once it became part of the popular culture.
To this date, the communication lives on and was also recently renewed with another heartwarming campaign.
When crafting any communication, both inputs have their place, but that’s another topic we’ll discuss in later issues.
Inputs, be they conscious or subconscious, should be structured and at our disposal when we need them.
Think of it as creating a deep, diverse and precious creative repository that you can tap into when you’re in a creative slump and need inspiration.
This repository is what seasoned creative professionals call a Swipe File.
You can call it anything you want - a second brain, a creative goldmine, or whatever you feel like. It’s not the name that’s important but the purpose it solves for you.
In simple words, a Swipe File is your personally curated folder (digital or physical, whatever works for you) where you keep all your ‘inputs’ categorised and stored for whenever you need inspiration on a subject.
It is where you break down and assimilate in your own words all the groundbreaking work you’ve created or come across over the years that can form a solid directory of learnings you can revisit at your convenience.
Imagine the compounding effects of this highly curated specific knowledge that matches your creative tonality, personality, preferences, and styles with which you are comfortable.
Over the years, you will have a broad and deep collection of insights, methods, and processes that will allow you to become an effective and high-performance creative ready to take on any creative challenge.
This issue introduced you to the concept that’ll allow you to research and come up with a solution that’s unique to you.
If you’re just entering the ever-evolving advertising industry, I implore you to create your own version of Swipe File.
It won’t be soon before you realise what you’ve created is the biggest weapon in your arsenal as a creative. It will help you produce extraordinary work and make studying the brilliance behind any campaign your second nature.
Learn from the best, and until you’ve got a better answer, you copy.
There will come a time when you’ll just start to get it. And suddenly, the work coming from you will bear the mark of somebody who knows what the hell they are doing.
Till then, keep collecting inputs from those who have been in your shoes and done phenomenally well.
Once you understand this, the only question you should ask yourself is, who are you going to copy while you learn the craft?
Here’s a link for your reference if you need the inspiration to set up your Swipe File.
Listen to this Spotify Playlist I made that goes well with everything you read here at Adamant 👇🏼