• by Bergendi Hatch , June 26, 2015

Being curious sometimes gets a bad rap. The expression “curiosity killed the cat” and stories of young, punishable primate George reductively ignore the complexity of the mindset. The implication of what it means to be “curious” can be uncomfortable for many people: it means you don’t know something. People are scared of that. They want to exist in the world never having to make that admission—asking too many questions, freeing up a part of their brain to learn something new, or freaking themselves out with a new experience. They want to embrace the comfort of the warm world they’ve created. It’s just easier to wrap yourself in a warm blanket and embrace what you know, hoping the people around you (or, perhaps more accurately, you yourself) are convinced that you’re an intelligent, capable member of society. 

It is easier. And a tremendously dangerous place to be. 

There’s one consistency I found in the people I was able to listen to and talk with at The Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity: they’re all highly curious. Cannes is an ideal place to be that. There are back-to-back sessions and hands-on workshops with the most creative, dynamic leaders in the business. Panels comprised of chief officers, industry luminaries, and global philanthropists. Ground-breaking work fighting to make room for itself and take home awards. 

The city is decorated with a constant buzz of palpable energy and effusive conversations about perspectives in the business, opportunities and growth, perfecting craft… all fed by the striking backdrop of the French Riveria. (Admittedly, this is a detail that often gets overlooked, at least for me. It’s easy to get all-the-way lost in the festival experience. The fact that it’s in one of the most beautiful locations in the world is just a major bonus.) 

In our industry, curiosity is the key to everything. It unlocks creativity, something we need to strive to inject into everything we do. This week, I had the amazing opportunity to sit in on a small group with speaker Mary Wells. Mary Wells is an incredible creative. She fundamentally shifted the advertising industry: responsible for creating many notable campaigns such as Alka-Seltzer’s “Plop plop, fizz fizz”, I Heart New York, Trust the Midas Touch, and more… many of which are still in place today.

Mary’s advice was straight-forward and potent: Ask questions. Keep learning. Be mentors for each other. Listen carefully, and then use what you learn to your advantage. Constantly question yourself and your methods—for how you do EVERYTHING, down to your hair-washing technique. It was this idée fixe that makes Mary a legend. She found opportunities through asking questions and poking holes in everything. When asked what it’s been like for her, as a woman, in an industry dominated by men, she had this amazingly refreshing perspective: “I’ve never felt like a ‘woman’ in the industry. I don’t take that mindset with me. It’s never come up for me.”

The need for curiosity is a resonating sentiment that I consistently found across the board. Those are the people here: the ones who embrace not knowing everything. They’re excited about not knowing. They create opportunities and leave a lot of room for themselves to grow. Sharp, committed to growth, and passionate. To distill the abundance of advice I have been so lucky to receive and will be taking home with me to implement in my own life and craft: Get it wrong. Find the thing to subvert. Make the mess. Ask every question. Stay hungry. Play. Be curious. Because that’s where everything changes.

Curiosity may have killed a cat or two, sure. Curiosity can kill. But comfort is a slow death.