The school of advertising & marketing

I trained at The Atomic Garden because I thought that later on, like on Mad Men, I would have a secretary and wearing a suit, with a cocktail in my hand, I would be explaining to clients what women want.

During the course, I realised that this is pure nonsense. It’s a good thing that my teachers and my creative partner helped me to notice these things when I was 22 and not much later in life.

This course was not only useful but also a fun challenge for me. I started it with a good understanding of brand strategy, but Clare’s lectures as well as those of the other teachers helped me to delve deeper into different concepts and gave me new tools, which I’ve already had the opportunity to use in my personal and professional projects. It was very interesting to create by looking specifically through the prism of a GOOD brand: from brand story to copywriting or innovative and sustainable packaging alternatives. For both those who have never created a brand before and those who have already experienced the creative process – this course will give inspiration, understanding of market trends or will even help to develop a new brand!

It was a real school of contemporary life. As I hadn’t been involved in advertising before, this gave me a basic understanding of the threads that go into one or another type of advertising and the kind of material that can be produced from a single sentence of a task. Our brain is an unstoppable machine if you just let it work. I have seen it hundreds of times. You can generate lots of innovative ideas that change people’s perceptions of what has been normal for them. And this, strange as it may sound, can be achieved even through the most concise, one-word advertisement. All you need is the creativity to find it.

In short, the course gave me the courage and the understanding that I can try and make mistakes over and over again, but that it only makes me more creative and productive. Not just at work, but also in my life.

When you come to the Creativity in Advertising course, you turn into a weird person (if you weren’t already): you turn off your adblocker, wait for adverts while watching TV and startle your friends by speaking non-stop about the best campaigns.

The Atomic Garden Vilnius is a school that introduced me to the world of advertising and made me think differently. Here I have gained knowledge that I cannot find in any book, explained in such a broad way. The atmosphere here was motivating and encouraging to learn. Here I learned to tame my creativity, so that it’s not just one-off flashes of ideas. I was also surprised to discover how widespread the Atomic community is – practically everywhere in the advertising field I find people who have studied or teach at the school. It’s great to see that if you don’t let go of your passion, the advertising industry is waiting for you.

It was one of the most exciting rollercoasters of my life. From the Eureka moments when you create concepts that work, to the thought – What am I doing with my life? – when you’re stuck all day. Not to mention the fellow students and teachers who become your second family. It is very difficult to put all the wonderful adventures in a few sentences. I’ve increased my creativity by 200%. I’m tremendously happy about my studies. They gave me the basics of some areas and deepened my knowledge where I needed it. I apply this knowledge every day in my work and my life. Creativity and fun life go hand in hand.

For me, the course started at the same time with my new role as a Product Manager. This allowed me to put what I learned during the course into practice. The structure was well thought out, with an introduction and then delving into different areas. The teachers were experts in their respective fields, highly skilled and capable of adressing any queries, all the while making the 2-hour session seem like just 30 minutes. I also appreciated that the whole course was in English and all the course members made a great effort to maintain English communication throughout the course. Since everyone is eager to step into product management, the course is a great opportunity to connect with like-minded people and expand your professional network. The course provided a strong foundation for my future role. Now it’s on me to check back on the slides sometimes and remember all the strategies, dos and don’ts. In case you’re still hesitating, sign up now.

Inspiring and engaging – that is what this course was for me. Interesting, high-quality and relevant theory was combined with a hands-on practical part, during which excellent professionals in their respective fields shared their experience. It was a great opportunity not only to create, but also to get answers to questions that arise when working with real clients. Special compliments to the course leader Clare McNally, who not only teaches the theory brilliantly, but is also fantastically inspiring! Even if you come up with 50 ideas and you feel that it’s all you can do, she will inspire you to come up with at least 10 more. These were intense months that strengthened the knowledge I already had and inspired me to create more and with more courage.

For everyone, but certainly not for those who just want to listen passively. I have to admit, I didn’t expect that much work myself. Now you have lectures, and now, look, you’ve got an assignment to do and you’re spinning around like a bee. There were some stuck moments when you don’t know where to go next, then you call Clare, the course leader, who breaks the ice from your thoughts, leads you out of all the (not only comfort) zones and bang! A few hours later, you have 3 pages of ideas on where to go next. It wasn’t easy, but it was a good, very good process.

How to Create a GOOD Brand is a complex, consistent process, where theoretical knowledge obtained outside the textbook is immediately applied in practice. Professional and inspiring teachers have been sharing their insights and experiences through a continuous, lively discussion. I would liken the full-course trip to an expedition, the intensity of which exceeds the limits of your comfort, it is a bit uncomfortable, you get lost, and the weather conditions are not always favorable. However, by not losing sight of the goal and walking with experienced guides, you will unconsciously reach your summit, which redeems everything.

I learned from those hubspot tutorials, Google garage courses and all that bored me. Probably because I was looking not only for knowledge, but also for inspiration. And from the first lesson at school, I immediately felt that passion. From advertising history to insights. From copywriting to research. And you learn all this from the pros of that field. The only disclaimer – it all depends on you. You will get as much work as you put in. And you will probably get a lot.