Choosing Not to Speak

I never really understood what a personal manifesto was; at one point and time I thought it referred solely to the Communist Manifesto. I also believed that any phrase containing the word "communist" was associated with the devil (gotta love 1930's propaganda). But now that I am a more educated, I realized that having a personal manifesto is essential for anyone who needs direction and or framework for attaining their life/career goals. It hit me when I saw Blogger and Creative Director Makinads speak about the "Blank Page Manifesto". The concept of this manifesto -according to contributor, Greg Christensen- is that a blank page is essential to the creative process and "to get good at anything. You have to start from the basics, in advertising that's called a great idea."

That idea really stuck with me. I interpreted Greg's statement as, "in order to develop your own manifesto you have to start on a clean page and dig into the basics, with the curiosity of a child. Your curiosity and mastery of the fundamentals will lead you into a new plateau of innovation and creativity.

With that in my head I am now focused on understanding the basics and not rushing my progress. I will periodically update my manifesto, adding concepts, ideas and basics that I feel needed for an aspiring copywriter.

Manifesto

1. Don't be afraid to ask dumb question you don't know
   

Some people say you should never ask a dumb question. But if you don't know the answer you're the one who is going to remain ignorant. If you want to succeed in life you are going to have to ask questions that others may deem simple and infantile. So be it. Deal with the embarrassment and learn.