Last term I asked other writers/CDs, ECDs, Innovators - some former students, some not, to team teach my Skype sessions. I know I have a strong, seemingly unbendable voice. I put more emphasis on Professionalism and personal responsibility than I am told others do. I also recognize mine isn't the only - or even the best - way to do/teach.
I want students to hear other voices, other points of view. From people they respect, whose work they admire, whose success they wish to emulate.
The experience showed I'd been guilty of one of my major "nevers." I let several classes of if-they're-not-in-my-facebook/twitter/linked/gram/buzz group-they-don't-count students get to me. So tired was I of this insensitivity and egoism, teaching became tedious, almost impossible.
How could I teach people Prospect Centric/Objective Based Creative Strategy if all they cared about were self-reflections on a four inch screen? (See blog entries 5/7/15, 6/21/15 also one posted earlier today)
Growing up, my mother instilled in me an insatiable appetite for learning how those outside my immediate world thought, felt, lived. Attending fourteen different elementary schools fed it. Living my life to its surprising, fearless-if-foolish fullest filled in the blanks.
A woman ahead of her times, my mother filled our dinner table with people of all sexual orientations, religions. Different nationalities, colors, social and financial strata. Sometimes opposite philosophies, politics. Before the years of marches and protest rallies, she did it out of an innate respect, caring and curiosity about people. A gift she passed on to me.
Unknowingly, Diana raised an instinctive creative strategist. Someone unafraid to confront those different from - even threatening - me, how I thought. What I did - and didn't - understand about faces in the crowd not like mine. (See blog 3/1/15)
Last term, David Baldwin (look him up - he's the guy you'll spend your entire career trying to work for) team taught two sessions with me. David said a lot of important stuff - some of which reminded me I had become so myopic teaching structure, content, style and smart less-wordiness, I no was longer focusing on - or even including - an aspect of Creative Strategy I tried to introduce ten years too soon.
"Everything we do is Objective Based," David told the students. Reminding me of a class I taught on Objective Based Creative before most agencies knew what it was. I invited three ahead of their time CDs to that class, each to give Objective Based assignments, then return to help critique the resulting work. (David Glaze from LA/now Seattle, who will be team skyping this term, David Baldwin from Raleigh and Minsoo Pak from Atlanta participated.)
I never totally abandoned Prospect Centricity. I used it as a tool to teach young copywriters how to write/relate product to prospect. Focusing on what they wrote, how. On the Kamikaze Copy Sins, integrating product into copy/concept.
David reminded me I had to do more. Time to get back to Objective Based/Prospect Centric Kamikaze Creative Strategy. Look back in this blog - way back, to entries from 12/13/12, 7/30/12, sprinkled throughout others.
If you're in Atlanta, attend my Creative Circus Open Workshop (required if you're in my class next term) Friday, 9:30 a.m., 7/15/16. I'm not doing Kamikaze Copy Sins (although too many writers need it). I'm doing Objective Based/Prospect Centric Kamikaze Creative Strategy.
If you're not a Circus student, tell Security you're here to see me. We're usually in the auditorium. All are welcome.
If you opted into my Creative Circus class this coming term, be forewarned. Yes, I'll be picking apart your copy, requiring revision after revision after revision. Translating thoughts. Avoiding Copy Sins.
The big difference: I'll be skewing the way I teach writing to meet a Bigger Objective, not just calling out cliches, run-ons, reminding you we deal with Prospects and Products.
I'll also be hitting up friends, colleagues, former students for team teaching sessions. Am working on a new Kamikaze Copy Sin list in response to changes I've seen the last few terms. Challenging you, I hope, to earn one of those "I nailed Doreen's..." A shirts.
As for my Mother, thank you, Diana. You gave me the people addiction which lead me to learn everyone and anyone who's not like me - has a part that is.
Ryan Martindale also team taught last term, but due to scheduling issues, worked with recent and soon-to-be grads, leaving each of them gushing praises and thank yous.
On a personal note, I am now living in Memphis, TN. Loving the conflicting reality of a city living music in the face of some of the worst poverty I've seen outside Third World Countries.
I'll still be teaching at the Circus. Hope to continue my start-up consultations and freelance.
Once the moving in's over, getting back to helping deserving students (A shirt or not) hook up with creatives and creative directors to find their first great first job. I'll also be more regular and focused on this blog and several other writing projects I've been struggling with. Even Doreen gets lost sometime. Time she found her voice again.
