You sir, are no Eric.



There’s this guy at the agency I used to work at named Eric. Awesome guy. I love Eric. Everyone loves Eric. He’s just one of those people who it’s literally impossible to not like.

If you met Eric, you’d like him too. Because you have met Eric. Their name might have been Kevin, Omar or Debbie. But they were an Eric. There’s always an Eric. At work. In your class. On your softball team. At the bar you like to hang out at. Wherever. They are always there. And they’re always amazing.

They make you and everyone else feel good. They’re cool and they’re smart and they’re funny and talented. They tell the best stories. Know funny jokes. Are always up for a laugh or a good talk. I love Eric’s. I’ve always wanted to be an Eric. But I am not an Eric. I have never been an Eric.

The closest I've gotten is sometimes I’ve been able to start off as an Eric. But after a little while I always blow it by saying something I shouldn’t or being a jerk to someone because they pissed me off and my Eric status is revoked. Even when the real Eric gets pissed off he’s not a jerk about it. He figures out a way to deal with it and still be Eric. Which is just another amazing talent that Eric’s have and that I hugely admire.

I think I’m too reactive to be an Eric. I’m a blurter. I blurt. And blurting is risky business. Very rarely does a blurt have universal appeal. Blurts by nature are polarizing. Which is what I think I am. I’m polarizing. I think some people like me a lot and some people don’t like me. A lot. Which is okay. It’s something I can work on. Or, if I’m not successful working on it then I’ll still have those people who like me a lot. And that’s really great. I’m grateful as hell for those people who can deal with my bullshit and still say hi to me. God bless all of you.

And to the people on the other side of the fence, maybe someday you’ll come back over. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding. Maybe what I said came off wrong. That happens to me a lot. I’m much better on a word doc than I am live. I’m like a band that’s better in the studio.

Eric’s are awesome. And Jeff’s are good too. They’re just not for everyone and that’s not a bad thing. It’s just a thing. And I think I’m finally starting to figure it out. It’s just part of the journey. And you just gotta keep on that journey and if you get in a jam, hopefully an Eric will be there to cheer you up.


jeffeakercopywriter.com


Location: Detroit, MI, USA

Comments

  1. Cameron Day (Cam#1 of Two-headed Cam)May 23, 2021 at 7:07 AM

    I just love the vulnerability. I think that’s your gift. I really do.

    Bravo.

    This could be sent to Toby @ Lafayette. Maybe ever so slightly tweaked to lean into Lafayette.

    This could be sent to Fact & Fiction in Boulder as an introduction.

    This is the stuff that makes a stranger who love writing intrigue.

    Bravo.

    Also great blogage.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jeff EakerMay 23, 2021 at 7:34 AM

      Thank you Cameron. There's nothing a good writer likes more than getting a nod from a great one.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What’s the ad agency of the future? It’s the Beatles.

Image
Before Covid hit, the main topic of advertising discussion was: What does the ad agency of the future look like? What’s the model going to be? How’s it going to work?   I don’t think we need to ask that question anymore. I believe we’ve been living the ad agency of the future for the last 16 months. This is it. It’s Palmolive. You’re soaking in it. First of all there are no stupid buildings. Those things were expensive. And they were a pain to get to. And you had to stay inside of them all day and all night. It was really a bummer. The furniture was nice. And sometimes they had bagels. But rarely the good ones. Mostly just Einstein’s which are garbage in my opinion. Also, there’s no more Linda.   While you wait outside the SVP’s office for 45 minutes because her 2:00 went long and then she had to hop on the phone with a client, Linda would always be there with a good story to help kill the time. Usually it was about her Shih Tzu, Abraham. Oh, the adventures those two had together! Abra
Read more

Get off my lawn. Ageism in advertising. A giant pain in my ass.

Image
The guy who works on my car is named Jurgen. He’s of some sort of Eastern European descent. I don’t know where exactly. He doesn’t do small talk but he’s the best mechanic in town. Which, when you live in Detroit, is a bold statement. I love dealing with him because there’s nothing he can’t fix and I know he’s not going to rip me off. In fact, he’s always trying to save me money. He’s an old guy. I don’t know how old. With Eastern Europeans it can be hard to tell. The cold war was kinder to some than others. So, I’m guessing he could be anywhere from late 50’s to early 90’s. He’s the most honest man I’ve ever met. Also, I love the way he talks. Phone rings. “Jif. Iz Yurgeen.” “Hey, Jurgen. Figure out what’s going on with that noise?” “Yiz. Iz breks. Dey wern te sheet. Moost replace whole fecking ting.”   A few years ago, I had a little medical situation going on in an extremely sensitive and personal place. I put it off for as long as I could hoping it would just go away. It did not. I
Read more

Winning Worst.

Image
I was a real bratty little shit when I started in this business. I totally thought I was hot stuff and I wish I could go back in time and punch myself in the throat.   I started my first job as a junior copywriter at Leo Burnett in Chicago about six days after graduation. I went to the University of Texas and did the Texas Creative Program which was absolutely phenomenal. At the time, it was maybe the hottest creative program in the country. I got my whole book put together as an undergraduate and at our final review there were agency people with jobs to hand out. I was lucky. I got one. But as is the case for many, my path to the glamorous world of advertising was a circuitous one. When I went off to college I had absolutely no clue what I wanted to do. Totally zero idea. And as more and more of my friends declared their majors and set out on their paths to glory, the more  freaked out I got about having absolutely no inkling of what I wanted to do with my life. So in the absence of a
Read more