“Our world feels very heavy and more difficult than ever today, and we’re constantly having to embrace a tremendous amount of change … in order to stay relevant. We thrive on using these tensions, fueling our creativity and solutions for clients and consumers. It’s this warrior mentality that keeps me invested in what we do,” said DiNorcia.
Thankful for the joy of adland
People may grumble about the day-to-day of working at an agency. Long hours, tight deadlines, dealing with client demands are all cause for complaints, but it’s an industry that entertains people, one that (hopefully) brings joy.
“I’m thankful for play. It feels like we’re finally inviting it back into advertising in a broader way that neutralizes the self-importance of an industry that took itself too seriously for too long. I’m grateful that I get to work (play) with some real weirdos. The days are never boring and even when it’s challenging, it’s funny as hell,” said Natalia Fredericks, creative director at Party Land.
Advertising has allowed others to unlock a different way of thinking in their professional and personal lives. Jen Hruska, chief strategy officer at McGarrah Jessee, cites how advertising has empowered her to “be a proud nonlinear logic leaper,” to “hunt for the truth and shine a light on it … immerse herself in new categories and challenges,” and “get paid to have a POV.”
Ultimately this business is the “toy department of the business world,” according to Mike Barrett, co-founder and chief strategy officer at Supernatural. Despite the stress, Barrett recognizes he makes a living playing with ideas, words, design, pictures and technology.
Some are thankful to be in a creative industry, working the process and coming up with work that matters.
“The day-to-day chasing of creative excitement—one where the Wednesday afternoon nonsense ideas that excite us one day and die the next can be as much a part of our creative fulfillment, and arguably more important, than whatever runs on the Super Bowl or is anointed on a stage in France,” said Josh Fell, chief creative officer at Anomaly LA.
Anson Sowby, co-founder and CEO at Battery, is thankful to end the Zoom happy hours, Teams town halls and WebEx parties that came with the pandemic, and thankful to see his coworkers again, “even the smelly ones, the messy ones, and especially the crazy ones,” he said.
One respondent was even thankful for being laid off several years ago, because it helped land him in his current position.
“As unfortunate as it is, it gives you the opportunity to reconsider what you value and prioritize in this industry,” said Gordy Sang, co-founder and co-CCO of Quality Meats. “Plus, it can give you a nice kick in the tuchus to do things better.”
Thankful for the team and clients
Having coworkers you like and teammates you can count on is something everyone should be thankful for, and many praised their officemates.