Curiosity killed the cat, not the creative
A curious mind is a prerequisite for being a creative. So why don’t more youngsters entering the creative world ask questions asks Will Clark.
As a junior creative one of the most powerful creative tools is already at your disposal. Curiosity can be a crucial tool when starting work in an industry you know very little about. After my first few years in advertising I have come to realise the full potential of being a curious creative.
Fresh out of design college and AWARD school, I was ready to get stuck into the world of real briefs, real clients and real award potential. However I quickly discovered that the world of advertising is vastly different to the picture that we often paint in our minds before getting there.
It wasn’t that it was hard, I was prepared for a challenge. It was more that I had walked into my first job and had no idea what was going on. The only thing I knew (very) little about was coming up with ideas.
What a powerful, and well-written article! Good on you Will, so great to see young guys out there paving the way for new creatives.
Nice one Will.
Good article, pretty obvious but needs to be said, a hunger for new ideas and a willingness to learn fosters self-reliance and will sustain you throughout your career
Well said, Will. This mindset is appropriate no matter what your level or discipline. Curiosity and questioning, as long as it’s to progress an idea or a plan, is something that we should all do imo
Awesome article, and an important reminder!
Nice article and attitude will.
It’s true that curiosity may have killed the cat…
but satisfaction (from merely finding answers to our many questions) brought it back!
Good work mate!
awesome read! 🙂
You write well for an art director.
😉
Nice job Will.
I wish I had read this article when I started out 15 years ago. It’s spot on.
Nice one Will!
Well thought out, well written, plenty there to ponder on. worth keeping this article to return to every now and then.
This boy’s obviously wasted in Sydney, some enterprising agency should bring him to work in London!!!!
i William, Very interesting article. So glad to read that you are passionate about your job. Nice to see. Keep looking under every stone and question why.
I wonder if growing up in a digital consumption based on demand culture has anything to do with it. I get the feeling that a lot of graduates and younger professionals operate with a different kind of creative drive that is orientated around curating and mashing up existing ideas. Perhaps the passive consumption of freely availability content lowers curiosity.
Great stuff Will … Reminds me of a quote from George R. R. Martin: “Man’s curiosity drives him to find the answer to every question. but it’s the unanswered questions that are the most exciting.”
Hey Acehole! Get out and about, you’ve got a lot of the good stuff to give.