What it takes to be a dream client.

Lee Clow, the creative mastermind behind Apple's Think Different commercials wrote this of Steve Jobs when he passed away: He was the most amazing person I have ever known. He was a genius. He was an innovator. He was the best client we ever had.

A new article in the New Yorker by Malcolm Gladwell suggests that Steve wasn't the true innovator. He was actually a tweaker. He know how to encourage, influence or intimidate people to create what it took to fulfill his

vision of the perfect product.

That wasn't always the smoothest process. An exchange between Steve and VIncent, the copywriter on the first iPad commercials.

“Well, what do you want?” Vincent shot back. “You’ve not been able to tell me what you want.”

“I don’t know,” Jobs said. “You have to bring me something new. Nothing you’ve shown me is even close.” Vincent argued back and suddenly Jobs went ballistic. “He just started screaming at me,” Vincent recalled. Vincent could be volatile himself, and the volleys escalated.

When Vincent shouted, “You’ve got to tell me what you want,” Jobs shot back, “You’ve got to show me some stuff, and I’ll know it when I see it.”

I'll know when I see it.

What's brewing at California State Parks.

So there I was camping at the beach. I was freezing after a morning surf session. And then drives by the Camp Host yelling out, "Free coffee." The coffee wagon was sponsored by Yuban Pacific Coast Blend. They donate to the California State Parks and the camp host serves it.

Of course, being the interactive copywriter that I am, I went to the Yuban site to look up the blend. No mention. Apparently the Pacific Coast Blend is available only through office supply stores and commercial vendors. It gets some bad reviews too taste wise.

Maybe that's why they're giving it away for free.

Tools of the trade.

Over the past year, I frequently found myself visiting the site of Duarte Design. (Confession: usually at midnight with a deadline looming, an educational way to procrastinate.) Headed by Nancy Duarte, Duarte Design is in the business of telling stories, usually through visual presentations.

After watching all the great videos and reading all the wonderful blog posts, I finally bought Nancy’s latest book, Resonate.

Let’s just say Resonate resonated with me. Unlike a lot of business communication books, this book really shows what happens behind the wizard’s curtain. Great presentations start with “the way it is.” They then present “how it could” be. My favorite part was where Nancy maps the presentations of master speakers like Steve Jobs and Martin Luther King. She pinpoints where tension and contrast of “the way it is” and “what could be” adds drama and emotional pull to each presentation.

What can I say? It's totally transformed the way I work.

She also reviewed the creative process. While a lot of this part wasn’t new, she reiterated the easy of working with stickie notes. While I have always been a fan of hanging work up and and white boards, I’ve had several long format assignments lately (books and videos) where I could put this to practice. I storyboarded each assignment entirely with pen and paper. While it is easy to type a script on a computer, it’s too linear. Working with stickies, index cards and paper makes it easier to move things around, edit and kill your babies.

Hello index card. Hello sharpie. Hello stickie note.

Analog, I love you. Again.

Wild Bears, Ponies and More: Five kick-ass call-to-actions for an email list.

Yup, an email list is still a great way to communicate with your most raving fans and fanatics. As an interactive copywriter, I'm always intrigued when I see an interesting call-to-action. So please, no boring “subscribe to our email list.” Give your would-be readers a tantalizing glimpse of what they’ll get in their inbox.

RedheadWriting

With a weekly feature called the Bitch Slap, Erika Napoletano tells it like it is and writes exactly what she's thinking about business, the web, and life.

Photojojo

Photojojo is a newsletter about "the best photo shiz anywhere." They feature fun photo equipment and fun copywriting, like, every day:  "We solemnly swear: No spam, not ever."

Chris Guillebeau

In the world of hack-your-life gurus, Chris Guillebeau stands out with great design and great writing in his Guide to Non-Conformity blog. Great call-to-action here.

Copylicious

Copylicious is a creative (and business-smart) copywriter. Can you tell?

Sarah J. Bray

Sarah J. Bray is strategic web designer who loves toast.  I love how she gives you the opportunity to sign up for just what you want.

Do you know of any great call-to-actions?

Every Call To Action Is a Winding Road: How not to integrate social media into print.

Real Simple magazine is one of two print publications I still subscribe to. (The other being Communication Arts.) Real Simple is nicely art directed and is full of tips for the not-so-domestic-goddess that I am.

Over the last few months, the advertisers have been going crazy with QR codes. This ad from Toms’s of Maine Simply White Toothpaste was no exception. But what, exactly do they want me to do?

If It Makes You Happy

First of all, if I like Tom’s of Maine  on Facebook, I’ll get a free download of a Sheryl Crow song. (Yes, the singer fits with the magazine’s demographics.)

Next below, I see a QR code. The call to action reads, “To find out what natural beauty means to Sheryl Crow, scan the mobile barcode with your smart phone.” Then it includes instructions on how to download a QR code reader app, including a url.

Wow, anyone who is so dedicated that they would download an app to read a QR code must be a passionate customer.

Then finally, in smaller print, the reader is invited to find out more about Tom’s on Facebook by clicking on the Sheryl Crow and Simply White tab on the Facebook page.

A Change Would Do You Good.

