Ode to Objectivity

I used to bet people 10 dollars if they could tell me where Ouachita Baptist University was located and 15 if they could pronounce it correctly too.[1] With iPhone internet speeds getting faster, I quit while I was ahead. It’s “wash-it-taw” for those of you now wondering, and yes, Arkadelphia, Arkansas is a real place.

I had never attended a private school, much more a private Baptist school in my life prior to my alma mater. To be completely honest, I didn’t think the highest of Christian education because, like many, I felt that objectivity was something to be strived for in education. In other words, I wanted to party when I wanted to and have fewer rules when I went to college. Looking back, I question why objectivity is held in such high regard in higher institutions.

A case could be made for emotional neutrality in several of the science-based fields. Doctors, veterinarians, engineers and even biochemical scientists would seem predestined to maintain a level of detachment from their work. Why do we accept this so readily? I want my doctor to care that this cough won’t go away for weeks. I want my vet to call my furry canine by her name when she attempts to jump off of the examining table. I hope the Aggie engineers care that due to their mistake my commute will take 10 minutes longer than it should. And I really hope the scientists attempting to cure the incurable will each have an opportunity to meet someone they have helped heal. Should the same sentiments not be applied toward education?

Left on Pine Street, right at the second stop sign, and it’s the blue house with white shutters. Surprisingly, I know few people that don’t know how to get to the Dean of Humanities’ house. Does that mean that in some way my education has been tainted because I know that my dean’s daughter is about to start high school and his wife taught me half of my communications classes? Not in the slightest. On the contrary, I have been taught the possibilities that lie beyond my four years of a bachelor’s degree. I have been encouraged to constantly push the limits, always ask why and when I fail (yes, when, not if) that I will have someone wiser to help me start again. I was constantly infused with Christian support that laid a foundation for my future.

I am convinced that the lack of objectivity in my education has helped produce a higher caliber of graduate than could have ever been predicted. One that is adaptable, socially aware, conversational, and generally more prepared for the “real world” postgrad life.

Is advertising not plagued by the same hypothesis? Beware of taking on a client you are too attached to. Don’t settle into one particular product category for too long, unless you want creative-block to strike. Worst of all, do not mix business with pleasure: your client is your client, not your friend.

Perhaps ad agencies should take a hint from the backwoods of Arkansas, lest they’ve forgotten the power that passion can have on promotion, expertise can shed light on an entire category, or pleasure could actually facilitate business amongst friends.

When we are invested in our work, we add value to it. Education becomes more than just a final GPA, it’s a practice field for creativity and an intricate networking web. Advertising is not just another Creative Suite project, it actually changes our culture one campaign at a time.

In the end, objectivity is not something to be strived for but warned against. It will surely stifle a new idea in its infancy and peel away all ownership from the best of works.

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[1] http://www.obu.edu/