Last Wednesday 3 extremely creative women came together to share their favorite projects and also talk about what sparks their creativity. It was an evening of inspiration, insight and plenty of tips on how to be bold, keep feeling inspired, the value of taking risks and the power of advertising to create change.

Chiat\Day kindly hosted the event where Creative Directors Kirsten Rutherford (Chiat\Day), Hillary Coe (Freelance, formerly Google) and Sasha Markova (Mother) shared a highly varied selection of past projects from street art, real-time advertising to the power of a single image – in this case bringing Jesus to London!

A few words of wisdom from our speakers on:

Finding inspiration

• Make time for an interest outside of advertising. Find something that makes you feel good, especially if you are not finding that fulfillment in your job.
• Have a passion project.
• Embrace art and culture and bring that into the world.
• Find the thing that releases you. Whether that’s the gym, hiking, knitting, drag racing or in the shower!

Find your tribe

• Find your tribe in your peers. Building the support system amongst your peers will help give you strength and improve your stance. When you exude confidence and you will naturally attract the higher ups.
• You will feel creepy! But don’t be afraid to be persistent or ask for help when seeking out the leader who will trust and help you.

Be courageous

• Have the courage to get a big idea out in the world. Don’t be put off by the seemingly small brief with the small budget. Magic can happen if you are prepared to MacGyver the crap out of it. Sometimes even investing your own time and money or asking for favors from others.
• We have the power to change the status quo. The big tech companies are listening.
• Creatives can have the power to arrest, shift consciousness and create an image better than anyone else can. Don’t be afraid to take risks creatively if you believe in something.
• Remember that women get better and stronger with age – the more experienced you become, the more confidence you gain.