ECD Christian Carl On Staying Creative Outside of Work and the Journey From Good to Great

Creative Space with Jennifer Logue

On today’s episode of Creative Space, we have the pleasure of chatting with Christian Carl, executive creative director, copywriter, artist, author, musician and entrepreneur.
He most recently served as the Global Executive Creative Director for 160/90, with a client roster that included Lowe’s, Anheuser-Busch, University of Arizona, Marriott, Audi and Reebok.
Apart from his 32-year career in advertising so far, Christian has a number of creative projects outside of work, including his children’s book series, Land of Lots.
We cover a lot of ground in this episode, including how to lead creatives, the importance of having a creative outlet outside of agency life, and Christian’s creative process.

For more on Christian Carl, visit: thechristiancarl.com.

And for more on Land of Lots, visit: thelandoflots.com.
To sign up for the weekly Creative Space newsletter, visit: eepurl.com/h8SJ9b.
SHOW NOTES:

0:00—Introduction

1:53—Growing up in Elkhart, Indiana

4:38—Early influences: cartoons, fashion and sports

7:30—Losing gracefully, winning gracefully and the importance of hard work

9:00—How Christian ended up in advertising

10:25—From selling car phones door to door to his first agency job

12:13—The creative path is a scribble

13:51—”I know it’s right when it’s easy to write.”

16:00—There’s a reason you’re hitting that block.

17:45—How to tell you have a great idea

19:00—Doubting yourself is part of being creative.

20:35—Rick Rubin and Steven Pressfield shoutout

21:13—Getting to work on Volkswagen

27:13—Christian’s definition of creativity

30:15—Advertising is like archaeology

32:00—Christian’s creative process

35:00—The struggle in advertising for a creative

39:30—The work can never come before the people

45:45—The importance of staying creative outside of work

50:36—Two decades of working with PETA

55:33—The power of a great idea

58:00—Getting inspired to create ‘Land of Lots’

01:08:00—”Everything doesn’t have to be amazing and everything can’t be.”

01:12:00—Where Christian sees advertising going

01:18:00—What’s next for Christian

Kapitler

1. Introduction (00:00:00)

2. Growing up in Elkhart, Indiana (00:01:53)

3. Early influences: cartoons, fashion and sports (00:04:38)

4. Losing gracefully, winning gracefully and the importance of hard work (00:07:30)

5. How Christian ended up in advertising (00:09:00)

6. From selling car phones door to door to his first agency job (00:10:25)

7. The creative path is a scribble (00:12:13)

8. ”I know it’s right when it’s easy to write." (00:13:51)

9. There’s a reason you’re hitting that block. (00:16:00)

10. How to tell you have a great idea (00:17:45)

11. Doubting yourself is part of being creative. (00:19:00)

12. Rick Rubin and Steven Pressfield shoutout (00:20:35)

13. Getting to work on Volkswagen (00:21:13)

14. Christian’s definition of creativity (00:27:13)

15. Advertising is like archaeology (00:30:15)

16. Christian’s creative process (00:32:00)

17. The struggle in advertising for a creative (00:35:00)

18. The work can never come before the people (00:39:30)

19. The importance of staying creative outside of work (00:45:45)

20. Two decades of working with PETA (00:50:36)

21. The power of a great idea (00:55:33)

22. Getting inspired to create ‘Land of Lots’ (00:58:00)

23. ”Everything doesn’t have to be amazing and everything can’t be.” (01:08:00)

24. Where Christian sees advertising going (01:12:00)

25. What’s next for Christian (01:18:00)