Displaying 37 - 72 of 316 results
Five. That’s a nice number. In fact, it’s the number of the week; and not just because I can’t think of ten reasons why you should write a blog (or even six reasons). Admittedly, it’s often said that people think in threes (so...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
A few weeks ago, I urged you not to read my latest blog. So if you took my advice, well done, and I hope you enjoyed the five minutes of your life that I kindly gave back to you. If you didn’t, thank you for loving my writing too much. Note to...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
I am excited. And worried. And excited again. It’s now officially the afternoon and I’ve done next to no work. Naughty boy. But why? Well, on Tuesday, I acquired a new puppy, and he’s adorable (see above). But here’s the...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
I'm serious. Quit while you're ahead. Or rather, quit while you're not as far behind as you will be if you keep reading. Apart from its arguable entertainment value, it will not enrich your life, make you cleverer, funnier or wealthier. Or even feel...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
Let's face it, if you're going to have your face on millions of coins, you're going to want to be pleased with the chosen image. So let's hope Her Majesty is not going to be ordering any beheadings after this morning's unveiling at the National...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
I don't know about you, but I'm getting a bit bored of reality TV shows. If we're not biting our fingernails during Masterchef just because the soufflé hasn't risen and Mr Big Food Critic is poking at it disapprovingly, then we're waiting for...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
So, it looks we have a winner in the Eton versus Harrow battle. Yes, Eddie Redmayne toddled off with the BAFTA for Best Actor last night, leaving Benedict Cumberbatch with a more enigmatic expression of stiff-upper-lippedness than ever. Oh, sure, I...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
There's something I don't like. 'Quelle surprise!' (that's your actual French) I hear you cry. It's when people start emails off like this: Ashley. Blah blah blah. Message message message. J. Now, for all I know they might not have been frowning...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
It's Monday morning. Email hell beckons. I've got my Creativepool blog to write but I do also need to try and whittle down the daily glut of Groupons, StumbleUpons, Voucherclouds, More Groupons, and LinkedIn's “congratulate Billy-Bob on his new...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
I rarely, if ever, blog about television programmes I happen to like - largely because it would be a bit off-brief if I did. This is, after all, a blog that is specifically supposed to appeal to Creativepoolers, with features, advice or opinions on...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
Today, one of the great British brands is celebrating its 100th birthday: Ladybird, publishers of children's books with an instantly recognisable format and feel, and - during the Second World War - absolutely identical in terms of number of...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
Hello and happy new diet to you. No? Happy new gym membership, maybe. Not that either? Happy new I’m-only-drinking-alcohol-at-the-weekend. Getting warmer? Or perhaps the number one aim in the Land of You is get a happy new job. If so, good...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
This week has been one big, fat customer relations fail in the life of Creativepool’s grumpiest blogger. That’s me, by the way, and it’s a title I’m rather proud of. Oh, and before you go all grammar guru on me, and tell me...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
There are few things more cringe-worthy than politicians trying to be any of the following: hip, funny, down with da yoof, normal, John Travolta. I had to add number five because I'm still haunted by images of John "Two Jags" Prescott bopping away at...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
Ah, advent! The gateway to Christmas! Today is the day when millions of children all over the country are opening the first window on their advent calendars and devouring that first overpriced and possibly over-wrapped square of chocolate - assuming...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
by Ashley Morrison This Friday sees the eagerly anticipated release of the Paddington movie. I'm a colossal fan of the marmalade sandwich-loving young gentleman bear - and not only of the original five-minute animated episodes narrated by Michael...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
by Ashley Morrison The other day, I was at a party and talking to someone who wrote for a technical magazine. Personally, I'm a generalist; unlike him, I don't have one particular area of expertise. So that means, as a freelance copywriter, I've...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
by Ashley Morrison If, like me, you have moved or are thinking of moving to the country, you’re taking a perilous risk. It doesn’t matter if you’re pretty much bang on one of the main corridors into London or not (the Cambridge -...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
