why don't creatives blog?

As anyone who has taken even the most casual of glances at the ad industry blogging community will know, planners blog.

Do they blog.

And perhaps that's not surprising, I've often found them to love discussing their theorie, thoughts and ideas. And in the most part have enjoy their company for that very reason. Sure, I also know one or two who are linguistic bullies who only want to show off their smarts, but they've been the exception.

What surprises me though is the lack of creatives blogging. They can be just as smart, original, opinionated and forceful with their views as any planner, after all. So why no blogging?

And if the future of the creative team is one where there is a much closer alliance between these two disciplines,  I thought I'd  try and start a debate on it and so have asked around a good few of my mates and peers and I've come up with the following reasons;

1. They don't have any interest in it. Their world is one of the televisual. Of film. Of Hollywood. And as such they are not interested in the Internet beyond buying stuff from it.
2. The creative department has been long been built on macho camaraderie and to expose oneself in a blog to the extent you would have to to make it interesting, would see you ripped to pieces by your mates.
3. Creativity is a job. That is to say there is very little interest outside of the work place to continue to express oneself in any way.
4. Fear of failing. Bizarrely, in a job that exposes you to rejection 98% of the time, creatives can be delicate flowers afraid to expose themselves and their 'creativity' unnecessarily.
5. You're use to keeping your ideas to yourself. You don't share, not your ideas, not your inspirations. No they are yours and yours alone, slotted into your memory bank or bottom drawer waiting for the moment for when you and you alone can use them.
6. Lack of a client. What can you do when you have no excuses to hide behind?  The answer is nothing.  Which is why every creative I know hates doing the agency Christmas card.

Well that's for starters anyone want to add to it? Or is everyone reading this too much of a creative?

Comments

[janson]

i'm so with you on point number 6.

[Stan Lee]

I'm a creative with a blog.

It was one of the best things I did last year.

It's really broadened my thinking and my knowledge.

It's also introduced to a lot of people who I converse with regularly, yet I've never met!

Best...Stan x

http://branddna.blogspot.com

[Anna]

All right, you've bullied me into it. I can only speak from my point of view about why creatives don't blog. I, infact do. I started a blog in November last year, and so far have posted six times. I haven't told anyone the address yet. Why? Because, if I'm going to be completely honest, I don't think the idea for it is good enough, I don't think the content's good enough, or the title, or the writing is good enough. Yet. As soon as I feel it is then I'll share it with you people. Trouble is, I wonder if I'll ever feel happy enough with it. I think the answer to that could easily be no. So yes, I think my blog could be shite and other people will think it's shite too. Perhaps I should promise to myself that when I've finished the next two draft posts, I'll send you the link, Simon. What say you.

[simon]

Dan, I think it's really interesting that your path to being a creative has been competely different to the majority of those in agencies, and so is your approach.

Thanks Valeria, I'm aware of david's blog and have been reading it for a few months, it is very good.

And Charles, wow, I find that extraordinary and sad and typical of many creatives, and so am not in the least surprised.

Also, I know of at least 12 creatives who read this blog and yet none of you have contributed. Come on, Anna, Iain, Marky, Will, Jim, David, Dave, Russ, Minyo, Martin and the rest of you, say something. I wanna hear from you.

[Charles Frith]

I was talking with a one of the most widely travelled creatives Ive ever known and when it came to digital she explained she had no interest.

[Valeria Maltoni]

Hello Simon:

You should check out David Armano's blog, Logic+Emotion [http://darmano.typepad.com/logic_emotion/ ]. He's a creative and his blog rocks!

[dan]

I'm a creative and I love blogging. Writing a good blog post isn't very different to writing ads - you have to have a good idea and then execute it well enough so that others want to look at it or read it. Sometimes posts are visual, somtimes they require you to craft your copy. So I guess that blogging helps me to improve my skills. And to also generate ideas about things away from my daily creative tasks, which has got to be a good thing. Keeps the brain fresh.

I also know that reading other people's blogs leads me to whole new worlds of weird ideas and smart thinking about creativity, be it from the mouth of a planner, designer or anyone else.

In short, I'm not sure why more creatives don't blog. I'm guessing that it's a combination of the reasons you outline above. Having never worked as a traditional agency creative (I work as an in-house creative) means that I might not be best qualified to work it out. But I reckon more of them should.