Jul 01

Chase Jarvis CURRENT: The Consequences of Creativity

I was recently invited to speak to the Art Director's Club of Denver and the ASMP about creativity, and subsequently delivered that keynote two weeks ago. This video is a recording of that talk. Hope it strikes a chord with you.I had a blast connecting with some of the creative community in Denver/Boulder while I was in town, and it was also a great honor to judge your annual advertising awards show with some rather... read more ›
Jun 29

Fake Photojournalism Wins

Two French students were awarded the annual Grand Prix du Photoreportage Etudiant last week to honor a photographic story that presented images documenting the precarious lives of students today and the things they must do in order to survive and succeed.The only catch is that the entire story was a fake.And during the award ceremony, the two "winners"--Guillaume Chauvin and Remi Huberr, art students at the Ecole Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs of Strasbourg--instead of claiming... read more ›
Jun 24

Irrelevant Award-Chasers

Jeff Goodby, pilot of the mighty Goodby, Silverstein & Partners advertising agency has rightly said of the advertising industry: "We've created a system that rewards work that is increasingly unknown to anyone outside the business. We have become connoisseurs of esoterica. And in the process, we're becoming more about us, and less about changing the world. We are becoming irrelevant award-chasers. Sure, some of the best things we make nowadays are internet experiences with necessarily... read more ›
Jun 23

Your Photos Are Boring

Sorry, someone had to say it.Your photos are predictable. Your insights are recycled. You don't bring surprise with you when you come back from working on location.That's why people are ignoring you.Which used to be fine, because people used to not be able to find other photographers. You could just sit back on your past work, or your agent, or your portfolio. But that half-price sale on attention is now over.The only path left is... read more ›
Jun 22

Subversive Winner: Make A Music Video With Surveillance Cameras

I missed this when it came out last month, but I'm smitten with the concept and decided it must be shared. Regardless of whether you like the track or not... Reminds us why art and new media is so freaking cool. From The Future of Media: "The band set up their music equipment, from microphones to drum kit, in eighty different locations, including buses and what appear to be taxi cabs, and then requested... read more ›
Jun 14

Banksy Vs. Bristol Museum: New “Secret” Exhibit Takes Over

One of my favorites, the legendary street artist, Banksy, has "secretly" taken over the city museum in his hometown of Bristol. In a rare statement, Bansky said: "The people in Bristol have always been very good to me - I decided the best way to show my appreciation was by putting a bunch of old toilets and some live chicken nuggets in their museum...This is the first show I’ve ever done where taxpayers’ money... read more ›
Jun 11

Someone’s Got to Be First

In any discipline, it's tough to be first. The first guy to make a battery powered car, the first first gal to wear combat boots with a babydoll dress, or the first guy to eat 50 hotdogs in 10 minutes. People may laugh at you. They might even point and laugh. In the world of creativity, it's especially tough. Not physically hard, but emotionally hard; hard to have the cajones to lay it out... read more ›
Jun 11

Art & Copy Trailer

If you're a photographer, filmmaker, CD or AD and interested in advertising work, and/or if you've enjoyed Doug Pray's previous documentary films Hype!(about Seattle Grunge) or Scratch (about DJ Culture), you'll want to check out his new one, Art & Copy.A synopsis: "ART & COPY reveals the stories behind and the personal odysseys of some of the most influential advertising visionaries of our time and their campaigns, including Lee Clow (Apple Computer 1984, and... read more ›
Jun 10

ADCD Talk Reminder + Chase Jarvis SOCIAL

A couple times each year I tear myself away from making stuff and blowing it and getting run over by cars for long enough to do a couple keynote talks. One of those times is this Friday in Denver. Open to the general public. Focus is on creativity. Thanks to the Art Directors Club of Denver for hosting.What: Chase Jarvis Keynote AddressDate: Friday, June 12Time: 6pm gather, 7pm startLocation: Denver Newspaper AuditoriumDetails: www.ADCD.comTickets available here.... read more ›
Jun 01

When Was the Last Time?

Just sitting here asking myself this question, which makes me want to ask you the same one. When was the last time you shot something for the first time?Get out there and shoot something new. Break your mold. Report back. --