Just a week or so ago the Cannes International Festival of Creativity was held in Cannes, France. Below is a write-up from AdAge’s Editor-in Chief on her impressions. Interesting reading!
It’s me! (at right) Moderating a panel at this year’s Cannes Lions
On my way to Cannes, Delta offered a $7,000 voucher to switch to a later flight because my red-eye was overbooked. I almost abandoned the festival altogether. In truth, I was already exhausted by the idea of yet another conversation about AI anxiety and another debate about how the heart of the festival—the creative—has been replaced by data and technology.
I begrudgingly got on the plane (at least I had the rosé to look forward to).
This year, though, Ad Age took a bit of a different approach to the festival. Instead of filling the week with back-to-back panels, we convened chief marketing officers, creators, agency executives and marketing leaders for smaller roundtable discussions. We gave them the space to talk more freely, and they went deep on the challenges they are facing (it wasn’t just AI):
In our CMO roundtable, marketers spent a meaningful amount of time talking about convincing CFOs that creativity matters.
During our creator-brand discussion, creators challenged brands to stop treating them like media buys and start treating them like strategic partners.
At our Leading Women Network roundtable, a conversation about career visibility quickly became one about the invisible work required simply to be in the room.
Each of those conversations, without fail, ended with talking about trust, community and what it means to build genuine connection. It was these conversations that made dealing with what the French consider air conditioning worth the trip.
Here’s what else I’m taking home from the conversations at this year’s festival:
Marketing is becoming more human, not less.
One of my favorite moments from the week came during a CMO Spotlight panel I moderated at the Palais. I asked each of them the same question:
In one word, what’s the future of marketing?
Zena Srivatsa Arnold, CMO of Sephora, answered: community.
Tamika Young, CMO of Hinge, said: heart.
Marta Moreno Gómez, senior marketing manager, Heineken and international premium brands, Heineken Company, chose: human.
Three different answers, but the sentiment was the same: the future of marketing is built on stronger human connections.
Richard Edelman, CEO of Edelman, described a world that’s becoming more insular, where consumers increasingly rely on smaller networks and trusted voices. His advice to marketers: shift messaging from “we” to “me.” Build trust by making people feel seen, understood and represented.
That same thinking surfaced elsewhere throughout the week:
Pinterest’s “Less URL. More IRL.” activation reflected a desire for deeper, real-world connections. Netflix centered its Cannes presence around fandom. Even conversations about creators weren’t really about creators—they were about the communities they’ve built and the trust they’ve earned.
Again and again, technology was discussed as an enabler, not the strategy itself.
The creativity conversation has changed
For years, one of the recurring debates at Cannes has been whether creativity—the very thing the festival was built to celebrate—has taken a back seat to performance marketing.
That conversation is still happening.
But this year, it felt secondary to a different one: how marketers can convince the rest of the organization that creativity is a business driver, not just a marketing function.
It showed up in different ways throughout the week. The new Creative Brand Lionsrecognized companies that have built creativity into the way they operate, not just those that produced a standout campaign. Procter & Gamble’s Marc Pritchard spoke about using AI to accelerate creativity, not replace it. And across conversations with marketing leaders, the focus was less on choosing between brand and performance and more on building organizations where creativity can consistently drive business results.
The question is no longer whether creativity matters. It’s how organizations create the conditions for it to thrive and how marketing leaders make the case for it across the business. Creativity is increasingly being viewed not as a campaign outcome, but as an organizational capability.
Creator marketing has grown up
Five years ago, most creator conversations revolved around reach, engagement and follower counts. That isn’t what I heard this week.
Brands talked about bringing creators into annual planning before a brief exists. Creators described themselves as consultants, product advisors and entrepreneurs. Compensation discussions extended beyond sponsorships to licensing, equity and long-term partnerships.
Edelman argued that brands should be investing less in celebrity and more in trusted creators with deep credibility inside smaller communities. The common thread was trust.
This year, marketers were asking much more practical questions: How should teams be organized? What work belongs in-house? Which workflows should AI handle? Where does human judgment still matter most?
Pritchard described AI as a way to uncover insights faster and accelerate creative development, not replace it. One participant in our roundtable captured the sentiment in a single sentence: “You still need people with excellent taste.”
That may have been my favorite quote of the week because it recognizes what technology still can’t replace.
Leadership isn’t just built at work
But the conversation that personally had the biggest impact on me came during our Leading Women Network roundtable.
We started by talking about networking, personal brands and career visibility. We ended up talking about everything it takes just to be in the room.
Women shared stories about partners rearranging schedules, grandparents flying in to help with childcare and the weeks of planning required simply to spend a few days in Cannes. One participant admitted she rarely talks publicly about those realities because she worries they’ll be interpreted as a lack of commitment. I suspect that’s true of many women leaders in this industry.
We spend a lot of time talking about how people become leaders. We spend far less time talking about what it takes to make leadership possible in the first place.
