It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be

For the price of this book you cannot go wrong buying it . It is a quirky little thing and good fun to read - or rather 'flick through'. I bought it after reading Paul Arden's obituary in the Telegraph in which the book was mentioned. As you would expect from a Creative Director this book has been produced in a very creative way. Frankly, I think it is worth buying just for that. However, in it you will also find lots and lots of useful career and business tips. Well worth having on your bookshelf.

Paul Arden's book is a like a breath of fresh air compared to many help or guidebooks out there. The way he combines the images and photographs to highlight the message of the text reflects why he's so well renowned. For someone who isn't involved with advertising or marketing I expected to take away only a limited amount from reading this book. I was pleasantly surprised.

The snapshot way in which the ideas are presented keeps you constantly engaged and thinking. Thought provoking ideas such as - "Don't look for the next opportunity, the one you have in hand is the opportunity" and how we might want to get off a certain job but it could just be the best work we ever do. The idea of "Don't put on a speech, give a show" really hit home. I do speeches and thought that's why people were there, Paul tells us differently.

There's a lot here that everyone who want's to think and act differently will benefit from. A book that you'll read in one sitting and then read over and again. So in case you didn't know, don't covet your ideas and present on a Tuesday.

This books is a great collection of many ideas, thoughts, ironies and creative thinking from the ad industry. Plus a few new thoughts. I've bought loads of these (and Purple Cow) and given them away to clients, desperate to get them to think a little more creatively. I use it with students as well. A must read (and the second book). Quick to read and easy, maybe that's why it's sold over 1/2 million. Paul was regarded as one of the great all time creatives within advertising but sadly he died recently - a great loss to the ad community.

I have no doubt that Arden was a genius in the field of advertising. However, this little volume is like some of Edward De Bono offcuts with random graphics,

fine if it fell out of a cereal packet or a xmas cracker, but £5 for this book is a joke.


Arden's big phrase was 'astonish me' - he was obviously too astonished to make any effort with the writing of this book. The only astonishing thing here is that 1500 words of meretricious garbling can cost a fiver.

Paaarp

I read this book in a bookshop in about half an hour.

The advice is often utterly foolish.

For instance, anyone with half a brain knows that, irksome though it may be, a college qualification is an essential "gateway" into most firms, though perhaps it wasn`t when Arden himself was starting out, and the advertising industry was still in its infancy in the UK.

It`s also the case that, although the unusual routes to success aremore newsworthy, conventional methods exist for a reason, and following them is therefore advisable (dreary though that may be).

I`d add, as an artist, that this book suggests a glib attitude to creativity, as if one can simply begin a project utterly detached form tradtitions, a past, previous solutions etc.

The design of this book is enjoyable however.