Why Graham Fink is Teaching People to ‘Fink Different’
Graham Fink is one of the world’s most respected and highly awarded creative minds - a creative director, multimedia artist and agent to Sophia (a humanoid robot), he’s worked across three continents and with thousands of clients at agencies such as Ogilvy, CDP, GGT and M&C Saatchi. He has even won four BAFTAs.
Now Graham is launching an educational online course, Fink Different, aimed at inspiring better creativity in the world of business. The series will be hosted by the DO Lectures, in partnership with GENIE, starting Thursday 8th July, with sign ups available until midday that day.
LBB’s Matt Cooper spoke to Graham about why he created the course.
LBB> Tell us roughly what you are doing with this course Graham?
Graham> It’s something I’ve wanted to do for years, but only managed to find the time to create it during the pandemic. I’ve learnt an incredible amount over my 30 plus years in the creative fields, working with many of the world’s best thinkers, artists, designers, directors, photographers, strategists, and clients, as well as many ‘outsiders’. I want to share this knowledge with others and tell it through stories. I think that’s the best way to teach.
The course is a collection of all the things I wish someone had told me years ago.
LBB> What inspired it?
Graham> It came out of a conversation with David Hieatt at the beginning of the first lockdown. He encouraged me to finally devote some time to bring it to life. Funnily enough, David was a young copywriter in my group at Saatchi & Saatchi, back in the day. He did some great work, but then gave it all up to start a brand called Howies. He then sold that and founded Hiut Denim. He also started the DO Lectures, which has become a super-successful global event. So he understands the importance of putting creativity at the heart of business.
LBB> Do you think that ‘creativity’ is something that we are totally forgetting in advertising? If so, what do you think has caused that?
Graham> I think creativity can be found, but it seems to be much rarer these days. When I look at most advertising, so much of it seems the same. Tried and tested and tested and tested formulas, which all look very nice and are pleasant to listen to, but are never going to stick.
It’s easy to blame the clients, but everyone needs to take responsibility. I think one of the problems is no-one wants to upset anyone and stick their neck out. It seems we’ve forgotten how to create a bit of mischief and have fun.
LBB> Who is it for and how do you feel it will help people who attend?
Graham> It’s for people who want to use creativity to make a difference in their business and everyday lives. Not just in advertising, as the course casts a much wider net, and there’s also an underlying theme that helps with finding your own voice and growing self-belief. I think the pandemic has knocked a lot of people’s confidence for six. Hopefully I can help restore some of this.
LBB> Is there an element of live support?
Graham> Yes. I think it's really important in a virtual space to deliver as much of the personal as possible. So we are doing weekly live Q&A sessions where people will have the opportunity to ask any questions that have arisen during the previous week.
And we’ll harness the power of the community: all participants will become part of a private global cohort of incredible creative minds with access to an exclusive course workspace on Slack. It will be a place to connect with like minds, share, collaborate and find inspiration. And it will be fun. That’s always important.
