Last week, a retrospective exhibit opened in one of Manila’s most prestigious museums that featured the best works of an organization of Filipino storybook illustrators named INK, Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan, over their 20-year history.  The work of one of our young art directors was one of those on display.

We were so thrilled to walk in that gallery of beautiful whimsical art work and see the name of our officemate.  She was not just an art director, she was also a children’s book illustrator.

Then it got us to thinking about all those other things that our other colleagues are outside of their agency roles.  Or even about what they were before their paths led them to the doors of Aspac.

Just to name a few, we have a former leftist and a former client, a smoker who’s going to do a half-marathon, a gym buff who works out even when she’s sick, a former History teacher and a current Sunday school teacher (who also used to be a professional dancer), a guy who climbs mountains on the weekends and a guy who’s lived in the boondocks of the Philippines, a guy who’s been a baker and a girl whose family owns a bakery, a girl who loves all things purple and a guy who loves all things Korean, he thinks he IS Korean.

Such diverse interests and backgrounds.  One would think–how do these people get along?  And yet, it works.  In fact, it may be the secret sauce.  It is these many wells that people can draw from that different insights and truth-grounded stories are inspired from.  It is these different areas of expertise that makes us interested and curious about what may not normally be part of our world.  It is these different worldviews that create rich conversations that can connect ideas and give birth to new ones.

Aspac’s philosophy is all about creating work that creates incitement.  The fact that this diverse yet unified team can incite each other is always a good place to start.

Photo from rommelj.wordpress.com