CB Q&A with Damon Stapleton about his debut book – Campaign Brief WA

After 10 years of writing Damonsbrain.com, which appears exclusively on Campaign Brief, Damon Stapleton, co-founder and CCO of The Monkeys Aotearoa, has published a book entitled Keep shooting until you see the wankers smoking.

Stapleton’s book is now available on Amazon.com. Grab a copy HERE.

Campaign Brief recently caught up with Damon to learn more about the book…

Hey Damon, let’s go back to the beginning. Why did you start writing Damonsbrain.com in the first place?

When I started blogging 10 years ago, I felt like there were a lot of voices in the industry speaking for creatives. They were explaining what creativity was, but of course they had never done anything in their lives. I called them the internet class back then. Professional critics who never make mistakes because they don’t do anything. That made me angry. I know how scary and weird it can be when you’re creative. I wanted to see if anyone else felt the same way. Thankfully, I was definitely not alone.

Has this position changed over the years?

Yes and no. I still write about what it feels like to be creative, but I also started writing a lot more about creativity. Everyone uses the word, but I think very few people understand what it can do or what it is. I started getting really interested in how and why ideas come about. As much as the world tries to make creativity predictable, creativity will never be the matrix, it will always be the flaw. A beautiful, perfect flaw that we should protect.

Tell us something about the book and the title?

Well, the title comes from a piece of advice my grandfather gave me when I was feeling sorry for myself during a year in Cannes. It was one embarrassing, painful and humiliating phone call. But you have to read the book to get the full story.

The idea for the book came from a conversation I had when I was appointed ECD at the tender age of 30. An old hand gave me some advice. He said: “When you’re appointed creative director, they load the bullets into the gun and shoot. Then you run and dodge them for as long as you can. But, and he stressed this, eventually you’ll get hit.” Admittedly, he was drunk, but the words have stuck with me forever.

I guess the book is an attempt to give creatives 44 tips for their careers. Being creative can be a stressful and strange business. I always laugh at how many books about creativity are written as if coming up with ideas is all fun and games. It can be. And sometimes it is. And those days are wonderful. But some days it’s not, is it?

There are days when you have no inspiration, a task that doesn’t make sense, or your house just flooded. And you still have to run an errand. You have to get the work done. You have to keep going. It’s in those moments that you need a little help or just want to feel like someone is on your side.

Think of this book as your creative medic or your machine gun, depending on how you’re feeling that day. I hope it helps you and I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks, Damon. Good luck with the book.

Buy Damon’s book here at Amazon.com.