The Blind Man Who Could See: A Creative Philosophy from Sir John Hegarty

Sir John Hegarty has offered a creative philosophy as part of The One Club’s ‘A Creative Perspective’, a video series that offers digestible glimpses into the minds of noted industry professionals.

 

Entitled ‘The Blind Man Who Could See’, the philosophy comes in the form of a seven-minute movie that was illustrated and shot on an iPhone. It follows two young, ambitious creative partners as they attempt to get their portfolio to the kind of place that will lead them to “create work that captured the imagination of the world and changed the fortunes of brands”. They seek advice from industry luminaries and veterans but end up more confused than before after an array of mixed messaging that's likely to hit home with many a bright spark with their heart set on a future in advertising. Eventually left disheartened after a meeting with a little man hell bent on the virtues of Big Data, they drown their sorrows over a cup of coffee before being coincidentally inspired by a message about truth from a fellow customer. 

 

“I think it’s important for young creatives to have pride in what they do,” Sir John tells LBB’s Addison Capper. “Understand that underpinning creativity is the truth. And advertising is part of that need. The great campaigns we all reference, the campaigns that have stood the test of time are those that were founded on truth. A brand is about trust. Trust can only be achieved when you employ truth. And of course if our industry doesn’t care about the truth, then in my mind, it’s doomed to die.

 

“When seeking advice in your early career you’re always going to get mixed messages,” he adds. “It always happens. And even more so today with all the different routes into advertising. But underpinning that advice has to be more than just TV, digital, content, social media. It has to be a deeper rooted philosophy in the purpose of communication. Only by understanding that will your career progress.”