Best Of My Creative Life 2024

Coming up with some of the industry's finest campaigns takes a lot of creative power. For the past two years, My Creative Life has dipped into the minds of advertising's brightest creatives to see exactly what inspires them.

Each creative shares three things that inspire them: a book, a place, a person, a memory, etc. These stories offer a small window into how some advertising creatives stay ahead in such a fast-paced industry.

Now, let’s take a look back at some of the best moments from My Creative Life in 2024.

Andrew Long, ECD, Leo Burnett

AOL Internet Trial CD-ROM

My first inspiration was the internet. From the second I got online – thanks to a maze of Ethernet cables and an AOL trial CD I found at school – to the present day, the internet has been the thing that has inspired, fuelled, and shaped my creativity more than anything else. As a kid, I would spend hours chatting on message boards, designing websites, making videos. Fast forward to today and not a lot has changed, really (as my weekly Screen Time alert makes me acutely aware). Of course, the platforms are different, and it all loads a lot faster, but the principles of socializing, creation, and sharing knowledge are the same now as they were back then. I get just as much joy learning Runway today, as I did with Geocities 20 years ago. And I think it's an understanding of these things that allows us to produce ideas that people want to participate in and get involved with, which is key to creating work that is truly populist.

Read the full article here.

Laura Rodgers, ECD, AMV BBDO

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.

Read the full article here.

Dan Morris, ECD, The OR

Hideo Kojima

Few push the boundaries of creativity like Hideo. Blurring the lines between cinema and gaming (it sounds shit, but I promise it’s not), Hideo never fails to transcend expectations with his projects, whilst also confounding you in the best way. I appreciate stuff that doesn’t become homogeneous in the very global landscape we currently reside in, and Hideo stays true to his Japanese origins by doing things I don’t necessarily understand, but always end up loving. Like literally just climbing a ladder for three minutes in Metal Gear Solid 3 and making it the most iconic part of one of the biggest game releases of the year.

Read the full article here.

Tom Drew, ECD, VML

The Algorithm

At some point, the algorithms that drive my socials understood that random visual nonsense was the only kind of content to stop my hungry thumb. And it went to town. Bonkers. Weird. Eh? Disgusting. Do they really do that? Wow. Cool! Woah. The king of the creators of such nonsense has to be Pablo Rochat - surely every creative’s go to source for silly. 

When the algorithm works for you, it can help reboot a frozen imagination. But if you accidentally linger on the wrong thing, you can find yourself learning how to clean everything in the house with half a lemon and a sachet of chip shop vinegar. And that’s not going to help me with the upcoming tissue meeting.

Read the full article here.

Camille Yin, Head Of Brand Design, Accenture Song

Rothko's Influence

The first time I encountered a Rothko painting in person, I was moved to tears. His masterful use of colour transcends simple visual appeal, tapping into the rawest of human emotions. The colours aren't just seen; they're felt, creating a profound connection between the artwork and the viewer. This emotional impact of colour profoundly influences my approach to brand design. In my work, I strive to evoke similar emotions and connections, using colour to communicate and resonate deeply with the audience. Rothko’s work is a constant reminder that simplicity and depth can coexist.

Read the full article here.

Pim Lai, Creative Director, BMB

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Some stories stay with you. Flowers for Algernon was one such story for me. 

This book is about a lab mouse and a man with intellectual disabilities who undergo surgery to increase their intelligence.  

The author’s words make you feel deeply, the themes stay with you. 

Told masterfully through progress reports of the protagonist, Charlie Gordon, the language evolves with Charlie’s cognitive abilities and self-awareness. 

This thought-provoking, powerful commentary on the ethics of scientific experimentation and human morality is so relevant today (much like the ongoing debate around technological advancements and its effect on the human psyche).

It really makes one question the science and ethics of what we could do, versus what we should do.

Read the full article here.

Emma De La Fosse, CCO, Edelman

People Who Inspire Me

Two people, in particular, have shaped my approach to creativity:

Margaret Heffernan: Entrepreneur, CEO and currently Professor of Practice at Bath Uni, Heffernan is one of my heroes. She has written six influential books, including Willful Blindness and Uncharted. Her TED Talks have garnered over 12 million views. I love her outspoken views on ‘efficiency’ and best practice being the enemy of creativity, the huge burden that bureaucracy places on successful and inspiring leadership and her bravery in refusing to accept the status quo.

David Droga: Droga opened my eyes to the limitless potential of creativity providing you get the base thinking, the strategy, right in the first place. He virtually invented ‘integrated’ campaigns, with media agnostic ideas that flowed across platforms, when he took over at Saatchi in the 90’s, taking creativity outside the boxes of TV and print. Many of my favourite pieces of work that inspired me in my early career have come from the Droga stable; Sarah Silverman and The Great Schlep, Marc Ecko and the UNICEF Tap Project. I realise now that his ideas were rooted in culture and therefore drove conversation, they didn’t rely on paid media, in the same way that other campaigns of the same period did. Droga is one of the early proponents of ‘Earned’. I once persuaded David to come in to talk to the creative dept at OgilvyOne. Nobody believed he’d come but come he did – and stayed for over 2 hours. Droga is a legend.

Emma De La Fosse is the CCO of Edelman UK

Read the full article here.

Monty Verdi, Group Creative Director, Grey London

The Party

I find inspiration in almost any movie, whether it’s through the storytelling or the visuals. As an art director, I’m often so absorbed in the cinematography and colour grading that I have to watch films a second time just to take in the storyline.

My guilty pleasure is classic cinema, especially films from the 1960s. The Party, starring Peter Sellers, always strikes a chord with me. Sellers plays a struggling Indian actor accidentally invited to an exclusive Hollywood party in a magnificent mansion, where he unintentionally creates havoc.

As one of the small number of Asian creatives in adland I sometimes still feel like an imposter at a party that I’m not invited to, but hopefully not causing as much chaos as Sellers does.

The film is a reminder to me that standing out even unintentionally, and bringing a different point of view to the table, can leave a positive impact.

Read the full article here.

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