Alain de Botton asks in a blog for The Guardian what the point of music is, on Quora someone asks “Why do we sleep?”, and on Reddit someone asks “What are numbers?” These are questions almost nobody asks — yet they immediately make you think. Not every question leads somewhere, but many developments were preceded by a good question, such as: “Why does an apple fall from a tree? Is there another route to India? How do we get to the moon? Why am I, as a woman, not allowed to vote? Why are we in Vietnam?”
The art is knowing which questions to ask. When I look at my colleagues in the strategy department at KesselsKramer (all far more experienced than I am), that’s what sets them apart. They find more levers to pull for a brand or campaign, and more options I would never have considered so quickly.
Asking questions helps break existing conventions. It starts with questioning the things we take for granted — a challenge to our clients, brands, campaigns, agencies, careers, and our entire field. It’s those last two that are often skipped. There are many talented people who think cleverly about brands and campaigns, but who rarely apply that same thinking to their own careers or the profession itself.
It’s a shame to see young talent enter the field only to play by the seniors’ rules, how advertising schools focus solely on steering students toward agencies. It’s a shame that talent throws itself into winning awards as if that’s a goal in itself, how much talent works out of duty rather than mission. It’s a shame to see our field innovate only marginally and incrementally, how many conventions from the 1960s still apply.
More than a lack of courage, it’s a lack of moral imagination. Questions that almost nobody asks are: “What do I want to achieve with my work, my life? What do I find important? Should I even work at an advertising agency? Do I want to work for these brands? Am I an art director or a copywriter, or does the title matter little and should I simply develop in the way I want? Should I read this book about advertising, or this book about contemporary weaving patterns? Why did I ever get into this field? What would I want the advertising industry to look like? How would I want the world to work?”
Zooming out from the day-to-day helps you develop an opinion about what you do — to form your own style. It allows you to offer real value in a grey mass, to your agency, your client, and our field. It’s a quest to find such an unborrowed vision, but once you do, it’s as all-encompassing as falling in love. And shaping yourself is far too important to leave to others.
