Interview with:Abbie Marillat [indystarrrr]
CREATIVITY
 | How and why did you begin to be creative? Its not something you really choose. You're either a creative person or not. I have from a very young age had an overly active imagination and from imagination it promotes ideas and inspires you. Although, I will add once I started working in collaboration with other creative and like minded people it felt right |
| Your mind is your work tool. How do you take care of it? Sounds really cliche but I read ALOT! I love giving my mind something to do. I always have something to do, at the moment I am juggling work and university. I am currently working on a professional project about the UK digital divide and whether I believe the government is doing enough to reduce it. So I spend alot of my time researching the digital divide and keeping up in trends in digital technologies and telecommunications. |
| How do you avoid repeating yourself, or falling into formula? How do you stay fresh? Of course its very hard not to, sometimes when dealing with certain things theres a little voice in the back of your mind that says "that worked last time, why dont you just do that again?!) But I always try and adapt my methods to current trends. I always have people who I turn to with current endeavors and they always challenge and inspire me. |
| Do you have a ritual like retiring to a lonely place from time to time to cleanse your mind? Yes, your sometimes find me locked away from the world. I'll turn off my phone and wont contact anyone for a while. I normally go for a long walk, put my headphones in and forget everyone and everything. Its just me, the trees and the music. |
| What cultural sources do you draw from the most? Art and music and technology. I draw a lot of what I do from digital cultures and trends. I think its really fascinating just how much the internet has changed our society and how noone really knows where its all going! I am here for the ride! |
| Who have your teachers been? My family, my friends, my professional network.. |
| "To give birth to ideas." Is this only an expression, or are there really parallels between giving birth and creativity? Well, thinking about it Creativity is like a seed. It needs an idea planted in your head, and once that idea starts to grow you nurture it, feed it and watch it grow. Unfortunately, many ideas dont make it past the growing stage and quickly forgotten about and abandoned.
....I suppose its an expression not to be taken too literally. |
| It is possible to fall in love with a bad idea simply because it is yours. How do you avoid this? Most definitely! Sometimes you push for something so much because its yours and you need someone to sit you down and examine every possible flaw. Thats why I work in collaboration and keep a close network of creative people. They keep me in line and are honest, just like I am with them. |
| Must someone be the leader or boss in order for a creative team to function well? I dont believe so. It can work, but with the collaborations I work within I am used to forming ideas as a group and implementing them together. Theres no reason to say that someone who came up with the basis for an idea, could not take the lead while still considering the feelings and bouncing off ideas and other aspects of an idea with the group. |
| Declaration: With what person or business would you like to work? I would love to work with Martha Lane Fox on her Race Online 2012 campaign. I'd learn so much from her! |
| What criteria do you use when selecting someone to be a part of your creative team? Personality always counts, you need to be a extrovert and willing to take risks and meet new people and accept new challenges. I need someone who is professional and has good time-keeping. |
| The armchair psychologist: Is creativity an act of rebellion for you? No. Creativity actually stems from very logical and rational methods. |
| What is the best advertisement you've seen recently? I am a big fan of Viral Marketing! I really like the promotional stuff for new movie Limitless. I was on the tube and checking out the advertisements as you do. I came across 'The Clear Pill' and thought wow. I can use all of my brain power just by taking a pill. After realizing the guy from the Hangover was promoting it, I soon inspected further and saw side-effects such as irreversible coma and death and realized it wasn't all it seemed. I took the website down and when I got home clicked Google and watched the film trailer and other viral ad campaigns. I did exactly what the campaign wanted and was hooked! |
| Do you work well under pressure? I excel under pressure. A little big of stress is good for you! |
| What city in the world currently attracts you due to its creative environment? I believe that when it comes to product design in fashion, architecture and advertising London is leading from the front. It is known as the creative hub of the world and I am lucky to live here. Did you know that “One in every eight Londoners--more than 550,000 people-works either in a creative job or in a creative industry. That's more than any field except finance observes Alice Rawsthorn, a Londoner for 28 years, and the design critic of the International Herald Tribune.
She also states that "London's strength in terms of creativity is its genuine multiculturalism and creative heritage, saying that we have a fantastic diversity of talent that thrives in a climate that for a while now has been seen to be successful both creatively and commercially." (Alice Rawsthorn 2008). It is suggested here that companies within the industry are producing innovative, high-quality products and services because of the Capitals heritage. I believe that there is an element of truth to that because of the symbols that represent the city. Historical monuments like Tower Bridge, the Houses of Parliament and St Anne’s Axe (The Gherkin) show true architecture talent. It is possible for these monuments to influence creative people around the city and contribute on ideas for creative professional. |
| How is an idea sold? with passion, credibility and enthusiasm. Also you need to believe in it yourself, otherwise who else is going to believe it can work if you dont! |
| What do you feel when, after two or three years, you see an idea of yours again? Everything comes back for a reason. I usually learn from them and try and look at it critically and see what worked well and how I can use it alongside the things that I am working on at that moment. I still feel proud and happy with the outcomes, because I always consider how much I have grown professionally and that makes me happy. |
| Ideas can come simultaneously to different people in different places with no connection to one another. How do you explain this phenomenon? I can not! |
| You are as good as your last idea. Wouldn't you like to have a more secure type of work? I am not sure I agree with that statement! You're as good as you are behind your ideas. You need to live, breathe and eat them. Otherwise, you risk being a failure to yourself. Noone should need to write themselves off like that! |
| 
730 visits Whohub
Abbie Marillat
London
|
99690 interviews created
![[indystarrrr] Abbie Marillat](http://www.whohub.com/_pics/65501.jpg?1369005941)
INVITE YOUR FRIENDS