Epictetus on advertising: a Stoic approach to breaking in while locked down
Elliott Starr, Senior Copywriter and Chief Talent Hunter at 20something, explains that if you want a job in the industry formerly known as advertising, all is not lost. The old teachings of Greek philosopher Epictetus can be a new way to succeed in a post-Corona world.
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Breaking into advertising has always been tough. It’s a great industry that offers a plethora of interesting jobs for minds that want to be challenged.
Role demand is high, candidate supply is high and role competition is fierce, but after the economic shockwave of Covid-19, breaking in is, in the words of Peaky Blinders' Alfie Solomons, fucking biblical. We’re seeing armies of industry creatives make decent, wholesome efforts to keep aspiring creatives motivated, and so we should. We’re talking about people who have invested huge amounts of time, money and energy in an education that prepares them for a professional world that doesn’t currently exist.
Role demand is high, candidate supply is high and role competition is fierce... breaking in is, in the words of Peaky Blinders' Alfie Solomons, fucking biblical.
If my parents had decided to enjoy their youth a little more, and I had been born just a little later, I’d be in exactly the same boat, and no amount of Tony Robbins-esque chanting, ranting or visualising would change it. That’s the painful truth. No matter how hungry you are and how badly you want to break into advertising, you can’t control the ‘world-pausing’ effect of Covid-19. But it’s this painful reality which brings me back to a philosophy which has got me through my own troubling times in the past. If you’re trying to break into advertising now, I think it can be of use for you too, and it all has to do with this gentleman named Epictetus.
Epictetus was a Stoic philosopher and all round pretty smart guy. A long time ago, he said this: “The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own…” — Epictetus, Discourses, 2.5.4–5
Epictetus was a Stoic philosopher and all round pretty smart guy.
Which, when run through our ‘what does that mean in modern, normal person speak’ computer, roughly translates as: “Only concern yourself with what you control. You can’t always control what happens, but you can always control how you respond.”
The thing you can’t control is Coronavirus. The brakes on you career is Coronavirus. But you can control how you respond.
So, with that in mind, I wanted to try my best to offer some advice to people currently trying to break into a very topsy-turvy advertising world. It isn’t a magic bullet, it won’t eradicate Coronavirus, or get your phone ringing with job offers overnight but, hopefully, it is something, and something is almost always better than nothing.
Buried in those wise words from Epictetus is a way forward for aspiring creatives. The thing you can’t control is Coronavirus. The brakes on you career is Coronavirus. But you can control how you respond. So, how do you respond? Ok, so thanks to Coronavirus:
- many agencies are quiet.
- you’re not on placement.
- you can’t visit agencies.
- all the freedom and excitement of living on your own while you studied has potentially now been traded back in for living with your parents and watching The Chase every day.
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But that also means:
- many agency creatives have more time on their hands.
- you have a lot more time on your hands.
- you’re not paying for pricey train, tube and bus tickets.
- you’re not paying for the cheapest sandwiches at Pret (pretty sure that's still egg and cress).
And therein lies the thing you can control: time
Looked at in a slightly skewed way, you could say lockdown has given you a gift, the gift that, if invested wisely, keeps on giving - ole’ Señor Tiempo.
For most of us in the industry, breaking into advertising was such an exciting, hot, sticky mess that we didn’t take the time to truly think about why we wanted in, what long-term impact we wanted to have, and where might be best for us to professionally live, to try and have said impact. Sure, you could be like us and try to figure it all out as you go. But you could also sit and ponder it now. It certainly beats watching Homes Under the Hammer. Looked at in a slightly skewed way, you could say lockdown has given you a gift, the gift that, if invested wisely, keeps on giving - ole’ Señor Tiempo.
You can use this time to truly reflect on and begin your mission; on why you want to get into advertising, and how and where you are going to do it. There are hundreds of agencies in London, and like any relationship, not all of them are going to be right for you.
Try practicing Toyota’s 5 Why’s on why you want to get into advertising.
So, it can be of huge value to use this time to tune your mind and your folio to the sort of job you want, at the sort of agency you want, so that when life returns to new-normal, you can start building the career you want. Here’s a way you could do that:
1. Figure out why you truly, specifically want to get into this industry.
No one is doubting you want to. But right now it’s more likely a gut feeling and emotional urge than a crystal clear vision. To get to that, try practicing Toyota’s 5 Why’s on why you want to get into advertising. That looks a little like this:
Why do I want to get into advertising? [Answer]
Why is that important? [Answer]
Why is that important? [Answer]
Why is that important? [Answer]
Why is that important? [Answer]
Try to get to a mission statement for yourself. A tagline, if you will. You don't need to share it with anyone. It's just for you, to help you focus.
2. Armed with that mission statement, follow the Pareto Placement protocol. You are only going to break into advertising once, so, do it right.
- Define what ‘good work’ means to you.
- See people you respect...
- ...who are making the lion’s share of good work...
- ...at agencies you respect...
- ...that want to teach you...
- ...and are good teachers...
- ...that help you bring your mission statement to life.
3. Now you have what Tim Ferriss might call a 'Tribe of Mentors'. It’s time to build a relationship with them.
Try to establish regular check-ins with them, roughly every two weeks, with new work that’s informed by their guidance. Luxuriate in the modern technology that is Zoom et al.
Placements come as a result of relationships.
I’m yet to meet someone who got all their placements simply by sliding their first attempt at a portfolio across a desk. In the wake of Coronavirus, that certainly isn’t going to change. Placements come as a result of relationships; seeing the same faces, at the same places, and repeating that exposure to build their emotional investment in you.
Like any brief you’d tackle in an agency, you have to consider your competitors.
So, to sum up, this advice doesn’t guarantee placements, but it is something you can control and it does turn a problem you can’t solve into one you can. That’s what being a creative is all about, and it doesn’t only have to exist on your layout pad. Like any brief you’d tackle in an agency, you have to consider your competitors. In your case, that’s other aspiring creatives. Right now, they likely can’t get placements either.
But the odds are if you’re doing this during lockdown, and they aren’t, when the agency cogs start turning and agencies start scouting for new talent, it’ll be your foot through the door first. And, what’s more, it’ll be a door to a building that is right for you and your mission.