Threes call to action. That’s an awful lot going on. Just because you include a QR code doesn’t mean you should. A song from Sheryl. Sheryl’s thoughts on natural beauty. Shiny white teeth. What does Tom’s of Maine want me to remember? Social media gives us many options to have conversations with customers, but if we don't limit our options, the conversations just become a bunch of noise.

Why I do the co-working thang.

I had a work situation that many dream of. I owned my own business and could work from home and set my own hours. The work was fun and paid well.

The only problem was, I was going insane working at home alone.

I’ll admit it. I was lonely. I missed the camaraderie, creative brainstorming and design nerd conversation of an office.

That’s when I discovered co-working at the Hive.

The Hive bills itself as a flexible workspace for urban creatives. Here you’ll find a mixed group of small businesses. Start-ups. Photographers, PR folk. Social media. Non-profit. Web designers. Developers. And even the occasional interactive copywriter like myself.

Co-working was founded on the idea than even though cell phones and wireless internet liberates us from cubicles in corporate offices, the best human interaction still happens offline and in person.

Basically, if you're surrounded by new and interesting people, you will have new and interesting ideas and conversations.

Over the past two years, I have met so many inspiring and creative people, my approach to work has changed to be more open and collaborative. I have also broadened my client base and business has expanded with numerous referrals. Some exciting things:

  • Endlessly multiplying the number of people I team up with for projects.
  • Having my entire approach to work and creativity be challenged by an amazing individual who showed it’s possible to do good while doing good work.
  • Watching a young woman transform into a media powerhouse, conducting business on her own terms.
  • Laughing an entire afternoon while a designer tried to source local taxidermists for stuffed foxes and bears for a photo shoot.
  • Watching the daily ins and outs of a start-up as they grew, sought funding and changed their focus.
  • Savoring Tuesday morning coffees with friends, discussing life online and offline.
  • Learning how to be a connector, introducing people to each other so they can grow.
  • Witnessing a student evolve from a hard working intern to a much- in-design graphic designer.
  • Watch a solopreneur grow a successful online, learning to do much himself: social media, marketing, SEO, and sourcing manufacturing.
  • Watching an entrepreneur realign their work with their values.
  • Expanding my understanding of the creative process through a series of enlightening conversations with a successful illustrator.

If you Google “co-working San Diego” the Hive is right at the top.  But now there are several places where you can experience co-working in San Diego.

  • The Hive: Two locations in East Village. San Diego’s original co-working place.
  • Jelly: The co-working phenomenon that started it all. Jelly meets every other Friday at the Hive. Come by and co-work for free.
  • Hera Hub: Founded by Felena Hanson, Hera Hub caters to female business owners and entrepreneurs. Felana knows what women need (like bowls of M&Ms that I have to remove from my desk when I visit.) They’re moving to their new location this week.
  • 3rd Space: It's not a cult, yet. A 30-second walk from all of your favorite coffee-places. They hosted many TedX AFC follow-up events.
  • Co-Merge: I haven’t been here yet. But look at this patio: it’s to die for.
  • GravySD: It’s co-working for you North County Coastal peeps.
  • Kowork'n: It’s co-working for you North County Inland folk.

How to free yourself from digital distraction.

For a year or so I’ve been saying, I wish it were easy to turn the Internet off at home or in the office when I need to really focus on the task. Having the Internet just a click away makes it too easy to do everything but work.

Seth Godin suggested one solution to the problem: have one machine for work and one machine for Internet fun. (That’s probably the best incentive ever for getting an iPad.)

But then I found a solution perfect for me, the undisciplined interactive copywriter: Freedom. It’s a software that you download on your machine. You specify how many minutes (come on, go for it – hours) of freedom you want and then Freedom shuts down your Internet access – no Facebook, no Twitter, no email, no IM, no eBay. (Or tumblr, or Apartment Therapy, or Surfline.)

You’re alone with your own thoughts and you finally can get some work done.

Yes, you can access the Internet if you have too, but you’ll have to reboot your machine to do so. And yeah, that’s a pretty good deterrent for me.

Freedom is one of the best ways I’ve found to be more focused and mindful in my work.

How do you deal with digital distraction?

A creative kick in the ass.

Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. – Thomas Edison

For some interactive copywriters, art directors or graphic designers, coming up with a creative idea isn’t that hard. Executing it, however is another matter.

The 99% Conference is founded on the notion that there are plenty of conferences out there focused on inspiration. The reality is, some creatives need help making those ideas happen.

The 99% was the most thoughtfully planned conference I have ever attended. Since I want to actually remember what was said in each talk, I tried to sum each on up in just one phrase (pretty hard to do!) Here's a few:

Beth Comstock: You have to tell a story before you can sell a story.

Linda Rottenberg: Stalking is an under-rated start-up tactic. If someone asks you if are you crazy, take it as a compliment.

Laura Guido Clark on self-realization: You can't ask a client to do something that you haven't asked yourself.

Andrew Zuckerman: Asking someone to engage with your project is asking a lot. You can’t get to wonderful without going through okay first.

Simen Senick: A spirit of generosity, what can I do for that person, is a new way to conduct business.

Scott Belsky: Organization can be a key competitive advantage for creatives.

And perhaps my favorite which came via Dr. Michael Johnson: Pain is temporary. Suck is forever.

Do you want to be involved in projects that you don't respect the integrity of?