Let's talk about a word: Favor. Noun. According to whatever Google site I just did copy and paste, favor is defined: something done or granted out of goodwill, rather than from justice or for remuneration; a kind act: to ask a favor.
A kind act, granted out of my own goodwill, so you can either feel better, do better or just have whatever you need to move on in life.
Examples of favors, in real life, would be something like lending 20 bucks for gas, driving someone to work until their car is fixed... or grabbing a pen for them. Waiting in line for them. Being a wingman for a night. Grabbing a round of beers. I can go on and on about all the favors I've done and ask for... and then I think about the "favors" I do at work... and then I get real mad.
You see, where I work, there are a different type of favors. They are the "I'm so sorry your life will get fucked but we don't care" kind. The "you are supposed to do this shit right now" favors. Yeah, now you get my drift. Clients and sometimes bosses will come up to you, on a great Friday afternoon, and spring on you a nice "little favor". They "need" you to come up with 20 new logos for Monday. They "would really like" for you to rewrite a new batch of slogans, for this 8:30 meeting that "the client" asked for (yeah, riiiiight). They need 50 adaptations for Tuesday. They need a full page ad for tonight... because... er... em... the client is waiting for it. Yeah. At home.
So there you go. People "asking" for work as a favor. And you can sum all the shit up in a simple line: it's for right now. A favor, in advertising, is code for DO IT RIGHT NOW, BITCH.
Screw your life, screw the normal process of being creative. This is a favor. You have to get cracking on it, mister, because we would "really love it" if we can have it as soon as you can.
There you are, Friday night, missing out on dining with your kids or being home with your husband. Maybe you had a special date, huh? Maybe you had tickets to some douche art show you really wanted to go... or maybe it was just popcorn and movie night at your crib... Nah. Fuck your plans. It's a favor.
Now let me ask you the really big question: what if the next time we get asked to do something in a small amount of time, we grow some balls and say: NO. Oooooooooh that sounds amazingly fun, dammit! Yeah! To think of the possibility to just look at the slimebucket square in the eyes and say, smiling... Nah. Sorry. Can't do it. BRILLIANT!
The thing is... we don't say no. Because, yes, we suck. Yeah, you can admit it. I do. I am the lowlife human being who just gets fucked over on a Friday night. And while I'm looking at you asking me that stupid thing you need, all I really want to do is murder you in the longest amount of time and in the most humanly horrible way ever. But I don't say shit. And that pisses me off. Because in advertising it's all about service, it's all about saying yes. Because if we don't, then some other fucker is going to say yes and boom. You're fired. Boom. You lost your account. Boom, you are working at McDonald's, flipping burgers.
There is no end to this dilemma. You can't say no, but you hate to say yes.
Sometimes I would love to make me a favor and just quit this damn job.
All I have to learn to say is No More.
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