At the last minute

I guess I should probably get started soon. Maybe.

As an advertising professional, you often find yourself in a situation where a concept presentation or some other deadline is really just around the corner, and you have little to show—or even want to show. Sometimes this is through no fault of your own, but often (probably even most of the time) you put yourself in this position. Through masterful procrastination, through the comforting feeling that you still have time—until you don’t. But whether it’s your own fault or not: at a moment like that, you have no choice but to sit down and get started. Slightly panicked.

Seriously, now. Come on, come on, come on!

To describe as credibly and authentically as possible what goes through the mind of a stressed-out creative in a situation like this, I had the brilliant idea to write this article at the very, very, very last moment on the evening of the deadline. Five minutes to midnight, so to speak. (Although the actual time is 10:53 p.m.) Funny, isn’t it? At least I thought it was an interesting experiment on myself—and actually pretty brilliant. Because even if the text turned out to be a total disaster, I’d have a good excuse ready. Now (10:54 p.m.), I find it a little less brilliant.

So: What's going on inside me?

First, the physical aspect. I don’t know if this is a universal experience, but for me, at least, stress always feels like a fist clenching inside my chest and squeezing everything together. (Maybe I should get that checked out sometime.) A glance at my Garmin, however, shows a relaxed 71 heartbeats per minute. Apparently, the stress isn’t that bad yet. Medically speaking, I could even start later. But there’s no need to overdo it.

Now, a few notes from my inner world. The prevailing emotion is anger—at myself, of course. After all, I could just as easily have written this piece over the weekend. After all, we’re always pretending to be authentic in advertising anyway. And isn’t the topic of this post silly to begin with, and the stressed-out ad executive just a clichéd, overused image? And couldn’t I just have an AI write the article? I realize right now that I’m falling into a negative spiral. When that happens, getting some fresh air usually helps me clear my head for a moment. In the past, I would have smoked a cigarette right now. But luckily, I’ve been smoke-free for four years. (Although today might actually be a good day to start again.)

You might be wondering how realistic the scenario is that I’ve voluntarily maneuvered myself into here. If any of my clients are reading this: Don’t worry. None of us are just sitting around idly, waiting for the deadline to roll around before we even start. But it’s actually not that uncommon to still have a large portion of the work left to do right before the deadline. There are three reasons for this.

Firstly

Ideas need a little time to simmer. At first, you tend to overestimate new ideas. It helps to let them sit for a while, then dig them out later and tinker with them. If you still like them then, there’s almost certainly something to them. Sounds like a LinkedIn cliché. But it’s still true.

Secondly

As long as you don’t get started, anything is possible. That very vague thought for a campaign, that hint of a film idea—as long as you don’t write it down, it could be the best idea ever. But once you start fleshing it out, disillusionment may set in. That’s why people sometimes like to put it off just a little longer. (Some would probably call this self-deception.).

Third,

Pressure can help. Unfortunately. Some of the best work of my career has come about that way. Not because pressure fosters creativity—in fact, the opposite is probably true—but because it forces you to make decisions, to focus, and it doesn’t give you time to second-guess everything. At some point, you simply have no choice but to be good. And you just do it.

But if you’re now toying with the idea of simply putting all creative people under constant pressure, I’d advise against it. Pressure only works up to a certain point. After that, your mind just gets cramped—in the truest sense of the word. Your thoughts go in circles, and you end up settling for the first solutions that come to mind. The main thing is that there’s something there.

So too much pressure isn't good. Neither is too little. What's the answer, then?! How do creative people come up with ideas?

That’s a question I’m often asked as an advertiser. I usually just give a mysterious smile and mumble something about process, research, and a strategic framework. The honest answer is: I have no idea. Even after 15 years in the profession and as Advertiser of the Year (I have to show off my title somewhere), I still can’t explain it exactly. David Ogilvy once put it this way: «Great ideas come from the unconscious.» I think what he was saying—in a slightly more poetic way—is that he doesn’t know either. And while neuroscientists can tell us which regions of the brain are activated during the creative process, even they don’t know where the ideas actually come from.

And unfortunately, you don’t really know exactly when they’ll come. But you can make sure they surface faster. Tease them out. For example, by formulating a clear problem that needs to be solved. Or by reducing distractions. Or by briefly distracting yourself with something else. Or by talking to someone about the fragments of thoughts you’ve had so far. Or by not thinking too much about the fact that time is really running out.

With the right setting, enough experience, and a little luck, you can come up with good ideas even under intense time pressure. Sometimes even very good ones. But the pressure itself is almost certainly not the reason for that. Rather, it’s the deadline that keeps you from overthinking the idea and ruining it—and saves you from your own vanity.

And maybe that’s the most honest answer: Diamonds aren’t formed under pressure. You just decide on one more quickly. Or on something that looks a little like one in the right light. If you squint your eyes a little. Or even close one eye completely.

11:41 p.m. I guess I should probably call it a night.

«Diamonds aren't formed under pressure. You just decide to get one faster.»