That conversation was a reminder that visibility isn’t just about raising your hand or building your network. For many leaders, it’s supported by an invisible layer of planning, tradeoffs and care work that rarely gets acknowledged but makes showing up possible.
The conversation that matters: Trust
If there was one thread running through nearly every conversation I heard, it was trust.
Edelman talked about consumers relying on smaller circles and trusted voices. CMOs talked about community, heart and being more human. Brand leaders talked aboutgiving creators more ownership. Marketers also talked about earning buy-in from their own organizations.
As the industry becomes more complex, technology alone isn’t going to solve the hardest problems. Those solutions come from people sharing ideas, challenging one another and learning together.
That’s why Ad Age keeps bringing this community together—not just to report on what’s changing, but to create space for people in the industry to make sense of it with one another.
I’m glad I didn’t take that $7,000 voucher.
Hopefully making a ruckus, one blog post at a time!
Be sure to check out my other blog,Joe’s Journey, for selected short stories and personal insights on life and its detours.
Wieden+Kennedy’s Jessica Apellaniz on Mexico finding its creative voice
This is a recent interview I found enlightening and interesting. I trust you will, too.
The chief creative officer of W+K Mexico also discusses crafting one’s creative process and the real magic of creativity. (W+K)
Jessica Apellaniz became Wieden+Kennedy Mexico’s first chief creative officer when the agency opened its Mexico City office in 2023. Since then, she has shaped the office’s creative vision and work for clients including Nike, Ford, Uber and Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Previously, she served as Ogilvy’s CCO for Latin America, leading award-winning campaigns for brands such as Coca-Cola, KFC, Mondelēz and American Express.
Apellaniz began her career in production, including a stint at MTV Latin America, before moving into copywriting and creative leadership. One of the few women to hold a regional creative leadership role in Latin America, she has also been an advocate for building more representative and inclusive teams across the industry.
We spoke with her about deadlines, crafting one’s creative process, Mexico’s creative voice in the region and the real magic of creativity.
Jessica, tell us … your first job in advertising, and your current job.
My first job was actually at Blockbuster, which tells you how long I’ve been around. My first copywriting job was at Terán\TBWA, working on Palacio de Hierro, basically a headline paradise. More than 20 years later, I helped found W+K Mexico.
An ad or campaign that inspired you coming up in the business.
Telecom’s “La Llama Que Llama.” I loved the absurdity of it. Funnily enough, they just brought it back, which makes me feel inspired and old at the same time.
The last ad that made you jealous.
“Viva La Vulva” and “Never Just a Period.” I used to hate getting the “girly brief” just because I was the girl in the room. After Libresse, all I wanted was a tampon brief.
A recent project you’re proud of.
“Who’s Waiting for You?” for Victoria Beer is a film that reminds us someone is waiting on the other side. It made me think of death not as an ending, but as the day I get to hug my dad again.
Something exciting that’s happening in the Mexico creative scene.
I think Mexico is finally finding its own voice. Argentina became known for brilliant scripts, Brazil for extraordinary craft. We’re embracing our own maximalism—proudly rooted, beautifully messy and deeply human.
One thing that can make anyone a better creative.
Craft your creative process. Figure out how to get yourself into that state where ideas can roam freely. The process is different for everyone.
How you personally get inspired.
I walk with headphones on. I read books that somehow connect to whatever I’m working on—and, of course, deadlines—they’re underrated creative directors.
What most brands still don’t understand about creativity.
The biggest misunderstanding is that creativity is the output. The real magic is in the way it helps you see the problem differently.
Something people might not know about you.
I’m an introvert, an overthinker and dyslexic. Which means every idea gets tested a thousand times before it leaves my head.
Where advertising is headed next.
We might finally see Dan Wieden and Phil Knight’s dream come true: advertising that doesn’t feel like advertising at all.
Hopefully making a ruckus, one blog post at a time!
Be sure to check out my other blog,Joe’s Journey, for selected short stories and personal insights on life and its detours.
Why the most valuable skill at work might be talking to strangers
Young charming woman talking to attractive stranger at the cafe. Adobe Stock
A new book reviewed by Michael Lee Stallard for SmartBrief argues that we could be missing valuable connections. Beyond career advancement, Sandstrom presents evidence for something even more profound: that speaking with people outside our immediate circle fundamentally changes how we think.
When we talk only with the people we already know — our team, our department, our usual lunch group — we tend to reinforce what we already believe. Our thinking becomes narrow and self-confirming. But when we engage with strangers, we encounter different experiences, different frames of reference and different ways of seeing the same problem. The result opens up the possibility of what researchers call convergent thinking, which is the ability to draw connections across seemingly unrelated domains and synthesize them into something new.