Regular readers of the Creativepool blog will know that, although I am no artist, I like nothing more than to spend several hours at an exhibition, having a good moan. True, I don't need to be in an exhibition to do that; Ed Reardon lives - he's 42...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
John Hurt, Sir Neville Marriner and I walked into a bar... No, that isn't the opening of a joke; it actually happened on Saturday. (Yes, it really did.) Luckily, there was no rerun of any alien-bursting-out-of-the-stomach scene. Always a bonus. So,...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
The other day, a friend asked me to proofread their covering letter for a job they were going for. And before you go all Stephen Fry on me and ask who the hell I am to proofread other people’s work when I end a sentence with a preposition,...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
I'm going to let you into a secret. Not a massive one, like I know that Pop Idol was fixed back in 2002 and Gareth Gates should have beaten Will Young into second place. No, I'm talking about something really, really insignificant. My minimum word...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
Today sees the start of my favourite time of year: Wimbledon fortnight. And with Andy Murray defending his title and the intrigue surrounding his appointment of 2006 Ladies Champion, Amélie Mauresmo, there's a lot to be excited about. What does...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
Last week, I wrote a blog post entitled, Why on earth do I need a copywriter? I speak English and own a computer. As I'd hoped, the blog caught the attention of a lot of you - but not just copywriters, as it turned out. From designers to marketing...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
I'm busy. Very busy. And that's a good thing in the world of any freelancer. If there's one part of the “job” I find arduous, it's the touting for work. I don't mind the networking, as long as there's a nice finger buffet and a reasonable...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
"Oh that's shit, that's shit!" No, not a line from a rap song or a complaint from some disaffected yoof that they're misunderstood...or even Charlie Brooker commenting on something or other that actually does demand a bit of snorty ridicule. No, the...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
Last week, Jeremy Clarkson was forced to apologise for having said a bad thing. A very bad thing. It is the only word in the whole English language that I can think of that is 100%, totally and utterly off limits. The word is “n****r”....
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
Taking a primetime advertising spot last Saturday night during Britain’s Got Talent, the new television commercial celebrating John Lewis’ 150th anniversary was revealed. Created by Adam & Eve/DDB, the ad is called Never Standing Still,...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
In my own naïve way, when wandering around art galleries, I've often stood with hands clasped behind my back, looking up at some impressive bronze statue or other and thought... “What if the sculptor made a mistake?” That's more or...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
Finally, after many years of procrastination, I'm writing a novel. A lot of people apparently feel that they “have a novel in them”, but I've taken the plunge and I'm actually doing it. Yay, me. Mind you, as I say, it took me a long...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
I may be preaching to the converted here, but you’ve gotta love London. A lot of people - and certainly the majority of Creativepoolers - would say it’s the centre of the creative industry, and not just in the UK. But even leaving the...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
Yet another reality show came to an end last week, with Jermain Jackman being crowned king on The Voice. But these public competitions - from singing to cooking to interior designing to baking to skating - are nothing new. Did you know, for instance,...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
Naming their children Apple and Moses would be reason enough for a lot of people to mock Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin: a slightly bizarre melange of Hollywood new age tree hugger and artiste-who-takes-himself-a-bit-too-seriously. As if those same...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
If you’re anything like me, you’ll belong to quite a lot of LinkedIn groups that are relevant to your area of work. For me, a lot of these are copywriting-specific groups, but I also belong to others to do with subjects like SEO, social...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
I don’t want to jinx it or anything, but hasn’t the weather been glorious over the past few days? Warm enough to potter around the garden in a t-shirt, I even slapped on some factor 10 sun cream, being the pasty ginge that I am. And...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison
‘Have you ever noticed how, in Hollywood movies, all the villains are played by Brits?’ asks a dinner-jacketed Sir Ben Kingsley in the commercial for the new Jaguar F-Type Coupe. Entitled ‘Rendezvous’ and aired at the Super...
Posted by: Ashley Morrison