Creativity is a muscle.

And as creatives, we need to exercise our creativity regularly, or it just won't work efficiently when we need it.

Wash-a-Pig firms and tones those creative muscles through writing headlines for fictitious ad campaigns. There's no client. There's no deadline. Just let loose and have fun. The act of writing quickly, playfully, and within constraints makes it easier to think creatively when a project deadline is looming.

HOW TO PLAY

Wash-a-Pig is a card game at its core.

• Decide if your group is working in teams or individually. Playing solo works, but working in teams of 2-4 is best because bouncing ideas off of teammates always leads to better ideas. 
• Each participant or team gets one WHAT card...
• ...and  a WHO or HOW card. (Not both. Too many limits sucks all the fun out of it. Go ahead and try it if you're feeling frisky.)
• Put the pair together and start writing.
• 5-15 minutes per prompt is long enough to write some decent headlines but quick enough that it doesn't become work. 
• Each participant or team shares their headlines with the group.
• You laugh. You cry. You sit in amazement at someone's brilliant use of words to sell an energy drink to gardeners. Either way, you're reinvigorated and remember what you love about being in the creative field.
• You could make a competition out of it by each person taking turns as the judge and choosing the best headline. The winner of each round keeps the cards to keep score.

SOME EXAMPLES

See more card combinations and submit your own headlines: @washapig on Instagram

WHO IT'S FOR

Although it was originally intended as a copywriting training exercise, the benefits aren't just in writing. Wash-a-Pig helps creativity in general and anyone who needs to develop conceptual communication can benefit. While I started with a focus on advertising designers and copywriters, I've realized professionals and students in copywriting, design, branding, scriptwriting, content marketing, social media marketing, journalism, and more are getting tremendous benefits from playing. Anyone who suffers from creative block can get immediate relief using Wash-a-Pig.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

Make Ads with Me gave it a sweet review.

Muse by Clio thoroughly covered it.

"I like the name. And it's fun to play. I like champions of our industry and craft!" - Susan Credle, Chief Creative Officer, FCB Global

"I really like it!" - Luke Sullivan, Advertising Professor at SCAD

"I can't believe you get paid to do this." - my Mom

"I love this. I intend to play it with my kids and grand kids so they can see how the creative process works." - Nancy Fletcher, OAAA

"So much fun!" - anyone who has ever played Wash-a-Pig

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REWARD LEVELS

SOME BACK STORY

"I" is Todd Turner, an advertising geek based in Chicago. I've worked as a creative in the out of home industry for 15 years. In case you don't know, a creative in OOH is creative director, art director, and copywriter all rolled into one. I came from a design background, but when I stumbled into advertising, I started to understand the marriage of art and copy into a concept that resonates with viewers. I studied a LOT of awards annuals, read a lot of books, and picked up some of the fundamental techniques that became Wash-a-Pig.

I started using the concept of Wash-a-Pig as a way to practice copywriting and creative thinking with my creative teams over a decade ago. It was always a huge hit because it's riotous fun and throws off any inhibitions to creativity. I usually wrote the prompts on the fly on index cards. I've always wanted a nicely produced deck of the game at the ready. I'm finally making it happen and want to share it with the world.

"Creativity is like washing a pig. It's messy. It has no rules. No clear beginning, middle or end. It's kind of a pain in the ass, and when you're done, you're not sure if the pig is really clean or even why you were washing a pig in the first place." - Luke Sullivan, legendary ad man and author of Hey Whipple Squeeze This