I think of this as “mosaic thinking.” Picture a mosaic, a piece of art composed of small fragments such as colored glass, stone or ceramic tiles. Mosaics dating back to ancient times can still be found in houses of worship in Italy, vibrant and whimsical mosaics created in the 20th century by the Spanish architect and designer Antoni Gaudí adorn buildings and park benches in Barcelona, and you’ll find mosaics on the walls of subway stations in Manhattan and the renovated LaGuardia Airport. Individually, the fragments seem unrelated, but when assembled, they form an image none of the individual pieces could have produced alone. This is precisely what happens in the mind of someone who is genuinely curious about the people they meet.
Every conversation with a stranger, therefore, has the potential to produce a “tile” — a small piece of new knowledge or perspective that, over time, accumulates into a richer, more creative, more innovative way of thinking. There may also be times when a seemingly innocuous comment someone else makes is the “aha moment” for you, and you recognize why a certain tile won’t fit, or you finally see how the tiles can come together.
In an era when organizations are desperate for creativity and innovation, this is not a soft benefit. It is a competitive advantage — and it starts with being willing to say hello.
A talking cat giving life advice to a confused adventurer Adobe Stock
Hopefully making a ruckus, one blog post at a time!
Be sure to check out my other blog,Joe’s Journey, for selected short stories and personal insights on life and its detours.
Creatives can lead in the AI era by reclaiming foundational skills such as editing, packing, lighting and overall execution. Adobe Stock
An opinion piece I found interesting and thought it best to share. Hope you find it worth the read.
The traditional creative process began with a client brief. From there, strategy was developed, and only then would the creative process start. Teams brainstormed, then collaborated with creative leads until a deck was prepared. Once the client approved the deck, there was a sense of relief: the idea was greenlit.
AI fundamentally altered this process. Now, once an idea is approved in a deck, AI sets creatives on a new journey—an extension of the original process.
What felt like the end is now just the beginning.
Greater need for clear vision
I won’t argue the well-worn territory that AI is just a tool and that people must lead creative processes. But having established the importance of humanity to lead, it’s important to determine where people fit in the new creative process for situations where AI will be used.
It’s been asked: Is our new role solely to be the very best prompt writers we can be, knowing that the output will be determined by precise inputs, phrased in a way the computers can metabolize?
I don’t think we simply become “creative prompters.” It’s not about being on a pedestal and giving direction; it’s about being where the work is actually shaped. This exciting shift makes us creatives more professional again, relying on technical knowledge rather than just intuition.
In the AI era, approval marks the start of a new creative process, where creatives need to become a kind of artisan again, despite using technology. Specifically, evolving creatives must know exactly what to ask for—providing references from art, cinema, fashion, architecture and advertising itself—to direct the AI.
Jarring? Perhaps. Beautiful? Indeed.
Precision and exploration
Traditional creatives are all about precision, while AI is about exploration. In the AI era, creatives must double down on precision while being open to exploration. That means rethinking the creative role altogether.
This shift requires creatives to adopt more than a sensibility; they need technical expertise and holistic vision. Here are the fundamentals you need to succeed:
1. Story fundamentals
Creatives must be articulate about what they feel and think in executing the approved concept: Clear story references, resources and vision that once belonged to directors or producers must now come directly from the creative’s mind.
To become true craftspeople again, creatives must be immersed in advertising history while studying modern techniques and resources. This forces you to rely on technical knowledge rather than just intuition, experience or criteria. Transcend the suggestion that creatives will become prompters. Go beyond that; it’s more than just giving well-referenced instructions.
In a way, this is where the terms “creative” and “creator” converge. With each iteration of instructions, the work is being shaped, changed, evolved and improved. It’s precisely about shaping the work as it’s being created.
2. Visual fundamentals
Creatives need strong visual literacy even more in an AI era. Studying other arts like photography, cinema, fashion, architecture and design is a foundation. Bring clear aesthetic references from the idea stage to define the original visual look. On a more technical level, understand and apply concepts like composition, lighting, tone, texture and more.
When creatives acquire these skills, they move beyond simply prompting visuals and begin shaping them. Each iteration becomes an opportunity to refine the idea. Again, creatives become both thinkers and makers, using AI not just to generate images but to actively build a distinct visual language as the work is being created.
3. Direction fundamentals
Finally, creatives need strong direction skills: the ability to translate an idea into vision, then vision into reality. It all comes down to what the audience sees. Creatives must speak the language of camera, editing, pacing, cinematography, lighting and overall execution details.
Refine this skill by thinking like directors earlier in the process. Move from proposing ideas to actively shaping how those ideas come to life. In this, AI becomes a collaborative execution partner; with each iteration, creatives can guide performance, refine tone and evolve the work in real time, ensuring the final result reflects a cohesive, intentional vision.
Amid the AI revolution, embrace your own renaissance. The traditional era’s end is your new beginning, too.
Because AI transformed creative approval, making the end the beginning, creatives must evolve from executors into true creative professionals. Reclaim foundational skills and you’ll lead in AI-driven execution. Clear references, resources and vision—what once belonged to directors or producers—now come directly from the creative’s mind.
David Castellanos is creative lead at Erich & Kallman.
Hopefully making a ruckus, one blog post at a time!
