I spent more than half my life as a writer creating advertising, news releases, brochures, articles and even speeches. I know first-hand that the creative process is fickle and unforgiving. Sometimes ideas flow non-stop and other times there are dry spells where the ideas never come. I am always amazed by what can trigger an… Continue reading Owning a Piece of Creative History
Author: Chris G Thelen
Making an Impression
Going through an old box of handwritten letters from decades ago has a certain feel about it that isn't the same as reading old emails and posts on a screen...
The Last Time
The other day I was in our basement and I looked at a stack of bins with toys our kids used to play with years ago. At one time these toys were spread across the house and played with on a daily basis. Even though they were picked up each night, the next day they… Continue reading The Last Time
Name Dropper
Maybe you’ve seen one of them. A sign along the freeway that dedicates the freeway to a person. I’ve seen them many times on my many travels, but a while ago I saw one that caught me off guard. I read the name and told myself, “I know that guy!” It was yet another reminder… Continue reading Name Dropper
The Balancing Act of Presenting the News
In the early 1980s I earned a degree in Journalism and went on to graduate school and a teaching assistant position in the Journalism department of my alma mater. I think it’s safe to say that the field of journalism is radically different now than it was nearly 40 years ago. When I graduated from… Continue reading The Balancing Act of Presenting the News
Assumed Identity
Few people know this, but there was a brief moment in my life when I lived under an assumed identity. I wasn’t myself, but someone else. It started innocently enough, but it didn’t take long for me to realize I was in over my head. Let me explain. When I was in high school in… Continue reading Assumed Identity
Longing for Crowds
Crowds. The word jolted me while I was reading a novel the other day. I tried to remember what it was like to be in a crowd. It had been so long since I was in a crowd — a crowded stadium, a theater, even a crowded sidewalk. The concept of a crowd seems so… Continue reading Longing for Crowds
Reading the Road
In the age of GPS and smart phones, I can’t help but wonder if paper map reading is a lost art. I have to admit I can’t remember the last time I used a paper map to help me locate a destination. It’s much easier to put the destination into the map ap on my… Continue reading Reading the Road
Phone Calls Ain’t What They Used To Be
As I talked on the phone the other night with my granddaughter, I thought about how natural it is for her to have a video call. Even more amazing to me is that we were talking while I was out for a walk. She was able to share the sights around me. The availability of… Continue reading Phone Calls Ain’t What They Used To Be
The Never-ending Popularity of Buzzphrases
While cleaning out old files from nearly 40 years of work history, I ran across the gem pictured below from Lang’s Creative Services. Even though it’s from the 1980s, the Buzzphrase Construction Matrix (BCM) creates some phrases that still sound impressive today. How about “Quantitative Marketing Management” or “Diversified Data Parameters” for starters. Both could… Continue reading The Never-ending Popularity of Buzzphrases
The Next Half Century 