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. …

During my first two days at the Cannes Festival of Creativity 2015, I found myself drawn into six different conversations about data and how it is being used to inform and shape creativity. I was genuinely surprised. I mean, this entire week-long extravaganza is all about celebrating great ideas and wonderful creative craftsmanship, no? It got me thinking about the core meaning of all this; this is clearly much more than a fad, this is a profound and pervasive trend that is sweeping through the entire industry.

Is it a coincidence that my first day at the 2015 Cannes Lions Festival was the northern hemisphere's summer solstice? I think not! Think about what summer conjures up; sun, sand, the sea and beautiful flowers. It's also a time to retreat a bit, relax and rejuvenate. Think time. A time to be more carefree and enjoy the breezes; real and imagined. Remind you of something else? The Lions Festival perhaps? I'm not so sure everyone here understands that.

CANNES, FRANCE -- While the rest of the world may think we're all here to just sip rose and rub elbows with our fellow industry people - there is much more to learn, about being bold, and being creative, from people who are changing the way we connect, changing our perceptions of what is beautiful and expanding our ideas on what is possible. I will walk away from Cannes this year with a renewed hope in the future, and feeling prepared to survive a zombie apocalypse.

The Cannes Lions kicked off with an inspiring, and yet oddly demoralizing presentation predicting some "big hairy provocations" for the future, and the tools brands and agencies can use to deal with them. The provocations were presented jointly by Razorfish Global CEO Tom Adamski and Contagious Communications Director of Content & Strategy Will Sansom in a session prosaically entitled "Toolkit For Transformation." It proved to be anything but. It was more like a struggle over life and death, or maybe even outright extinction for advertising and branding as we know it. Take big hairy provocation No. 1: "We think in …

I couldn't help but see this second year of the Cannes Health Lions through my motherhood eyes. For many of us, raising a two-year-old brings great joy, pride, excitement, wonder, the feeling "I am getting this!" And on-and-off frustrations. (And yes, the occasional tantrum!) This year's Cannes Health Lions, themed, "Life Saving Creativity" showed all the signs of the important second year of life. We are stronger, with attendance up one third, with more than 800 delegates. We are spreading our wings and we are challenging ourselves.