by Steve Rodich, Creative Director
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I read a great book over the weekend
titled, "Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Trip to
Heaven and Back" by Todd Burpo. It's about a young boy around the
age of 4 who had a bad stint in the hospital because of appendix
issues and recounts, to his parents, what it was like to be in
heaven, even though he ended up living a healthy life. After I
finished the book, it made me think of one of my favorite quotes by
Picasso ... "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain
an artist once we grow up."
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Kind of seems random that a book about a boy remembering heaven
reminds me of that quote. But there was a part in the book where
Todd, the boy's Dad, talks about a child's ability to see the world
through unaffected eyes, where being "jaded" and cool, aren't
really a big deal, and having blind faith is just a part of
everyday life
I think it's the duty of everyone in the creative industry to
maintain a child-like perspective. I remember reading somewhere
that the great J.M. Barrie got the idea of writing Peter Pan by
observing children play. Barrie, who recognized that a child's
imagination is something special that most adults don't have,
listened to their tales of pirates, kings and princesses, and
crafted the Peter Pan story from their adventures.
So what do I do to try and maintain that honest and imaginative
perspective when concepting and designing campaigns for
Ronin?
I let myself get excited about projects. Really really
excited. The ad industry can be a rollercoaster ride of ups and
downs, where budgets are cut and the expectation for "creativity"
is being elevated everyday. It can be easy to allow all of these
challenges to taint your excitement. But I have a responsibility to
my client, Ronin and myself to not let those challenges jade me
because, after all, reckless excitement is a precursor and great
motivator for imagination.
Another thing I do is dream, crazy and often times unreachable ...
but I still dream. I remember when I was younger, I had dreams of
being a doctor, or an astronaut to fulfill my fascination with the
stars (and I'll admit, having a Dad who was a big Star Trek fan
didn't help either). But all of those hopes and dreams were so
healthy. I think when some people get older, reality sets in and
they accept whatever it is they're doing with their life. They stop
dreaming. There's a great saying that goes, thought and belief
combine into a power surge that can literally move mountains. And
it's so true. How powerful did you feel as a kid? When you watched
Superman pick up a car several times the size and weight of
himself, did you go back and try yourself? Leo Burnett once said,
"When you reach for the stars, you may not quite get one but you
won't come up with a handful of mud either." It's important to keep
on reaching, even for goals you might think are unreachable, but
reach anyway.
I'm also curious to learn just about anything. Do you remember
when you were a kid, and asked your parents thousands of questions
a day? Children explore, question and have an appetite for wonder,
that's how they learn. This is really important to maintain when
you get older. Curiosity is one of the most common traits among
great creative people. They don't stop asking questions. They don't
stop wanting to know more than they do. You might be surprised to
find out how your perspective shifts if you take their lead.
So bringing it back full circle. When Picasso challenges, "Every
child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we
grow up," I have realized over the years, it's a concerted effort
that you have to commit to everyday. It's one I keep up on the wall
as a nice little reminder to stay excited, keep dreaming and ask a
bunch of questions.
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