We first met Sally Hogshead at a convention in St. Petersburg (FL not USSR) a few years back, but followed her closely on her former podcast, "The Naked Career".

A freelance creative director, author, speaker, anything creative, Sally's book, Radical Careering is a great place for industry-related career advice, as is her Hog Blog companion site.

From a recent entry titled Geez, I wish someone had told me this while I was still in school, here are a few particularly relevant insights related to the ad business.

1) There are no right answers. Including these.

2) Simple, brilliant ideas kick butt over fancy execution.

3) Instead of promoting yourself by talking about YOU, try to get involved in what OTHERS are doing and saying and thinking about. Participate in a way that’s smart and engaging. That says more about you than any slick promo ever could.

4) The difference between A- and A+ is all the difference in the world.

5) Most of us are not in the business of “crowd-pleasing.” Don’t try to make everyone happy. Focus on yourtarget, and getting them excited about your message. As a marketer, that target is your consumer. As a professional, that target is your co-workers, your boss, your clients, your industry leaders, and, your next employer.

6) Often, the more concepts you come up, the better they get. At least, that’s usually the case for me. I write a hundred headlines for every one I end up with.

7) Smart beats clever.

8) When you’re thinking about a certain topic, feed your brain with inspiration– from the mainstream to the highly specific. It will help you get into the mindset and give you data to toy with and expand upon.

9) Anyone can come up with a great idea. The question is, can you do it consistently. Actually getting those ideas produced is important too.

10) Any revolutionary message feels uncomfortable at first. Some people won’t like it. Some people will hate it. Accept that and stay focused.

We'll add one more: When you bring your lunch to work, put your name on it in big, permanent marker. That should about complete the list.