Be sure to check out my other blog,Joe’s Journey, for selected short stories and personal insights on life and its detours.
Svedka, the vodka brand, addresses both digital burnout and Y2K nostalgia with the Svedphone, a stripped-down flip phone designed to encourage real-world connection. With only call and text functions, the device playfully rejects smartphone overload in favor of being present during social moments.
Positioned as an extension of the brand’s “Fembot” platform, it turns anti-tech sentiment into a physical product tied to nightlife and festival culture. Released in limited drops, the campaign reframes “less technology” as a more social, and more fun, experience.
Svedka’s Fembot may be a robot, but she’d prefer you mostly interact with other humans.
Stripped-down flip phone designed to encourage real-world connection
Looks like “fembots” may be with us for a while. This is really going back to simplicity but how will it play in today’s smartphone environment? Will it be taken seriously by folks who want just a really simple phone or be viewed just as a promotional stunt by the vodka maker?
Who knows. The buying public can be very fickle at times.
Hopefully making a ruckus, one blog post at a time!
Be sure to check out my other blog,Joe’s Journey, for selected short stories and personal insights on life and its detours.
This was one of the more unusual campaigns I’ve read about recently. Definitely an attention getter.
The U.K.’s Channel 4 unveils a vomiting public fountain
The U.K. broadcaster is promoting its new drama “Dirty Business” with a provocative public installation on London’s South Bank titled “The Fountain of Filth.” Created by 4Creative in partnership with Glue Society and Biscuit Filmworks, the 10-meter-wide fountain features bronze-style statues of men, women and children appearing to vomit murky brown water, while a suited executive stands above them with pockets stuffed with cash, symbolizing the alleged human toll of Britain’s sewage scandal.
(Water companies routinely discharge raw sewage into rivers and coastal waters, leading to public outcry.) The activation directs visitors via QR code to firsthand accounts tied to the series, which aired over three consecutive nights. Over 100,000 people saw the installation live and the work reached millions being featured in The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The Mirror, Time Out and Secret London.
(Channel 4) (Channel 4) (Channel 4)
Hopefully making a ruckus, one blog post at a time!
Be sure to check out my other blog,Joe’s Journey, for selected short stories and personal insights on life and its detours.
When we last saw our time traveler, Mr. Curtis, he had returned to the Majestic of the Sixties and was rummaging around the evil GM’s office when he came upon an oddly shaped locket. It had a ruby red crystal in the middle which was obviously designed to be pressed into some form of action. Upon closer examination, Mr. Curtis discovered that it was already set to activate and, not only that, but was currently set to emit a beacon of sorts.
Mr. Curtis felt a deep, unsettling tenseness in his gut when he realized the beacon was “live” and transmitting. Was this some sort of homing mechanism and to whom was this signal being sent? In the pit of his soul, he didn’t really want to know but he feared it was already too late.
This scenario raised all sorts of questions. For whomever the beacon was intended, were “they” already enroute to Earth? If so, for what reason and who was behind this?
Unfortunately, his police buddy-Time Traveler had been killed in the explosion in the Majestic Hotel lobby years ago. He thought under the circumstances he’d get cooperation in his new search.
In any event Mr. Curtis figured he needed to alert and apprise the Space Time Continuum Authority (STCA) and the Timeline Police.
So he left immediately for Mars, the galactic headquarters of the STCA. Once there he’d visit Admiral Moratoki, the fiesty ole bird from the Gamma Quadrant. Curtis had worked with the admiral before on the Saturn Caper and felt good about seeking his opinions on this Ruby locket mystery.
“Why Mr. Curtis, it’s nice to see you again,” welcomed the Admiral. “Please, take a seat and let’s compare notes, shall we?” he remarked.
“I take it you know why I’m here,” intoned Mr. Curtis.
“News travels fast in these parts,” replied Moratoki. “We’ve had our suspicions about the ruby locket for some time but we haven’t been able to gather much information on it, I’m afraid. I was hoping you might be able to fill us in a bit,” he said.
“Well, sir, all I know so far is what I found in the Majestic GM’s old office; an ornate locket with a red ruby in the center that appeared to have been activated at some previous point. I say activated since it appears the ruby itself is gently vibrating and glowing,” explained Mr. Curtis.
“That’s what I was afraid of,” grumbled Moratoki. As he gently took the locket from Curtis’ hand, he indicated he wanted to turn it over to the Seismic Lab for observation. At this point the last thing they wanted to do was to make things worse by accidentally tampering with the device and further triggering an action they may not be able to reverse.
“How far in the future do you think this thing has come from?” asked Curtis.
“Just based on preliminary data, we’d guess about 500 light years,” replied the admiral. “Wherever its origin, we think it’s from unchartered space. We need you to try and track it down,” Mr. Curtis.
“And how do you propose I do that?” inquired Curtis.
“Why, simple, ole chap. Just program that walking stick of yours for 500 light years into the future. Here, I’ll do it for ‘ya,” volunteered Moratoki.
