I’ve identified as a Creative for as long as I can remember— even before taking it on as an official title at the various agencies I've had the fortune of working for over the years; including DMB&B, Y&R, Saatchi & Saatchi, TBWA\Chiat\Day, and BBDO. I learned from experience working overseas in Australia, Singapore, and China that, like facial expressions and body language, Creative is nuanced and localized, with the same underlying principles nonetheless. Good Creative is thoughtful. It can be cloaked in a clever or straightforward delivery, in a loud and bold or quiet and subtle look. No matter the solution, at its core, good Creative has purpose and meaning and makes people feel something, think something, do something. True across the globe, across industries, across departments, and across mediums.
Growing up in a house where my father owned his own business, I learned early on what it takes to run a successful one. I knew the mechanics behind P&Ls, ROI, and KPIs and how your Brand, Product, and Marketing need to work together to achieve your financial goals. This early exposure shaped me into a Creative who gets that good Creative is good business.
I have an insatiable appetite for seeing what fellow Creatives are doing. How others take the old and make it new or how they create something from nothing. I draw endless inspiration for my daily blog binging, regular zine reading, pre-quarantine gallery going, and the constant observing of my surroundings. I'm obsessed with good Creative and with acknowledging it when I run into it. With strangers, yes, but most especially when I see the potential in my teams. There's nothing I find more rewarding than to help others come into their own Creative and seeing that show up in the world.
At times it feels like my career has been one long quest to explain the world through ideas and design. To take the smallest of ideas and grow them into a program, platform, or experience. The awards I've received, the award shows I've judged, the board seats I've filled, and the panels I've spoken on have been a great honor in recognition of pursuing that which I love.
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Nathan Hackstock
Creative Direction,
Los Angeles California United States
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