The Creative Campaign of the Century
Disclaimer: I did cast my vote for Obama. However, this is not a post about politics. This is a post about the creative marketing strategies of a well-run campaign. My political opinions and beliefs are of no consequence as I discuss the logistics of Obama’s bid for president.
They are finally catching on.
Don’t get me wrong. There are still plenty of them that don’t get it. But, there’s hope.
It’s hard to break out of a cycle that’s been the norm for more than 200 years. Ever since the earliest of presidential elections, political campaigns have focused on one thing: the candidate. “Let me tell you about me. See how capable I am. Did I tell you how much better I am than my opponent?”
No wonder we can’t stand politicians.
Defying The Norms, Yet Defined By A Scream
With Howard Dean’s 2004 campaign paving the way, Obama’s team openly and vulnerably embraced the thing every presidential campaign should revolve around, and made it their one focus.
Americans. After all this is our country, and our government. The president may run it. But we own it, and that means we decide who runs it. It’s the beautiful part about this whole democracy thing.
Joe Trippi is a name familiar to those in politics. He’s worked on more than 100 political campaigns, and he was one of the very first to “get it.” In his book “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Democracy, The Internet And The Overthrow Of Everything,” Trippi discusses his stint as Campaign Manager on the Dean For America campaign.
The whole book is filled with gems of insight and inspiration from a man who helped change the face of political campaigns forever. Each story, anecdote and musing is filled with Trippi’s priceless experience and wisdom. However, there’s one passage I always return to when I pull the political memoir off my shelf.
This is the difference between the Dean for America campaign and every other presidential campaign of the past 20 years. Every other candidate has started out by saying — Look at me, aren’t I amazing?
But every time Howard Dean got up to speak, every time his campaign staff got on the web to blog, the message was Look at you, aren’t you amazing? And they were; 60,000 people committed to a new democracy.
Aiming At The Right Target
Picking up where Dean’s campaign left off, Obama redefined the meaning of a grassroots campaign.
In today’s world, we are a community of bloggers and twitterers and texters. Obama and his staff recognized that there are countless ways we take in and soak up information. Instead of forcing us to receive a campaign message on their terms, they delivered it on our terms — our thousands of unique, individual terms.
Art for the artists. Technology for the innovators. Poetic prose for the readers and writers. They adapted their message and presented it through thousands of different mediums. And, guess what….an incredible thing happened. A campaign all about hope gave people hope - hope for the future, hope for their country, but most importantly, hope and belief in themselves.
Most failed political campaigns are unsuccessful for one reason. It’s usually the reason for any failed marketing or advertising campaign. Missing your target.
The Obama campaign nailed a perfect bullseye. It’s the people, stupid.
How Is Creativity Important In Your Life?
Linda Dessau posted an article at Creativity Portal a few days ago. The article, “What Does Creativity Bring To Your Life?,” is based on interviews she did with 19 different artists. And, it got me thinking about what creativity means in my life because it is such a huge part of everything I do.
In Linda’s article she identifies a number of themes that popped up throughout her discussions. Some stick out more than others, and some truly hit home.
Creativity brings a spiritual connection
Julia Cameron talks about how writing is not an act of pontification, rather one of revelation. I think you can extend that descriprion to include all practices of creative expression. It’s that idea of letting go — letting go and letting yourself become a channel for creativity.
When you can step back far enough and take your ego out of the picture, the creative process becomes this incredible path of discovery - even for the artist. Surprises wait around every corner of enlightenment.
Creativity brings a return to home, a “normalcy”
As my wedding day approaches, I find myself with less and less time to explore all the creative outlets that I love. When I finally find those intimate moments to put my creativity to work, I am immediately at ease, back in my element. When I am away from creating for too long, I become somewhat like this grumpy toddler who’s been toted all over town on mom’s shopping excursions, and wants nothing more than to go home to the place she knows best. For me, that is creativity.
