“Keep Shooting Until You See the Fuckers Smoke”: CB Q&A with Damon Stapleton on his debut book

After 10 years of writing Damonsbrain.com, which appears exclusively on Campaign Brief, Damon Stapleton, co-founder and CCO of The Monkeys Aotearoa, has launched a book called Keep Shooting Until You See the Fuckers Smoke.

Stapleton’s book is also now available on Amazon.com, go ahead and grab yourself 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?

10 years ago, when I started writing the blog I felt there were a lot of voices in the industry speaking for creatives. They would explain creativity but of course had never made anything in their life. I called them the internet class at the time. Professional critics who never make mistakes because they don’t make anything. It pissed me off. I know how scary and weird it can be as a creative. I wanted to see if anybody felt the same way. Fortunately, I was definitely not alone.

Did that position change over the years?

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

So, tell us about the book and the title?

Well, the title comes from some advice my grandfather gave me when I felt sorry for myself while I was in Cannes one year. It was a single embarrassing, painful humbling phone call. But, you will have to read the book to get the whole story.

The idea for the book comes from a conversation I had when I was made an ECD at the tender age of 30. An old timer gave me some advice. He said, “when you get made creative director, they load the bullets into the gun and fire. That’s when you start running and dodge them for as long as you can. But, and he stressed this part you will eventually get hit.” Granted he was drunk but the words always stayed with me.

I guess the book is an attempt to give creatives 44 bullets to shoot back in your career. Being a creative can be a stressful and weird business. I always laugh at how many books on creativity are written as if coming up with ideas is all fun and sunshine and fucking roses. It can be. And sometimes it is. And days like that are glorious. But, some days, it isn’t like that is it?

There are days where you have zero inspiration, a task that makes no sense or your house just got flooded. And you still need to crack a brief. You still need to do the job. You have to keep going. It’s at these times you want a little help or just want to feel like somebody is in your corner.

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

Thanks Damon. All the best with the book.

Purchase Damon’s book at Amazon.com here.