“But, sir, I . . .,” blurted out Curtis. Then, poof, in an instant he was gone.
“Hmmm, 500 Light Years into the future,” Curtis grumbled. Where would he end up, he wondered. He was about to find out.
Time travel usually doesn’t take that long, at least that’s been Mr. Curtis’s experience. He somehow felt this time would be no different. He was right. The transport process completed and here he stood: right in the middle of a vast wasteland or desert-like environment. The air was breathable so oxygen was present.
Adobe Stock
As he stood there taking his surroundings all in, he viewed mountains in one direction and a city skyline in the other. Fortunately for him, the city did not appear that far away, maybe only about a quarter mile. He figured he could walk that. The temperature was comfortable, not hot, not cold.
As he neared the city limits, he was impressed with the architecture he saw. The buildings were quite modern and a variety of styles and shapes. Very attractive and distinctive.
Where would Curtis begin his search and who, exactly, was he looking for? He couldn’t approach the first person he saw that looked like a time traveler and ask, “Excuse me, but are you the resident time traveler on this planet?”
His first thought was to go to the city’s “grand hotel” and seek out the general manager and/or the local police detective. As he walked further down what appeared to be the Central Business District, he stopped and asked a passersby where the local hotel was.
Well, conveniently, it was located at the end of Main Street and was very “grand looking.” “You can’t miss it,” the passersby told Mr. Curtis.
And he was right. The closer Curtis got to the end of Main Street, he stopped cold. Just stood there, frozen in awe and disbelief.
He was standing at the front entrance of their grand hotel . . . The Majestic.
1930 Louisiana Postcard, Majestic Hotel, Lake Charles, LA
Is it a reproduction of the original from Lake Charles, LA in early 20th century or was it mysteriously transported to the future and here it is?
Mr. Curtis hoped to find some answers when inside this Majestic. Well, as soon as he entered the lobby he heard a voice saying “Welcome to the Majestic, Mr. Curtis!”
Then everything went dark.
————-
The room was quiet except for what sounded like a low murmur of voices. Then, “Mr. Curtis.” Silence. “Mr. Curtis,” again. “it’s alright, sir, you’re amongst friends,” said a voice.
Mr. Curtis, feeling groggy, eventually began to focus on the room and the voices just heard. Or at least he thought he heard them.
Then everything came into focus and what, or rather who, he saw first alarmed him. Shocked, however, might be a better descriptor.
“It can’t be,” he murmured. “You’re dead; you’ve been dead for several centuries! How the Hell . . .”
“All in good time, Mr. Curtis. All in good time,” said the “dead” guy’s voice.
“But, you’re the time traveler/time cop I met at the Majestic back in Lake Charles in the early sixties. I saw you die in the lobby explosion,” blurted out Mr. Curtis.
“That’s correct,” said the cop. “You see, I didn’t really die. Over time, my cells regenerated and, in effect, brought me back to life. I’ll explain it more to you over a bourbon. For now, though, we’ve got a problem on our hands,” he replied.
“Do you know about the red ruby pendant that’s acting like a homing device?” questioned Mr. Curtis. “It’s our guess that the signal was emanating from this location, on this planet in this section of unchartered space,” he explained.
“Yes, I’m very much aware of it,” answered the cop. “We’ve been trying to track it for years now but haven’t made much progress,” he pointed out.
‘Mr. Policeman’ continued, “We think the Koralye are behind this. They’re a small but deadly band of galactic pirates who not only time travel but also shape shift. Their sole mission seems to be mind-altering destruction wherever and however they please. As weird as it sounds, we believe this culture seems to be their DNA,” summed up the cop.
“So where does that leave us with the locket?,” asked Curtis. “I mean it seemed to have been activated and its homing device armed and sending signals somewhere, presumably here,” pointed out Curtis.
“By the way,” he interjected, “where the Hell are we, anyway?”
“We’re on an asteroid circling the third moon of Axios, a planet in an uncharted galaxy in what we think might be the Butella Nebula. We believe the Koralye are headquartered here and for sometime have kept the nebula invisible and undetectable to our sensors,” explained the cop.
“How is that even possible?,” Curtis asked, somewhat bewildered.
“We think the Koralye have harnessed some sort of galactic cloaking effect but we can’t be sure,” offered the cop.
“Well, that may be a question to be addressed another day,” stated Curtis. “Meanwhile, regarding the Ruby locket, is the current theory that the signals sent here from Earth are meant to guide this Koralye group to Earth for invasion?,” asked Curtis.
“That is our belief as of now,” stated the cop. “But not just invasion; total destruction of our planet,” he continued. “We think it’s a strategic move on their part so they would gain a key foothold within the Milky Way Galaxy. We can’t let that happen,” declared the cop.
“But how would the destruction of an entire planet serve in their best interests?,” asked Mr. Curtis.
“It’s simple,” said the cop. “Since they would have created a hole in space, you might say, they’d simply replace that hole with their asteroid. The one we’re standing in.”
