We’ve all thought it: If only I worked at so-and-so, my genius would be recognized and I’d churn out award-winning work. But you don’t have to work at so-and-so. Here are some workarounds to getting your best ideas realized right where you are.

What can I say? I needed the money. My kids were small, my own agency had just ground to a halt, and I needed a job--tomorrow. The phone rang. A headhunter told me about a place that wanted me for a ton of money and I could start right away. The only catch: It was a dreadful, dreadful advertising agency. Walking into its reception was like entering a scene in a horror movie. It wasn’t blood on the walls that broke me out in a cold sweat; it was the ads.

If you work in the creative industries, or you’re trying to break into them, then you’ve probably watched some industry legend swagger onstage to dish out career advice. Their life story almost certainly went like this: They got their first job at the hottest shop in the world. They kept working there for years earning the square root of nothing. Then they took a creative director role somewhere amazing, before setting up their own world-dominating company. Well, not everybody can do that. By definition, half the companies in any industry are below average. And somebody has to work at them. For a while, one of those somebodies was me.

You will search in vain for that job on my LinkedIn profile; I don’t admit to ever having been there. But when I emerged six months later, I’d got some decent print work out the door and won them their first-ever major award. I’d also learned a lot about the differences between a good company and a bad one - they’re not what you might think.

1. WORK AS IF YOU LIVE IN THE EARLY DAYS OF A BETTER COMPANY

“Work as if you live in the early days of a better nation.” These words are carved in stone on the wall of the Scottish Parliament. They’re also pinned up above my desk as I’m writing this. If you’re working in a dump, you don’t have to work as if you’re in a dump. Form a startup in your own head. Write a manifesto. Keep showing up for work in the same building, but follow the ideals of your invisible hotshop.

Nancy Vonk is a partner at Swim, a coaching company for creative directors. She recommends creating your own “micro climate” within your company. “Another terrible brief? Find out the business problem. Pull together a group and brainstorm. Go for diversity--somebody who ‘isn’t creative’ from finance, an intern with fresh eyes and an inability to edit themselves. Even ‘terrible’ clients recognize and prize great ideas, in my experience. If going rogue means great work, forgiveness is usually a given."

You’re not the only frustrated talent in the place. There will be plenty of recruits to your startup-within-a-terrible-agency. Find a few and you will already be working in the early days of somewhere better.

2. GOOD COMPANIES AREN’T MORE TALENTED. THEY’RE MORE TENACIOUS

Today, James Bond is the best-known fictional character in the world. How could you go wrong making a James Bond movie? Simple. Give in to every suggested improvement. That’s what happened to the first attempt to make a Bond movie. I can imagine the meeting now:
“Bond is too English for our audience. Let’s make him American. ‘James’ is kinda stuck-up as a name. ‘Jimmy’ is more down-to-earth. The book character is a bit of a psycho. I know! Let’s make him smile all the time."

Nod. Scribble. Nod.

Watch this clip and see the difference a few helpful changes can make.

3. “THIS SH*T DOESN’T HAPPEN AT DRO5A”

There’s always somebody walking round every company saying something like this. They imagine a perfect office where folks just swan in off the street waving a checkbook and asking you to win awards on their behalf. Naturally, they have never worked at such a place, but their friend has. Don’t be that person.

One day you will work somewhere great. And there will still be people walking round saying, “This shit doesn’t happen at Dro5a.” One day you may work at Dro5a. And I expect that exactly the same snafus happen there. When they do, I bet that somebody will say, “This shit doesn’t happen at Wieden.”

The place where “this shit doesn’t happen” only exists in the minds of bitter people. If you must deal with them, then avoid thinking like them. It’s tempting early in your career to look cool and cynical. Nothing will turn you into a hack faster.

4. MOONLIGHT

David Ogilvy moonlighted. Many of his most famous ads were done outside of his day job. Sometimes he was paid cash. He boasted that his ads for Holiday magazine earned him some “magnificent china lamps.” If Ogilvy, a tony pipe-smoking adman with his name above the door of one of the biggest networks on earth could still bang out cracking work on the weekends, then so can you. For many years, an informal team of creatives at Ogilvy ran a whole national gym account in their spare time. I was one of them. I think ol’ Dave would have approved.

