I hear this said about a project we were pushing really hard to sell. The person who said it was trying to get the creatives to “lighten up” and stop making everyone crazy by fighting for better.

Read that again: “It’s all going to end up in a landfill anyway.”

Well sure it is if what you produce is garbage. And frankly, most of what this industry spits out is just that. It’s no wonder people hate advertising. But everyone loves a great idea, a great story, a beautiful image. Even if it just happens to be advertising.

Why? Because great work gives back. It could be a smile, a laugh, a provoked thought, a conversation starter, an interesting bit of information or simply a visual treat that doesn’t pollute the world around it.

Let’s just all agree now that we refuse to use our talents to annoy or steal people’s time or insult their intelligence.

Everything we do should give back. Our work, first and foremost.