Gabberissue #22: Mind Control
Artwork: Hamish Steptoe
Words: Ellen Fromm
“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” - Jiddu Krishnamurti
Advertising may not be rocket science or brain surgery, but I don’t hear anyone arguing with me when I say our industry is stressful. The most recent Mentally Healthy report suggests that we have some of the worst mental health statistics out of all industries. Yep, all of the industries. It seems we’ve become adjusted to our profoundly sick industry and are only starting to acknowledge the changes we need to make.
2021 is my seventh year of ads and, funnily enough, my seventh year dealing with the repercussions of burnout. Looking back, I was burnt out before I began. So of course my anxious brain and strung out adrenal glands didn’t stand a chance against the “work hard, play hard, three coffees a day” lifestyle. And since burnout so often shadows creative industries, I know I’m not alone. Our industry is brilliant, but it can leave you sucked dry. We all crawled to the end of 2020, toward the promise of sleep ins and sun tans. We rested. We remembered what being human actually feels like. And then, we sat back down at our computers... If the exhaustion is already seeping back in, keep reading my friends.
The way I see it, we run brain marathons day after day. As creative people (this refers to everyone who works in advertising), our brains are our jobs. Our brains are idea factories. Yet so often we forget to look after our beautiful brains. We forget to eat because we have back to back meetings. We forget to breathe because the emails don’t stop coming in. We knock back coffees to wake up - or to just reach a level where we can simply function. Then we throw back beers to come back down. Maybe this works for you. I found out the hard way that it doesn’t for me.
Over the last few years my own health issues have forced me to face my burnout and start building myself back from rock bottom. During that time I’ve learnt so much about both mental and physical health and in doing so, I’ve built up a super cool tool kit to draw on when things get “pitch-level-crazy”. For me, these tools feel like mind control. Sleep, movement, good nutrition, a swim in salt water - sounds sooo basic but when I get these basics right, my brain is happy and my body isn’t all tense and weird. When I get these basics right, I’m also so much better at my job.
So when Jess asked me to guest edit this edition, I thought it would be the perfect chance to explore the tools other Creatives draw on when it comes to their own ‘mind control’. This edition is full of tips to stay in a good headspace in the face of rejection, stress and burnout from the wonderful people I’ve met on the road back from burnout. It’s a bit different from previous editions, but hopefully there’s something for everyone...
This month’s Gift of the Gabberer, Cassie Roma shares with us the business case for kindness, empathy and compassion.
In Team Talk, Nick and Liz explore how they support each other on a daily basis.
Marique Knight, agency producer turned Integrative Health Practitioner, shares the things she wished she knew sooner. Think of it as a guide for how not to burn out.
Bit on the Side brings us Colenso BBDO ECD, Maria Devereux’s mindfully cross stitched Craftivism.
Jamie Lawrence, Director at eight, shares what resilience means to him.
ECD at True, Tim Huse, shares how he helps the teams he manages manage their mental health.
realgood wellbeing get real with us about how we can successfully bring wellbeing into the office.
Colenso BBDO creative duo, Kat and Holly, give us an insight into how they undo the ‘daily damage’ of ads.
Finally, if all that reading is just too much, Nathan Reynold’s has created a 60 minute yin yoga class for us. The perfect antidote to our busy lives.
And before you say, “Pfft, I don’t have time for this”, I didn’t think I had time for it either. We’re all time poor. So this edition is full of quick, simple tools to help you master your mindset, build resilience and help you create brain space for the things that are actually important.
And if you’re still saying ,“Pfft”, get this - when our brains are in a positive state we’re 31% more productive. How’s that for a business case?
Ellen is a senior copywriter who has just finished a stellar three years at Colenso BBDO Auckland. She is picking up to head North, starting at AKQA Amsterdam later this month.
