The Consumer Republic: Sein Of The Times

One of the hoariest cliches in the ad business is the copywriter with a half-finished novel buried in his desk drawer. By day, he devotes his talents to shilling for bathroom cleaner and athletic shoes; by night, he labors with love to write the Great American Novel. Of course, these days the manuscript in the drawer is much more likely to be a movie script, but the scenario still holds. Whether it’s the art director who paints in the barn studio of her weekend home or the commercial director who yearns for the broader canvas of a feature film, the fantasy of artistic freedom still tantalizes.
For those who still treasure this dream, here’s my advice: Get over it.