CMedi People: Chris Muir
For the next in our series of #CMedi People blog posts, we’re very excited to introduce you all digitally to CreativeMornings Edinburgh community member, Chris Muir!
1. Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I’m a copywriter. I love what I do.
I get paid to, effectively, learn on behalf of my clients. Unless I understand what the problem is, I can’t work out how to fix it.
I also lecture one-day-a-week at Edinburgh Napier University on the MSc in Creative Advertising.
And I’m passionate about keeping things just as simple as they need to be. But not at the expense of being interesting. For example, which of the following statements is more memorable?
“Women don’t get the recognition they deserve.”
Or:
“Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did. Only she did it backwards and in high heels.”
I’ve also got quite a bit of experience, as I’ve been doing it for quite a long time (see below).
2. Why did you decide to come along to our CreativeMornings Edinburgh event last month?
I come along to almost every event that’s run by CreativeMornings. It’s a great way to be inspired and catch up with what people are up to. And it’s a great place for students to meet people who are already working in the industry.
3. How did you find out about CreativeMornings?
I honestly can’t remember. Maybe through Twitter? Alex has been an amazing driving force, along with the rest of the team. When people put that much love into something, it feels wrong to not come along and join in.
4. What is your usual morning routine?
I don’t really have one. It depends on what I’m doing that particular day. Or how late I worked the night before. My life tends to just fit in around whatever I have to do. I have more of a night routine. I’ll keep going until I finish whatever I need to finish. And I enjoy a walk after I’m done. Lucky then that I enjoy the solitude of the small hours.
5. What did you like best about our CreativeMornings Edinburgh event in July? Do you remember it?
I thought Kara’s talk was really inspiring. I’m currently working with two gender pay equality groups (Kerning the Gap in London and Ladies Wine Design in Edinburgh), so Kara’s insights and knowledge were really useful. It’s encouraging to see another young woman with the confidence and belief to stand up for what is right.
6. What is your creative calling?
Using big ideas to make people a) notice the message and b) do something as a result. The older I get the more I work with voluntary and charitable groups to help them spread their messages and raise funds.
7. What or who inspires you?
This could be quite a long list.
Buckle up. (In no particular order) here goes:
Dave Trott, Dave Dye, Vicki Maguire, Juliette Forrest, Alan MacCuish, Tom Richards, Spike Milligan, Dr Seuss, Adrian Jeffery, Vikki Ross, Tiger Savage, Frank Budgen, Sir John Hegarty, David Abbott, Alex Holder, Peter Cook, Paul Arden, Tony Brignull, Alexandra Taylor, Susie Henry, Andy McLeod, Paul Bruke, Margaret Calvert, Sanam Petri, Dave Droga, Hollie Newton, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Freddie Hubbard, Jim Al-Khalili, Malcolm Gladwell, Alex Humphry-Baker, Elmore Leonard, Jim Downie, Keshia Thomas.
I discover new people who inspire me almost every day.
And my students. That’s the most rewarding part of teaching - their ideas and their enthusiasm are infectious.
8. Can you list a few of your favourite creative resources that you’d recommend to others?
Dave Trott’s blog - a weekly dose of brutally smart thinking, wrapped up in a story you’ll easily remember (clever, that).
Dave Dye’s blog - an astonishing online resource for all creatives. Dave takes you from the brief to the finished ads, showing you the warts-and-all journey. He’s also just digitised all his notebooks - giving you insight into 20+ years of creative genius.
Podcasts - they’re free and you can fit them in almost anywhere. Revisionist History, Hidden Brian, 99% Invisible, This American Life, Unfictional.
D&AD annuals - I inhale these on an almost unhealthy scale.
As an extra - I’d also like to share five ads below that show a level of thinking that inspires me. See what you think!
9. How do you take care of your creative soul?
I go for walks. Late at night, headphones on, podcast loaded up. I’ll walk for around an hour before going to bed most evenings. I live by the sea, so it’s a lovely walk. I’ve seen the Aurora Borealis, 300 Spanish people having a rave on the beach at 3am and some amazing star vistas on my strolls. Walking is an amazing way to recharge yourself physically and mentally.
I also (thanks to being old) now know when to knock work on the head and go and do something less boring instead. Your subconscious mind is the real power you have. Fill your brain with all the information you have. Think about the problem until your head hurts. And then go and do something entirely different.
Trying to force a solution when your brain isn’t ready is the least efficient way to do anything. But having the confidence, when deadlines are looming, to know that walking away is the best thing you can do, is hard to learn. The sooner you learn it, the happier you’ll be.
Also, remember that we’re not coming up with a cure for cancer. Learn to have some perspective about what we do for a living. Collaborate on projects. Work with people whose work you admire. Do some good in the world.
A huge thank you to Chris for taking the time to share more about himself with us, and for being an inspirational community member himself! Don’t forget to say hi if you see him on Friday at our next CreativeMornings Edinburgh event. Remember to book online through our website before Friday, places go quick!
If you’d like the opportunity to introduce yourself to the CreativeMornings Community digitally via our #CMedi People blog, catch up with Cilla or Ellie (our crew members) at our event on Friday and they’ll be able to hook you up. We look forward to seeing you all very soon. Two sleeps and counting.
