my creative life

Talking Heads, Improv and very very long distance running

From wildly ecstatic gigs to running from ghosts in Epping Forest, AMV BBDO's ECD Laura Rogers shares her creative inspirations

By Creative Salon

13 May 2024

Stop Making Sense (film directed by Jonathan Demme, 1984)

From the moment David Byrne walks out onto the stage with his boombox, to the ecstatic, frenzied crowd dancing to Crosseyed and Painless, this is a concert film that has you on the edge of your seat more than any thriller. It’s a story unfolding through music, about love, creativity, and a group of people edging each other on to find new and wilder ways to express themselves. I think about it a lot when I get bogged down in logic and the pull to be responsible. Sometimes the answer is to put on The Big Suit and dance.

The Free Association

This is London’s best improv theatre and school. Their small stage with its gurgling pipes and smelly rug is my favourite place in this city. I’ve met the best people there and found the best version of myself, all while pretending to be a hairdresser or a disgruntled detective or a smurf. It’s where I learned to be brave about my silly ideas and wholeheartedly commit to the silly ideas of my teammates. And when things in advertising get a bit serious or stressful, it’s my time at the FA that reminds me that the best creativity comes from a place of joy and play.

Very, very long distance running

My phone is filled with breathy voice notes recorded deep in the woods. That sounds more salacious than it is. My best ideas come to me when I’m out on a trail. If I’m lucky, I’m in the wilds of England, but more often I’m up in Epping Forest imagining the ghosts of highwaymen running behind me. Sometimes I’m training for a Maverick race, the warmest and most welcoming race organisers in the UK. Other times I’m just lost in the forest and oblivious to it because I’m deep in thought, solving the world’s problems.