Why you should go clubbing if you work at an agency

2292853 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:15:00 GMT

We all know that the day-in day-out work-a-day world of being in a creative agency is not always filled with euphoric moments of creative epiphany, and that's why nights and weekends should be for seeking out inspiration, sometimes in the form of wild, decadent good old-fashioned 90s-style night clubbing.

If you are pressured to consistently develop creative campaigns, be it digital or traditional, in advertising, marketing, public relations or social media, it is the world around you that is going to give you that jolt of insight for a client. For this I prescribe clubbing. Iggy Pop's song Nightclubbing should be ringing in your head now. Can you hear his lyrics about exploring urban delights until the wee morning hours?

However, your inspiration may come not from dull mega West End night spots, but from the pits of seedy grime in far flung postal codes. I'm thinking about this now, because I went out over the weekend for Halloween, but was a little surprised at the lack of outrageous costumes I found across London, clearly the clubbing generation has changed a lot from my 90s heydays. In fact, most people didn't bother to dress up at all.

I'm told that is because Halloween isn't really big in the UK, and that part (I'm a New Yorker living in London) is one of my cultural learnings here. So, being one of a handful of people who dressed to the nines for Halloween, and felt like more of a spectacle than I expected, I'm encouraging all the young creative people I know at agencies this week to go out clubbing, 90s-style and bring back some inspiration that might apply to a client campaign.

I'm showing my age, as I remember going out clubbing and finding the legendary "club kids" showing off like peacocks like Richie Rich, RuPaul and Amanda Lepore (who some of my friends affectionately nicknamed "Amanda Le Whore".) Back in the 90s club scene, nearly everyone would be out showcasing creativity with outfits, dancing and sometimes outrageous antics. My day job at the time was with a big agency, and unfortunately, a lot of the executives made fun of me for clubbing, as I'd get outted because it was awfully hard to get all the glitter off by Monday morning. Yet, many of those same executives dragged me into numerous brainstorming sessions, when they wanted some creative insight.

Now, mentoring junior creatives, I'm encouraging them to seek out the most creative night club scene they can find and come come back and report in Monday AM meetings. How can you be creative if you aren't living creatively?

Still creativly clubbing now and then,

-Lisa

*Photo of Richie Rich courtesy of Newyorksocialdiary.com

Sing along with Iggy Pop:

Nightclubbing we're nightclubbing
We're what's happening
Nightclubbing we're nightclubbing
We're an ice machine
We see people brand new people
They're something to see
When we're nightclubbing
Bright-white clubbing
Oh isn't it wild?
Nightclubbing we're nightclubbing
We're walking through town
Nightclubbing we're nightclubbing
We walk like a ghost
We learn dances brand new dances
Like the nuclear bomb
When we're nightclubbing
Bright white clubbing
Oh isn't it wild...

Autumn Fun Time in London

2292853 — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:04:00 GMT

Normal 0 Boo-a-licious, boo-tastic, boo-groovy, it looks like London is getting deep into haunted Halloween fun with everything from zombie crawls to trick or treating to space age mayhem.

If you like a good scare, Facebook seems to be the best place to search for Halloween happenings.

I’ll be joining friends for their Cosmic Disco celebration, a private party. The event will mix traditional Halloween fancy dress with a sci-fi theme, making for a Barbarella-esque experience. I’ll be there as a ghost from the future to present some of the live acts of the evening.

If you are looking for an original goodtime for Halloween, have a quick peek at these picks below:

oOOo

Sunday 26th October
World Zombie Day! - London

On Sunday 26th October a horde of zombies will gather at Marble Arch at noon. Then a slow, shuffle across town with stopping points along the way.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=32300487483
http://www.myspace.com/worldzombiedaylondon

oOOo
Wednesday 29th October
Happy Halloween Wednesday – The Optimist Society
Join the Optimists for some fancy dress trick or treating starting at Soho Square at 6.30pm. An evening of giving out free hugs, being nice to people and making them smile.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=85331830178
http://www.theoptimistssociety.co.uk

oOOo

Friday 31st October
Randy Ape’s & Fancy Dress Meetup Halloween Party
Dress up and dance from 7pm onwards at the Moose Bar. Get there early before we fill it up!
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=44209640560
http://www.meetup.com/london-fancy-dress-parties/

oOOo

Saturday 1st November
Dreams and Nightmares – Bring Stuff
Two rooms of good and evil, naughty and nice, righteous and disgusting! Tickets are £10 with all profits going to Camp Cando. Book quickly before they sell out!! The venue will be kept secret until the night with a meeting point near London Bridge.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=40591960154
http://www.bringstuff.com/2008/09/bring-dreams-and-nightmares-cmp-x/

Feeling creepy,

-Lisa

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Why you should go clubbing if you work at an agency

Autumn Fun Time in London