5. YOUR BEST OPPORTUNITY IS SITTING IN FRONT OF YOU

Co.Create recently published a list of clients that creative people most wanted to work on. From one angle, it was a disappointing list. Because it was a list of great brands. Where’s the challenge in working on a brand that somebody else has made great? When I started working on ads for IBM, technology advertising was a geek ghetto. The action was all in beer. It meant that there were no rules, few expectations, and if you did a decent piece of work, people sat up and took notice.

If you come out of the elevator this morning and think, “If only I had an Apple brief I could do something great,” then you may have a long wait coming.

Whatever you’re working on today, you have an opportunity to make it really stunning. And if you’re working on something that seems dull, then people should be all the more impressed when you nail it brilliantly. And if you’re being held back by the terrible place you work, then start up a new place in your mind.

Head to your desk this morning as if you work in the early days of a better company. And I promise, you will.

This article first appeared in FastCo Design.

Brian Millar is strategy director at Sense Worldwide.

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Inspired by zeitgeist-surfing success of Improv Everywhere and the subsequent copying and rehashing by less talented and unimaginative groups and brands, Improv Nowhere regularly organises stunts where no one turns up, passers-by remain undisturbed and toes remain uncurled.

Over the last year or so, Improv Nowhere has left public spaces like railway concourses and shopping centres free of flash-mobs, fake arguments and synchronised embarrassment.

Often, members of Improv nowhere will turn up in individually, blending in with the unsuspecting public. Then they'll spontaneously continue to go about their business just as though they had a genuine reason for being there instead of being driven by a desperate desire for attention in life.

Only last month in the run-up to Christmas, Improv Nowhere organised a no-show at Bluewater, the UK's busiest shopping mall.

Improv Nowhere's audacious Bluewater no-show

One shopper remarked, "I was just trying to find a shirt for my dad when all of a sudden a group of hitherto hidden drama students and semi-employed decided not to burst into a tired song and dance routine, while not being filmed on a handful of Canon 5D's, some not capturing the tired incredulity of onlookers. It was really refreshing actually. I was half-expecting random strangers to start walking around with no trousers on - it would have been hilarious. 3 or 4 years ago."

Improv Nowhere spokesperson Jenny Wilson said, "As soon as I saw the flashmob sequence on the BBC's "Young Apprentice", I knew it was something I'd always wanted to avoid. It's definitely an idea whose time had come. And then gone quite swiftly afterwards."

Improv Nowhere (not pictured)

“Logistically it's a challenge trying to prevent over-eager students and people old enough to know better from emerging into a half-arsed dance number that's been done to death already."

"Spontaneity is key. We practice practice practice until we have our spontaneity down pat. Then it's simply a case of seeing what every other ambient campaign has done and organising everyone to not turn up or do anything.”

More non-events are planned. Jenny adds, "Not doing the whole of Gangnam Style dressed as the clergy is a real favourite. We're thinking of not flash-mobbing the Tube as 80's videogame characters and not making people cringe in public spaces all over the UK."

A lot of extremely credible, and no doubt, scientifically-tested rules that apply to horror movie survival can be used to ensure our own advertising industry longevity.

I'll get back to that in a minute. First, we must be aware of another potentially scary situation…

Years ago, a software program became capable of doing our job. Well, kind of. It produced mass quantities of ad ideas – all in blandly-adequate fashion. Acceptable creativity in ten seconds. About two coffee or martini sips worth of creative team time.

Is creativity merely an algorithm? Can a machine do that thing that not even strategists can realistically explain with a set formulaic definition? I've actually seen it defined with whimsical hand movements placed mid-sentence.

BETC Euro RSCG Worldwide, creators of the Creative Artificial Intelligence (CAI) technology, determined the software is only so clever. It's built with existing creative connections. Thankfully, enlightened humans are still superior. CAI was an experiment to demonstrate just that.

...But don't let your guard down quite yet. That's rule number one in advertising survival.

1. The moment you get comfortable and complacent is the moment you become obsolete. Think about it. If your "character" is not contributing to the main plot, you are potential prey. (Especially if you go off on your own, mock someone on the team, or live in Maine.)

2. The junior creatives are always right behind you. Always. They're hungry and they don't sleep. (Encourage them and let them inspire you. Seriously, you really don't want them turning on you.)

3. Anything you think you know about advertising you probably don't. The rules are always changing. Go with it. Arm yourself with current knowledge and collaborate with other creatives. (Whatever you do, do not take that shortcut you heard about from one of the locals. It never ends well.)