Creativity brings a sense of self-worth and identity
Who am I without my creativity? It is how I make my life and my happiness. Creativity is who I am. I am fulfilled when I write or paint or create something exceptionally special. But really and truly, I am just satisfied when I am writing or painting or creating something. The process is what makes it special for me.
Creativity heals me
I am truly amazed at how powerful self-expression can be when you are hurt or suffering. Truly amazed.
Creativity brings happiness, energy and power
Are there days when you feel so inspired and so fueled by creativity that it almost overwhelms you? Sometimes I will find myself flipping through a magazine or perusing some website, and all of a sudden it’s like someone flipped the switch for my creativity. And they didn’t just flip the switch to ON, they turned it to the highest setting I’ve got. Do you know what I’m talking about? Holy cow, what a rush.
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So, what does creativity bring to your life? Do you identify with any of the themes that Linda listed in her article?
Connect and Survive: Using Creativity to Grieve
My heart is heavy as I write today. The beautiful spirit who I considered my second little sister, my parents’ saw as their third daughter, and who WAS and always will be my sister’s soul mate passed away this week. Jessica was a significant presence in our family and the sillyness and laughter and companionship will be missed. I’m not sure how to help fill this huge whole that is left in my sister’s world.
But, I definitely know how to make it better and maybe even a little easier - even if for just a few hours.
Expressing Yourself
Creativity has so many different meanings. One thing we can all agree on, though, is that creativity requires you to search within yourself. To be creative, you have to step back from your ego, silence the negative critic and find peace with your vision - whatever that vision is for you. Creativity requires the courage to express yourself freely. Could there be a better complement for the grieving process?
Connecting with Your Grief
Everyone grieves differently. But, just like that unifying aspect of “creativity,” it’s all about finding the comfort and courage to express yourself in whatever way is best for you.
So, yesterday Amy and I purged our pain and grief with creativity. We laughed, cried, smiled, reminisced and remembered Jessica with our creative spirit. We wanted to honor Jessica and also find a way to make this whole mourning process make sense. Our creation solidifies all the reasons I love scrapbooking. Memories are an amazing and wondrous force of nature.
Three simple sentences in Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way
One of the great misconceptions about the artistic life is that it entails great swathes of aimlessness. The truth is that the creative life involves great swathes of attention. Attention is a way to connect and survive.
Attention is a way to connect and survive…
Paying attention to our creative souls, Amy and I connected in order to survive yesterday. My sister has many hard days ahead, but I’m overcome with the joy that I could help her get through one of the harder ones with a little creativity.
We Love You, Jessica.
7 Soul-Searching Solutions for Satisfaction: An Introspective Path For Creative Development
“If you want to work on your art,
work on your life.”
-- Anton Chekhov --
One of the biggest mistakes people make as they venture into any kind of creative life is opting for a path that ultimately leaves them winding through unnecessary twists and turns, struggling to make it to their destination. The path to creativity is straight and smooth, and truly is an enjoyable process - enjoyable, that is, IF you understand the importance of some kind of basic map to help chart your journey. First and foremost, you must internalize the plans for a creative expedition, before you can ever hope to see them materialize.
{1} Shut Up and Listen to Yourself.
This may sound a bit on the schizophrenic side of things, but makes total (and rational) sense when you start to practice it.
Think of a time when you set out to create something - writing or painting or sewing - and you found yourself at serious crossroads. All the effort in the world, and still you got stuck in a rut. Next time, don’t try so hard.
The Crafty Conduit
As a writer, if I insist on too much control over the words I put down on my paper, my story will end up just as strained and as unnatural as I feel after such a tense process for writing.
To break free from this inhibited, self-conscious attitude, it is necessary to check your ego at the door. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to soak up the experiences around you and just listen. Your artistic craft becomes an exercise in revelation, a genuine vehicle for creative self-expression.
{2} No Debbie Downers Allowed
Once you’ve allowed yourself to ditch the self-important tone, the stream of possibilities and ideas will flow mightily. Don’t let the experience be overwhelming for you - be prepared.
