Carte Blanche

Joao Camacho creative director, Tonic International, Dubai, speaks of a mission inherent to the role of a creative director.

Joao Camacho: Future Creative Leadership

Stunningly effective creative is the centre stage of a creative director’s life. But we have another role that’s as important as our prime purpose which we can’t disregard.

At every moment, one brief at a time (sometimes even two or three), we are also shaping the creative leaders of tomorrow. The generation that will carry the torch; the generation that learns from our best – and disregards our worst, mistakes.

This daily responsibility to our teams is as great as that which we have for our clients. We need to nurture them, respect their ideas, listen to them, guide them, inspire them through the darkness when blankness strikes, and bring them back to earth when they lose touch with reality.

But most importantly, the most valuable lesson is to allow them to take risks and ownership of their work.

We are not raising sheep – we are raising leaders, trendsetters and humans, capable of great creative achievements.

We honour great talent by guiding them, not to follow in our footsteps, but to create their own paths, by making mistakes, making choices, taking chances, and developing their own style.

We are not raising sheep – we are raising leaders, trendsetters and humans...