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Creative Inspiration Work Life Balance

Top 'makers and innovators' share the places that inspire them most in Instagram-led feature

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By Gillian West, Social media manager

April 19, 2017 | 11 min read

From being on stage to getting back to nature, or simply letting loose in the kitchen, it’s safe to say that creatives draw inspiration from a number of places – and not necessarily at their desk between the hours of 9-5.

Instagram inspiration

Creatives are sharing the place that inspires them most with The Drum on Instragram

Back in February, Goodvertising author Thomas Kolster wrote a piece for The Drum declaring “work is not worth dying for” as the debate around overworking – particularly among young creatives – intensified. Since then the conversation has continued at pace, with reports of agency work/life balance finally reaching crisis point.

So, as part of The Drum’s Cannes Lions issue – guest edited by Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, Mark D’Arcy and Nicola Mendelsohn – we’re celebrating the ‘makers and innovators’ who take time to step away from their desks and embrace the wider world.

From holidaying on the Amalfi Coast to cycling through Kebler Pass Road or just wandering through Hyde Park, creatives from around the globe have been sharing the places that inspire them most with The Drum on Instagram, revealing why these places inspire them and why we all need to get out more.

So far, we’ve heard from J. Walter Thompson’s chief creative officer, Mark Eastwood; chief design officer at Mirum, Daiga Atvara; Pete Favat, chief creative officer, Deutsch North America; Cheil creative director, Georgia Barett and Ogilvy and Mather Japan’s chief creative officer, Ajab Samrai among others and we’ll be posting images shared with us on Instagram throughout April.

I once said that 'creativity' is a curse. It is. A beautiful curse. It is an energy that drives you constantly, sometimes to distraction, and as Oscar Wilde once said 'is impossible to use up...'. The ad business is more 'creative' than just the people who occupy the third floor, there are thousands of creative problem solvers working in lots of different areas in companies, who don't know or feel they are as creative as they actually are. We need to understand and then propagate the role of creativity and what impact it can have on our companies and our clients. Personally, I need to make things. It doesn't matter what. Companies, adverts, clocks, robots, posters. Just stuff. I don't drink, I don't do drugs. Getting my hands dirty is my drug of choice and doing it with other like minded people is amazing. I did the one day course @printclublondon the day after I left Karmarama and it changed my life. Dramatic but true. The studio @printclublondon is like a third home for me, the creative energy is incredible, so much so that every new starter @londoncpb has to do the one day print course. The initial response is always the same. ' I'm not creative! Blah blah...' when they come in on the Monday after the course, they have changed because they have made something, often for the first time in years. Making something is just one small aspect of what it means to be creative, but once you've made something, you can make anything. @thedrummag #creativityisthecure

A post shared by Dave Buonaguidi (@realhackneydave) on

So, the next time you step away from your desk, heed the words of Papalosophy.com founder, Joel Serra, “beautiful things happen when creatives step out of their bubble and challenge themselves with the new and unfamiliar.”

If you’re interested in taking part please contact Gillian West or Jenny Cleeton or post a picture on Instagram of you in a place that inspires you along with an explanation of why you feel inspired there and tag @thedrummag.

Creative Inspiration Work Life Balance

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