Mr. Curtis, sounding rather dumbfounded, replied, “You mean they can actually move this asteroid into the place in space that Earth currently occupies? That’s incredible, if it’s true.”
“Incredible as it may seem, Mr. Curtis, we think it’s entirely possible,” reasoned the cop. “Given their technology behind the galactic cloaking phenomenon. We don’t even know to call it a device, or what. But to transform through space and time an entire planet would be the type of devious technology that this species probably is behind,” he continued.
“Well,” bemused Mr. Curtis, “taken into account what we already know, it seems like the Red Ruby locket can be disposed of, since they obviously know how to get to Earth. So the homing device is no longer needed. But after we stop them, seems like we’d need to destroy this asteroid, their headquarters. Then they would not be able to do anything. let alone literally move into Earth’s former space in the solar system,” Curtis conjectured.
“But if that’s the plan,” continued Curtis, “I alone don’t have the authority to give that authorization. That has to come from the… space time continuum authority,” he said.
The cop interjected, “Well, Mr. Curtis, I suggest you contact them immediately and advise them of our situation and ask for instructions.”
After several hours of discussion with the STCA and more introspection Mr. Curtis agreed with the Authority that the only option available was to destroy the asteroid housing the Koralye HQ. A not so minor problem was that they, too, were also on the asteroid.
How to destroy it and get out before complete obliteration took place was the challenge Curtis was going to have to address. Alas, the Authority was no help. What were a few lives lost in service to their planet Earth compared to the billions of lives potentially lost on Earth? In other words, Curtis and his colleagues were expendable.
So, when Curtis delivered the news to his group, the mood was understandably somber. And anxious. How soon could they enact a plan and could it be done without killing themselves in the process?
What about the Ruby pendant; could it be of use? Curtis thought of asking the STCA’s scientists and engineers who had been studying the pendant for clues as to what made it work and was it programmable.
If it can transport one over light years could it also work as a remote detonation device? Or, for that matter, could Curtis’ own walking stick with its emerald jeweled knob be used in connection with the pendant to bring about destruction?
The Authority’s experts would probably have some options. Mr. Curtis decided he’d immediately travel back in time to inquire as to what they’d found out.
Since it wouldn’t take Mr. Curtis that long to travel the 500 light years back in time, he thought he would first check in with Admiral Moratoki and compare notes as to what they knew before checking in with the “tech folks.”
“Not much, Mr. Curtis,” replied the admiral when asked about progress. “Oh, we have an idea or two about how that Ruby pendant works but it’s based on futuristic science and technology; we just don’t have that knowledge yet.”
“Well, since this Authority designed my walking stick, do we know if it’s plausible for it to connect with or talk to the Ruby pendant”?, asked Curtis.
“I’ve asked our chief technologist, Mr. Craig, to join us here for direct feedback,” stated the admiral.
“Ah, Mr. Craig, c’mon in. Right on time”, said the admiral. “This is Mr. Curtis whom I’m sure you remember. What’s the latest on the Ruby pendant? Do we know any more of its secrets”? the admiral inquired.
“Well, sort of,” replied Craig. “It’s composed of several chemical agents, most of which are unknown to us except one: hydrochlorabenzaprine; yeah, I know, it’s a mouthful! It’s commonly referred to as Hyzaprine. The Vulcans were using it back in the 24th Century in certain mining operations. And, yes, it does have destructive powers for good, as long as it’s under control. Out of control it’s extremely volatile,” explained Craig.
“How volatile?,” inquired the admiral.
“Extremely!,” answered Craig. “When combined with Veritol, an explosive, one can have a very impactful and lethal weapon,” stated Craig.
“Could it be developed for a cataclysmic explosion or destruction?,” asked the admiral, “like an entire asteroid?”
“Indirectly, sir,” Craig responded. “The combination of these chemicals would work to disrupt the asteroid’s inner core and thereby creating massive seismic shifts resulting in earthquakes and internal hemorrhages of that core. In this respect, yes, the asteroid could be obliterated; it would, in effect, blow itself up,” concluded Craig.
“How can the pendant be triggered to do this and how much time before all Hell would break loose after it’s triggered?, asked the admiral.
“Once the Ruby is pressed it would only be a matter of seconds before the chain reactions occur. And, sir, someone would have to press the Ruby; it can’t be remote controlled,” stated Craig.
Mr. Curtis interjected “Admiral, I can do that. I can certainly press the Ruby and immediately press the emerald on my walking stick to travel in time away from there.”
“But, what if something goes wrong? You’d have to be in position with Ruby in hand and then “beam” out into time and space as soon as you press the Ruby,” alerted the admiral.
“Yes, I know,” replied Curtis. “Considering what’s at stake, I’m the logical one to do this and this is the only way.”
“I sure hope you know what you’re doing, Mr. Curtis,” Morataki intoned. “Mr. Craig, how soon can you revamp the pendant to do what we need done?” he asked.
