Inspiration, futbol and blogging.

Sometimes? No clue what to post. Really. Take tonight.

As I started to blah-blah-blog, I thought maybe it should be about what creatives do for inspiration, a theme I’ve done before, but then futbol/footbal/soccer popped into my head, followed by movies.

Now I was left figuring out how to make them all play nice in one post. Go figure.

See, what we do isn’t always about layouts and meetings. Or meetings about layouts. You have to see things outside of work. Go out. Live a little, (or a lot). Be influenced by new things outside of your comfort zone even. BASE jump, read a book on the Amish or stalk someone.*

You know, expand your horizons.

Other times, if you’re into it like I am, you look for cool occurrances in nature. Influences can be visual like that, or they can be in the form of a new CD. Whatever. The thing is, be open to experiencing it.

Because a lot of times, those things we come across in life, even on the way to work, end up in our work. At least in mine they try to. The more you new things you add now, the more you have to draw on later.

So where does futbol come in? Well, I arrived at said theme when I came across a Newsweek article on Fernando Meirelles. Who you might ask? Oh, you ad bitches, you’re killing me. He’s the director of City of God and The Constant Gardener. And now I discover, director of some really cool futbol docs over at Nike’s soccer site. See his films.

More on futbol in a sec...

But when I first saw the DVD cover for Gardener in Hollywood Video, I thought Ralph Fiennes – chick flick meets Merchant Ivory, right? Normally, I’d say yes and that box is slammed back faster than a toothless biker on a police cruiser’s hood from an episode of COPS. But, I’d heard an interview with the director on The Treatment with Elvis Mitchell, and was interested in seeing it.

(The Treatment is a podcast and is a perfect example of a serendipitous find: hands-down the best interviews on film around that get to the heart of why directors, screenwriters and actors do what they do.)

Was it worth the $4.29 rental? Yep. Shot beautifully with nice plot turns, while revealing other cultures you won’t always see portrayed in movies, not to mention, the evil side of pharma.

And as for his futbol docs? Amazing and inspiring. I watch the dedication and fun the players show and start to wonder how will the US beat Italy tomorrow. I am a homer for the US, no doubt. Our team is good. Not worthy of the FIFA ranking bestowed on them entering the Cup, but better than they were four years ago.

And yet, watching those little films, it’s so clear why we have a long way to go: we don’t ‘play.’

The kids in the films, and in other countries play the way we did when we picked up a ball and glove as kids. We would stay outside until mom yelled for us to come inside because it was too dark.

Not anymore.

A friend who played club ball in Brasil mentioned something to me some time ago that I think is the reason for this, but it didn’t really hit home until I saw these spots. He said there the kids play without formal lessons. There are no clinics. No practices. No skills coaches. They get that later when they sign on with club teams as apprentices.

Kids just show up and play.

And I believe it’s this lack of rules and rigid control that fosters the ‘free play’ and ‘creativity’ you see later in the adult game. Nobody there when they were young to coach the spirit out of them. Which gets me thinking of how many kids these days quit sports because they say it’s just not fun anymore.

(If we appplied this to the biz, more agencies would do well to let their creatives just play, instead of regurgitate what the account team said the client wanted.)

But until we have the mindset in this country that Fernando captured, one that shows kids playing futbol, barefoot, on payment, (episode one), or teens playing with one leg on crutches, (episode five), we won’t really compete with the world’s best.

And if you hate futbol or can’t stand Ralph? Then sorry. You’ll just have to look at some funky jets and sprites and enjoy a few cold ones this weekend.

I’m out.

*My lawyer says I’m only kidding.

Tags: advertising, brands, viral, World Cup, jets and sprites, Fernando Meirelles