4. If an idea is dead, don't assume it's going to stay dead. An ambitious idea always has one last shot at reality. Theoretically, it could resurface at any time – with more power. Ideas love to avenge their own deaths. And, idea sequels are always in the works. (If the idea has access to a hockey mask get the hell out of there.)

5. Do not try to unmask creativity. It shows up where it wants, when it wants. It's everywhere and nowhere. It laughs maniacally and probably hangs out in a sweet lair during it's downtime. Whatever it is, it's certainly not a single software program. (Sooner or later, in a shocking orchestra-crescendoed plot twist, you'll realize it was actually you all along.)

Advertising enthusiast, idea-driven creative, relentless pursuer of insight Jennifer Hohn is a Senior Art Director at Vladimir Jones in Denver. This piece is cross-posted from Jennifer's blog.

Remote cabin, Chile

The last time you were in a place with no cell phone reception or where electronic devices were prohibited – were you anxious or secretly relieved? If you felt a creeping sense of relief at being given permission to have a break from the incessant pull of your digitally connected lifestyles then you are not alone.

In the latest Lowe Counsel Future Sign we explore the concept of 'New Esc', which looks at how people are increasingly seeking time away from the intensity of a hyper-connected and crowded world. This trend is being driven by a range of factors, from the rise in urban population, information overload, search for meaning and unique experiences, which are all fueling the demand for physical and mental escape and space. It's important to understand that New Esc is not about a new Luddite rejection of technology; it's about finding better ways to manage it so we remain its master and not its servant.

Digital Detox holiday

Understanding the Impact of Hyper-connected Lives

We are only beginning to see the implications of living with constant connectivity. While younger generations cannot even comprehend the possibility of being online not being an integral part of everyday life for many the transition has not been without its challenges. The constant stimulation of multiscreen reality means that we are seldom alone or un-stimulated and this is seen as having negative as well as positive psychological effects on productivity. Kelly McGonigal, health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University explains: “It's this basic cultural recognition that people have a pathological relationship with their devices. People feel not just addicted, but trapped.”

Digital Crack: Online Addiction

Experts are already warning of the addictive power of technology. The constant stimulation in the form of digital pings and updates stimulates chemicals in the brain, which create a physical craving that can be damaging and can even lead to addiction. As Dr. Gary Small, director of the UCLA Longevity Center at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior explains: "The same neural pathways in the brain that reinforce dependence on substances can reinforce compulsive technology behaviors that are just as addictive and potentially destructive." Teaching people to regularly disconnect is becoming vital for personal mental health and business productivity.

David Lynch - Silencio

The Rising Demands of the 'Always on' Workplace

Our obsession with being constantly connected is in part being fueled by employers. Alexis Madrigal, writing for The Atlantic questions: “Are we addicted to gadgets or indentured to work? Much of our compulsive connectedness… is a symptom of a greater problem, not the problem itself." Employees are now expected to work longer hours with growing numbers going home still tethered to devices, which constantly send them emails and messages. A survey conducted by Xobni, an email and contact management company, found that 68% of American adults check their work emails during holidays, with 79% of those polled saying they receive emails from clients or colleagues during this time. According to McKinsey Quarterly Report: “Always-on, multitasking work environments are killing productivity, dampening creativity, and making us unhappy.”

Remote cabin, Sweden

The Power of Being Out of Reach

In our over-connected world being alone or un-contactable is emerging as a modern luxury. The last few years have seen a dramatic rise in 'sanctuary spaces', from technology free venues to digital free islands, with many leading edge luxury spaces using 'no reception' as an added value. Increasingly we are seeking space and time away from the constant demand and chatter of technology.

Eva Restaurant deposit box

Embracing Silence

As Leonardo da Vinci famously proclaimed:“Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence.” People are learning to appreciate quiet time for inspiration and contemplation. Earlier this year David Lynch's Silencio hosted the 'In Praise of Slowness Salon'. Lynch in partnership with the Maharishi Foundation is introducing Quiet Time, where students practice transcendental meditation to awaken their creativity and intelligence, into more than 350 partner schools around the world. As we learn to appreciate silence and contemplation, consumers and brands are realizing the power of daydreaming in boosting creativity and innovation.