With so many ideas freely flowing, you have to remember to let them do exactly that: flow freely. Don’t try and make sense of the creative brainstorm by trying to polish as you go. You might end up buffing out a thought that had more potential than any of those you kept - you just to didn’t give it the chance to develop.
I have to say it to myself over and over again, but it always helps me settle into the best creative mindset: “In order to be a good writer, I have to be willing to be a bad writer.” (Julia Cameron)
{3} Keep Your Heart Full of Patience
Knock out steps 1 and 2, and you’ve already made major progress on your creativity trek - you’re opening yourself to listen more than you dictate and direct, and you’ve become a true vehicle for self-expression. So, why in the hell do you feel like everything you’ve created is one grade above absolute crap?
Patience, my young Paduan.
I’m preaching patience? Man, I’m so not good at that one.
We all long to be swept away by our own creativity — enraptured by the process. I know I do. And, occasionally we do find ourselves blessed with these divine moments, but most of the time our best work does not come in one fell swoop with a pretty bow to tie everything together.
{4} Save the Drama for Your Mama - Then Use It
Cell phones, email, codependent family members, friends who think you’re Dr. Phil, deadlines, whining children, whining spouses — we have to combat quite a bit of noise in everyday life. Often, you’ll find it way too easy to let yourself be consumed by all the drama.
Instead, let the drama consume the keys as you type, the brush as you paint, the guitar as you compose.
Drama is often our excuse for avoiding creative action. That’s why it’s essential for you to make a conscious commitment: creativity now, drama later.
{5} Broccoli and Rock Stars are Key
Did I throw you for a loop on the title for this one?
This is something that I’ve posted about in the past - Anne Lamott’s concept for rediscovering how to listen to your own intuition and silence your inner critic. By continuing to ignore your broccoli and your rock star, your creativity will be shackled to the wall until you relinquish some control.
{6} Pay Attention to the World Around You
People who live creative lives are often some of the most curious souls you will encounter. They crave knowledge about anything and everything. And, as they collect these bits of input with each day and each new encounter, they gradually build up this eclectic grab bag to draw from in their own creativity.
In Jack Foster’s “How To Get Ideas,” his advice is to buy a notebook, not loose notebook paper, but a ledger that has more of a sense of permanence to it:
Then every day write in it something you’ve seen. Every day. It doesn’t make any difference what you see; only that you see something and record it…When your ledger is full, then sit down and read it. The start filling up another one. And another one. And another one. For the rest of your life.
{7} Have Fun Storming the Castle
Make everyday a fresh, new, exhilarating, crazy-scary, unique, fun adventure. Monotony and predictability stifle creativity. In fact, they are in mutually exclusive categories. If you run from a little randomness in your life, it becomes so difficult embrace creativity.
Attitude is everything. If you’re not having fun, then why are you here?
Creativity and Innovation Through Arts Education
Earlier this week, I interviewed Betsy Bradley, Director of the Mississippi Museum of Art. In the 30 minutes that we talk, her super sharp intellect is not intimidating like some. Instead, her graceful presence makes that vast knowledge and experience comforting.
During our conversation, I ask her about the museum’s role in educating the children in Jackson. {Years ago, Art and P.E. were taken out of the Jackson Public Schools system.} As she talked about feeling a responsibility to somehow close that gap a little, she noted this report from The Conference Board. I immediately knew that the right person was in the driver’s seat here at the museum.
This findings in this report titled Ready to Innovate: Are Educators and Executives Aligned on the Creative Readiness of the U.S. Workforce?, are many of the reasons I created this blog. Particularly the part in the report stating that…
…99% of the 155 surveyed school superintendents and 97% of the 89 surveyed employers believe that arts training — and, to a lesser degree, communications studies — are crucial to developing creativity. Yet, there is a fundamental gap between understanding this truth and putting it into meaningful practice.
Now for me, this is the saddest part about this whole problem. We know what we need to do to advance creative thought in future generations, but we aren’t doing it?!?!?
Thank goodness for people like Betsy Bradley, The Conference Board and many others who are determined to show Mississippi, and the world, just how important creativity is to our future.
