Peace, be still.

I believe inspiration comes in peaceful settings.

Words such as quiet, secluded, still, and peaceable have always been, in my experience, associated with clear thinking and imaginative writing. Little wonder, writers in ceiling-less, wall-deprived office scenarios wear headphones and earplugs. I visited CPB in Boulder last week and while walking through the hallways at 9 PM noticed so many of the creative staffers hunched over monitors with headphones on. Noise blocking out noise. It's too bad offices -- even small ones -- with doors can't be provided to everyone, but that's not the trend these days.

I recognize all writers may not feel the same way. And I realize that walls and doors cost money. I tried to deal with an open-office setting while working for Cole & Weber, and even earplugs didn't always create sufficient quietude. When they did, I couldn't hear my phone ring. Not good. I feel badly for our writers at Richter7 who face the same predicament. When offices were originally assigned, I should have been more wise -- even if the offices they should have received weren't as "cool."

The world grows increasingly noisy. I fear the trend won't abate. As I understand it, the first order issued by a commander mounting a military invasion is the jamming of enemy communication channels. Call it "black noise."

In today's world of communication overload, there always seems to be a TV on in the background -- sometimes the foreground. The radio, or an iPod, constantly blares. As anyone with a teenager will admit, Guitar Hero is not an eardrum's best friend. My son is savoring, at high volume, a YouTube video on a nearby computer as I write this -- or try to write this. I'm just not tough enough to mentally focus when there's non-stop noise all around. And I'll bet I'm not unique.

For me, and many others, solitude and quiet are particularly conducive to idea generation, inspiration and creativity. Since the ad business is built on those precepts, it seems rather critical to orchestrate moments and physical environments that are noise-free. Op-ed over and out.