Telia internet-free zone

Creating New 'Space’

Progressive companies are recognizing that employees need mental space in order to be creative and make better business decisions. According to New York research brand Basex, half of a knowledge worker's day entails managing information, which causes 'a loss of ability to make decisions, process information and prioritize tasks'. Web consultancy firm Netlife Research have introduced a new monastery-style space at work, designed as a space for employees to seek refuge for contemplation. Google allows employees to take 20% of the time to work on their own projects, or to simply do whatever they want. Some companies are even paying workers to take vacations to avoid burnout.

Remote cabin, Washington

Tech-free time out

Companies are gradually becoming more aware of digital on and off time and are implementing new procedures to ensure employees are taking technology-free time outs. Volkswagen has rewired employees' Blackberrys to stop receiving work emails 30 minutes after their shifts ended, while W Hotels in New York is introducing technology-free Fridays to encourage 'greater communication and creativity among the team'. As part of his Invisibility Project, artist and designer Thomas Stevenson has created 'analogue armor', which is lined with anti-electromagnetic fabrics to prevent electronic devices from working. There has been a rise in campaigns and offers to promote healthy breaks from technology. There is even an annual ‘National Day of Unplugging’ organized by think-tank Reboot who campaigned at this years SXSW, setting the Recordsetter.com world-record for the most people to power-down their devices at the same time.

The Rise of Digital Free Spaces

It's not just in the workplace where people are seeking digital detox. Digital connection is banned in most private members clubs and we are now seeing this practice being adopted by other public spaces such as shops and hotels. US outdoor clothing brand Weatherproof opened its New York store recently with a 'leave your Blackberry at the door' policy, while the Eva Restaurant in L.A. offers customers a 5% discount for leaving their phone with the receptionist during the meal. According to Mark Gold, chef and owner of Eva Restaurant: “We want people to connect again. It’s about two people sitting together and just connecting, without the distraction of a phone, and we’re trying to create an ambiance where you come in and really enjoy the experience and the food and the company.”

Digital Detox Apps

Paul Butler Facebook visualisation

People are now even using technology to take breaks from technology itself. Digital Detox is a free app inspired by Adbuster’s Digital Detox week, which disables a user’s phone for a specified period of time. Similarly the Pomodoro app aims to maximize productivity by instructing you to take a break from work every 25 minutes. The Freedom app can be set to block Internet access for up to eight hours to allow users time for offline productivity. Anti-Social is another productivity application that disables access to social media sites. The RescueTime app monitors where you spend time online, forcing you offline at certain times. It claims to rescue an average of four hours of productive time per person per week. Taking the approach a step further sees Swedish telecoms provider Telia launch an application allowing customers to disable the Internet for a set time at home, which also has the benefit of being a cost cutting strategy. The company also created physical isolation pods around Sweden called 'Internet-free zones', which people could visit to disconnect from their devices. As Kelly McGonigal, health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University suggests: “We need to find ways to make it [digital technology] as nourishing as possible, as we try to do with our diets, and not just turn to what’s easiest.”

Digital Escapes

Photo credit: Eric Valli

It's not just in the digital realm that people are seeking escapes. From camping to retreats, there is a growing trend for vacations from digital technology that is emerging, allowing people to reconnect with themselves and return to the digital world charged. As part of their digital-detox vacation package St. Vincent and the Grenadines is asking travelers to leave their technology at home. The package includes an onsite life coach who offers advice on how not to let technology control one’s life. There is also the growing appeal of visiting virgin territory. The combination of isolation and the purity of the surroundings are becoming aspirational to a global generation of urban dwellers. A Style Magazine journalist in Sao Paulo reveals: “People are now traveling to spend time with the Xingu, (one of the few indigenes tribes who have remained in Brazil) to live by their rules and be isolated from the modern world.” Glen Morris, writing for BBC, points out: "These days the Arctic, and to a large extent the Antarctic, has become a playground for the wealthy holiday maker."

Living off the Grid

Once only for extremists and hippies, living 'off grid' is also becoming increasingly popular and aspirational. The trend reflects the fact that many consumers in the west are moving away from acquisition culture; buying fewer things, adopting new methods for self-sufficiency. According to US Home Power magazine, there are now 750,000 living off-grid compared to 180,000 five years ago. While the New Esc trend continues to gather converts it's interesting to see that the latest trend on the Internet is to step away from the Internet.

Republished with the kind permission of Lowe Counsel.