I must confess -- I can't draw a straight line. I've never been able to draw a straight line. And that used to decree you would never get into the world of advertising. But I once used this inherent inadequacy to introduce a one-person publicity and promotion whirlwind.

It's still in an old presentation book -- the original black-and-white flyer, created with rub-on lettering and paste-on tape borders, BC (before computers) but after secretarial, employment agency and residential real estate stints.

question:
how do you get from ordinary curiosity to extra-ordinary creative endeavor in seven simple steps?

1. You begin by asking why and why-not a lot. And then listening to a lot of other people's good answers.
2. You wax as eloquent as possible with the means at hand -- personal correspondence and PTA newsletters for openers.
3. You master the rudiments of the print media trade, even overcoming an apparent inborn inability to draw a straight line.
4. You jot down absolutely impossible ideas at totally inopportune moments.
5, You learn to communicate with all kinds of people in all kinds of places.
6. You get old enough and gutsy enough to try almost anything, and you convince somebody along the way that you can do it.
7. Then, your back to the wall by your own choosing, you produce:

        newsletters     flyers     press releases     direct mail pieces     display ads     classified ads     house organs     campaigns

for such entities as:

Pacific Inland Navigation Co.
Servetus Club
Vista Travel Service
The Bill Snyder Co.
Dean Vincent Inc.
Braniff International Airlines
Portland Board of Realtors
Stan Wiley, Inc.
Title Insurance Co. of Oregon
Dutton-Pacific Forest Products

Now, I cannot say that this paved the way to an illustrious career in advertising. But it did propel me into a roller-coaster life, first with a boutique ad agency and later freelancing plus a stable day job. And over time that led me to music, musicians, my First Book of Oregon Jazz, Rock and All Sorts of Music and onward and upward ...

Positively,
Carolan