Graham Fink's first words to me after many a moon were “ I see you’re still in advertising’ Truth is I’m not. I do it. I try to make it stimulating. When I started seeing ads in my head, 3d ads that I had no hope of committing to paper, especially given my limited technological capabilities, I gave it all up. I never went near art direction in the same way for five or so years.
I started wearing suits and talking about brand values. And presently, like all reforming addicts, I’m gradually taking every day as it comes. God knows, I still try to find value in it. But it should only ever be a small part of any creative life. Creative enrichment can be found in so many activities and places, so my final words of advice are: do advertising, but don’t let advertising do you.