Risky Business

Most of us are in the ad business because we’re drawn to risk. The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat—and nothing in between. And if you’re like me, taking risks and then getting away with it, or better—succeeding because of it—can give you a sense of inflated confidence, like step No. 7 in drinking, when you think you’ve become bullet proof. I have found it is smarter—and safer—to take risks in advertising than in life, and somehow I’ve lived to tell about it, so far.

Like late this summer, when I find myself up in Harlem, hunkered down on a corner curb under the el with a couple of homeless dudes, drinking beers.