(c)2016, Doreen Dvorin/Kamikaze Creative
I want students to hear other voices, other points of view. From people they respect, whose work they admire, whose success they wish to emulate.
The experience showed I'd been guilty of one of my major "nevers." I let several classes of if-they're-not-in-my-facebook/twitter/linked/gram/buzz group-they-don't-count students get to me. So tired was I of this insensitivity and egoism, teaching became tedious, almost impossible.
How could I teach people Prospect Centric/Objective Based Creative Strategy if all they cared about were self-reflections on a four inch screen? (See blog entries 5/7/15, 6/21/15 also one posted earlier today)
Growing up, my mother instilled in me an insatiable appetite for learning how those outside my immediate world thought, felt, lived. Attending fourteen different elementary schools fed it. Living my life to its surprising, fearless-if-foolish fullest filled in the blanks.
A woman ahead of her times, my mother filled our dinner table with people of all sexual orientations, religions. Different nationalities, colors, social and financial strata. Sometimes opposite philosophies, politics. Before the years of marches and protest rallies, she did it out of an innate respect, caring and curiosity about people. A gift she passed on to me.
Unknowingly, Diana raised an instinctive creative strategist. Someone unafraid to confront those different from - even threatening - me, how I thought. What I did - and didn't - understand about faces in the crowd not like mine. (See blog 3/1/15)
Last term, David Baldwin (look him up - he's the guy you'll spend your entire career trying to work for) team taught two sessions with me. David said a lot of important stuff - some of which reminded me I had become so myopic teaching structure, content, style and smart less-wordiness, I no was longer focusing on - or even including - an aspect of Creative Strategy I tried to introduce ten years too soon.
"Everything we do is Objective Based," David told the students. Reminding me of a class I taught on Objective Based Creative before most agencies knew what it was. I invited three ahead of their time CDs to that class, each to give Objective Based assignments, then return to help critique the resulting work. (David Glaze from LA/now Seattle, who will be team skyping this term, David Baldwin from Raleigh and Minsoo Pak from Atlanta participated.)
I never totally abandoned Prospect Centricity. I used it as a tool to teach young copywriters how to write/relate product to prospect. Focusing on what they wrote, how. On the Kamikaze Copy Sins, integrating product into copy/concept.
David reminded me I had to do more. Time to get back to Objective Based/Prospect Centric Kamikaze Creative Strategy. Look back in this blog - way back, to entries from 12/13/12, 7/30/12, sprinkled throughout others.
If you're in Atlanta, attend my Creative Circus Open Workshop (required if you're in my class next term) Friday, 9:30 a.m., 7/15/16. I'm not doing Kamikaze Copy Sins (although too many writers need it). I'm doing Objective Based/Prospect Centric Kamikaze Creative Strategy.
If you're not a Circus student, tell Security you're here to see me. We're usually in the auditorium. All are welcome.
If you opted into my Creative Circus class this coming term, be forewarned. Yes, I'll be picking apart your copy, requiring revision after revision after revision. Translating thoughts. Avoiding Copy Sins.
The big difference: I'll be skewing the way I teach writing to meet a Bigger Objective, not just calling out cliches, run-ons, reminding you we deal with Prospects and Products.
I'll also be hitting up friends, colleagues, former students for team teaching sessions. Am working on a new Kamikaze Copy Sin list in response to changes I've seen the last few terms. Challenging you, I hope, to earn one of those "I nailed Doreen's..." A shirts.
As for my Mother, thank you, Diana. You gave me the people addiction which lead me to learn everyone and anyone who's not like me - has a part that is.
Ryan Martindale also team taught last term, but due to scheduling issues, worked with recent and soon-to-be grads, leaving each of them gushing praises and thank yous.
On a personal note, I am now living in Memphis, TN. Loving the conflicting reality of a city living music in the face of some of the worst poverty I've seen outside Third World Countries.
I'll still be teaching at the Circus. Hope to continue my start-up consultations and freelance.
Once the moving in's over, getting back to helping deserving students (A shirt or not) hook up with creatives and creative directors to find their first great first job. I'll also be more regular and focused on this blog and several other writing projects I've been struggling with. Even Doreen gets lost sometime. Time she found her voice again.
(c)2016, Doreen Dvorin/Kamikaze Creative
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