“Give me a few hours, Admiral, and we’ll be ready,” confirmed Craig.
“Proceed, Mr. Craig,” the admiral instructed.
“As for you, Mr. Curtis, sit down with me, have a drink or two and let’s chat. I want to hear how you plan to pull this off,” the admiral reassuredly stated.
And waited and drank and chatted for several hours they did until the pendant was ready. Mr. Curtis would leave this timeline at first light tomorrow. Hopefully, if all went well, he would end up saving Earth, no small feat even in the 28th Century.
**********
First light: Mr. Curtis, standing there resplendent in his crisp, all white three-piece suit and white fedora is clutching his walking stick somewhat nervously rubbing the emerald on top.
He admits to himself that he’s uncharacteristically nervous about this mission. He’s never really been in a position to “single handedly” save the world or in this case Earth.
The emerald is pushed and Mr. Curtis feels the transition of going forward in time. It’s a good thing that this voyage won’t take but a few seconds since he won’t have long at all to think anymore about it.
Before he knew it, Curtis rematerializes in a secluded area he had not been before. No problem, he thought; he could remain undetected for a bit longer than he’d anticipated.
Where could he sneak away to for the most devastating vantage point to press the Ruby? He knew from previous excursions about where “their” HQ is located. By his estimate he wasn’t that far away. Now to get there unnoticed.
Wait a second, he thought. Although seldom used he recalled a setting on the area surrounding the emerald that could program site to site transport. He could set it to beam him a few miles directly to the HQ site, hopefully undetected.
Curtis then set the emerald to beam him to an area that his sensor told him was uninhabited. Perfect, he thought. One press of the emerald and, poof, he disappeared. Next thing he knew he was by himself outside some shelter at the heart of the Koralye HQ.
All he had to do now was press the Ruby on the pendant and “all Hell” would begin. Then he had to get out of there immediately.
All of a sudden he felt trembling from the ground below; the destruction had begun. Now press the emerald on your walking stick, he thought to himself, and get the Hell out of this timeline.
Just as he positioned his walking stick so that he could access the emerald, the ground beneath his feet shook so fiercely he lost his balance and fell to the ground. His walking stick landed a few feet away but was still intact.
He quickly gathered himself and reached out for his cane when he suddenly felt something blocking his way. Someone was standing on the cane.
“Well, well what do we have here,” said a voice. “You looking for me? Ha, seems you found me or rather I found you, Mr. Curtis,” the voice continued.
“I’m Nicholas Basba, the head of the Koralye. What you’re trying to do here won’t work. Our technology is way too advanced for your “modifications “ so pressing the Ruby won’t do a thing,” Basba proudly stated.
Meanwhile, nobody seemed to notice that the ground was continuing to break up and a large swath of land was quickly opening up beneath where Basba stood. He was instantly knocked off balance and swallowed up in the resulting sink hole formed by the ground movement.
Just as Curtis had managed to slightly stand to reach for his cane, he, too, began to slip downward into the sink hole. But, as he was slipping, he held onto the edge of the hole and, while struggling, pulled himself up and out of the cave-in.
He reached down to grab his cane and started to press his emerald to activate the time shift. In a moment he would vanish, leaving this time and world far behind.
“Here we go . . .3 .2 .1,” murmured Curtis. “Press the emerald and off we go”. . . Then nothing. No action whatsoever.
Okay, don’t panic he thought to himself. He tried again, even while all around him rocks and debris were falling.
“3 . . .2 . . .1 . . .press emerald,” he almost shouted and . . . Nothing. “DAMN,” he exclaimed. “What’s wrong? It’s never failed before. Must be these surroundings,” he thought.
Curtis then quickly stammered to an opening at the edge of the sheltered area and, without missing a stride, pushed the emerald once more and suddenly in a flash he was gone. Completely vanished.
Desolation was taking place behind our time traveler. An entire asteroid was being obliterated and an evil empire was being phased out of existence.
Epilogue
Back at STCA HQ, 500 light years in the past, Admiral Moratoki was both pleased and relieved. Seems a sensor array from an affiliated solar system picked up a tremendous explosion from a planetary system light years away. It could only have come from a sun going nova or a similar mass destruction. Perhaps an asteroid explosion.
In any event Curtis was exhausted but pleased the mission was a success. Now, what’s next? Curtis was in no hurry to find out.
The only thing of importance on his mind was to travel back to the early sixties in South Louisiana, Lake Charles specifically, to visit the old Majestic Hotel and relax in their comfortable lobby and enjoy a delicious, cool Mint Julip. After all, he never knew who he might run into, again.
Wondering that, Mr. Curtis rose to stand and bent over to pick up his walking stick. Then he noticed it: The emerald had been replaced with the red ruby. And it was vibrating! What the . . . ?
I’ve had the privilege of listening to Dr. Firestien on several occasions when attending a webinar from the Center for Applied Imagination at Buffalo State in New York. He’s quite interesting and very personable.
