07/15/25
“The person who makes something today isn’t the same person who returns to the work tomorrow.” – Rick Rubin
In creative work, especially fast-paced agency settings, we’re being pushed to go from idea to output like a bullet train. Before we can even flesh the thing out, we’re expected to arrive at the destination.
But advertising is about solving problems in unique or interesting ways. And, you can’t solve a problem in a new way if you don’t have the time to take in anything new.
Take this classic BMW headline:
In creative work, especially fast-paced agency settings, we’re being pushed to go from idea to output like a bullet train. Before we can even flesh the thing out, we’re expected to arrive at the destination.
But advertising is about solving problems in unique or interesting ways. And, you can’t solve a problem in a new way if you don’t have the time to take in anything new.
Take this classic BMW headline:
It’s the kind of line that only works when you’ve done the homework. When you’ve absorbed the brand, the audience, and the nuance so thoroughly, you can say something small about the performance that lands big.
Back in the day, creatives would go on-site to the factory. They’d walk the floor, talk to the engineers, and watch the assembly to understand exactly what made BMW’s process different from anyone else’s.
And that’s how it should be. Because creative work isn’t guesswork.
It requires time. To learn. To think. To question.
To return the next day as a more informed version of yourself who can write a headline we’re still talking about decades later.