2021 Creative LIAisons Mentees

 

An industry that apart from being creative doesn’t ask for any, or in general have any designed curriculum training that prepares one to enter it, must rely on mentoring or coaching programs to craft young talent. Though welcoming people from all backgrounds has always reinforced our industry by providing a multiple-perspective view to our challenges and then gathering cosmopolitan insights, but then there is a method to it too. It is crucial for young entrants to learn and apply it, which is only going to help them put all their diverse experiences into use in a more creative and useful manner.  

 

Unfortunately, with my experience, I would say that there is a dearth of such coaching programs. London International Awards (LIA) on the other hand, with their Creative LIAisons program is doing a tremendous job on this front.

 

I have had the awesome opportunity to virtually attend it this year. The main highlight of the program is the one-on-one coaching sessions with three different industry leaders. I was lucky enough to have been connected with the best of the coaches and now in hindsight, I can say that these three hours are by far the highlight of my career.

 

Without a shadow of a doubt, I yielded far more than I thought I could. I realized that even just a thoughtful conversation does to you what a good piece of fiction does. Leaves you with subliminal life lessons.

 

After my session with Jessica Apellaniz, Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy Latina, I literally listed down seven tips by her which in the first place she never dictated. The conversation itself was so insightful that I discovered the subliminal lessons only in hindsight.

 

Her clarity on her views and her quality to give her views the perfect words is something I will be aiming for. When you get so influenced by someone’s personality that you start looking up to them, it is surely a lesson in disguise.

 

Honestly, the biggest task was to understand how to make the most of the Creative LIAisons Coaching. So, after days of overthinking, I decided to keep it simple. Rather than making it just another portfolio review, I proposed interviewing the coaches. I don’t know whether they liked the idea or got amused by it, but all three of them agreed instantly and now I think it was one of the best ideas of my career.

 

I asked them about their life, career and views on several subjects like creativity. Their perspectives, anecdotes and approaches towards challenges helped me understand better what actually goes into making a genius. Also, this approach connected me with them at a personal level and just within an interaction of an hour, created a sense of belonging.

 

Just think about you being in an audience, while Matt Eastwood, Global Chief Creative Officer at McCann Health, takes you through his childhood days in Perth to his first job in Sydney to settling thrice in New York and even about his newly discovered passion, Photography without a Zoom. This has got me curious now. What better source of learning than one’s life.

 

In discussions of this nature, stories or recommendations are not just restricted to advertising but, they come from anywhere and everywhere; like Matt told me about Avenue Q, a play he loved watching and of course I made sure I didn’t miss it. Awesome play. Do watch it if you are reading this; it’s there on YouTube. Currently, I am also on to reading his blog, becomingamateur.com, which has got me hooked.  

The LIAisons program had arranged for an hour of interaction with all three coaches, but the way things have gone for me, it doesn’t seem to have a time limit. Whereas as I am in talks with Jessica and Matt to have another session in the coming few months, my interaction with my third mentor cannot just be measured with time.

 

With Sonal Dabral, it started off with a phone call on one fine afternoon. The chit-chatting continued with a few more calls and then came the super surprise. I got a chance to assist him on a few projects he was working on. I mean do I have to say more. I have got exclusive lessons on ideation, editing, crafting and still counting.

 

It’s always very easy for him to pick the weakness in a creative piece and give it a quick solve. He speaks insights. There is a method to the way he operates which makes me believe that observing his creative process is the best way to learn from him. And I am working hard on it.

Even after so many interactions, we still have another session lined up. Yeah, I know I sound greedy, but then so be it. Maybe he’ll just gift me an internship letter after that. You never know.

 

Reminiscing over these sessions, I feel I have been the luckiest. Although the program isn’t over yet and more surprises are on the way, but like I said earlier I have already yielded much more than I expected. And to close the loop I’ll go back to where I started from. Since I have been a part of it, so I can vouch for it with reason. Mentoring programs are what we need to direct young talent to become leaders and further make better mentors.