What do a kingfisher, a hazard light and a waffle iron have in common? A creativity technique called Forced Connections, which leads to break through innovations. Brainstorming and coming up with new ideas is easy, we do it every day. Or so we think. The truth is we barely scratch the surface with our ”more of the same ideas”. We fall extremely short with quantity and quality of really good ideas. We miss the mark on really good innovations, because “More of the Same” does not break into big time innovation. Time to shift ideation gears with Dr. Roger Firestien and find out how to use a really simple ideation tool called ‘forced connections’. Not a new technique and certainly not a secret to those who work in the field of creativity, marketing or the business of creating ‘new and different’. However, new to most of us. Game changer. Creativity changer. Innovation changer.
Dr. Firestien is an associate professor and senior faculty member at the Center for Applied Imagination at SUNY Buffalo State and President of Innovation Resources, Inc. He is the author of six books, including Leading on the Creative Edge and Why didn’t I think of that? His expert views on creativity have been reported in Fast Company, Forbes, Investor’s Business Daily and The New York Times. When Roger is not traveling, he lives in Buffalo, New York, and regularly works cattle on the SK Hereford Ranch near Medina, New York This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.
Hopefully making a ruckus, one blog post at a time!
Be sure to check out my other blog,Joe’s Journey, for selected short stories and personal insights on life and its detours.
Late last year ADAge’s Tim Rudd penned an article about the alleged death of creativity. Well, some argue that its death may be premature. The campaign described below illustrates that point of view. As Tim reports . . .
Creativity may not be six feet under, but D&AD (Design & Art Direction) is still here to poke it with a stick.
The global creativity nonprofit is kicking off its 2026 award season with a global campaign from Uncommon Creative Studio that pushes the industry to stop hovering over the “think” button and start hitting “make.” Its centerpiece is a manifesto that challenges the too-common habit of watching ideas drift by rather than shaping them into something tangible. The work signals a shift toward more hands-on creative energy at a moment when the industry seems increasingly cautious.
The campaign leans on stark visuals and a single provocative question: Is creativity alive or dead? It stretches across D&AD’s awards, learning initiatives and talent effort, inviting practitioners to respond through action instead of commentary. The rollout also introduces a refreshed identity for the 2026 awards, turning the manifesto into a design brief for the entire program.
(D&AD) A massive Times Square billboard displays a bold message about misjudging bad ads as the death of creativity, illuminated above the city at night.
Alongside the identity comes the reveal of the 2026 jury presidents, a slate of creative leaders drawn from a mix of global brands and agencies such as Dentsu Tokyo, Airbnb, FCB Global, 72andSunny, Havas Health & You and others. Their remit is to steer the judging with the manifesto’s call for experimentation and decisiveness in mind. D&AD positions the jury presidents as creative figures who already operate with a bias toward making.
“Creativity doesn’t die, it drifts. It gets buried under deadlines, data and fear of taking risks,” said Lisa Smith, D&AD president and Uncommon’s global chief design officer. “This manifesto is a reminder to the industry that ideas are only as powerful as the people brave enough to make them real. As creative leaders, we have a responsibility to protect that spirit—to keep making, experimenting and proving that bold, human ideas still matter. D&AD exists to champion that pulse. To show that creativity isn’t just alive—it’s vital.”
(D&AD) A storefront covered in black-and-white posters displays bold gothic text declaring “Creativity is Dead” and “Creativity is Alive” alongside graphic logos.
(D&AD) A row of black-and-white street posters on a graffitied wall presents stark slogans about creativity and work beside the D&AD logo.
This year’s D&AD awards also introduce new categories meant to reflect the ways ideas move through culture. Brand Transformation spotlights work that blends strategic thinking with the craft of execution. Cultural Influence highlights projects that shape conversation or find a place in the wider cultural bloodstream. Sports Entertainment covers creative output tied to sport from campaigns to content to fan engagement.
“Creativity today is more decentralized than ever, coming from makers, creators, in-house teams and a new wave of independent studios. Our role is to ensure all these voices are equipped and inspired to keep pushing creative excellence forward,” said Donal Keenan, D&AD’s chief operating officer. “Yet in this abundance, creativity risks becoming diluted. Brands are finding it harder than ever to cut through and truly engage audiences, which is exactly why this provocation is needed.”
D&AD is also launching an editorial hub that digs into the same big question at the heart of the campaign. The platform collects commentary from designers and advertisers who are looking at how creativity has changed in a landscape of nonstop feeds and constant distraction.
(D&AD) A minimalist white typographic poster lays out a manifesto proclaiming “Creativity is Dead” before urging readers to revive it with intention.
As long as there are people who continue to push boundaries, creators who are never satisfied, folks who are always curious and a consuming public who always want refreshing and innovative ideas, creativity will never die. It will always be alive and thriving.
Hopefully making a ruckus, one blog post at a time!
Be sure to check out my other blog,Joe’s Journey, for selected short stories and personal insights on life and its detours.
ideasnmoreblog 