Today’s brief is a very important one for us all, as a community, to get behind.
Having seen the events unfold over the past couple of weeks, I feel it is important to have our say and share our unequivocal support behind the Black Lives Matter movement.
Recently, we've been watching society coming to terms with itself. We've seen hate on the news, love too. We've seen the best and worst of humanity through togetherness and, unfortunately, division following the protests during an ongoing pandemic. It's been overwhelming to see and has taken a toll mentally on all of us.
Therefore, I didn’t want us to jump in with a gesture One Minute Brief that added to all of the noise and becoming a place of negativity and hostility. I wanted to speak to, and involve, the OMBLES ahead of a campaign that supports our BAME followers and celebrates our ethos of complete inclusivity.
Whatever race, gender or age you are. You are welcome here.
No hierarchy. No bias.
We’ve made giant strides in the last few years against racism and, rather than create a divide, I believe we should continue to work together so that no-one is ever judged differently for the colour of their skin. Or anything else for that matter.
And, that starts with equal opportunities for all.
This is something that I think the industry, as a whole, does struggle with and we are trying to do our small part to encourage anyone, anywhere to get involved each day from around the world. There are no barriers to entry.
Entrants to our daily briefs include people from all around the world, from all walks of life. Some of them don’t even work in the creative industry as we’ve had prize-winners from school-children, to school teachers… creative students to Creative Directors.
Because ANYONE can come up with a good idea. They just need the support to make them happen.
Ahead of today’s brief, I have consulted our OMBoard & spoken to BAME members Ze and Danielle about their own experiences and feelings about this.
One of our prolific winners is Ze Anwar, who has been a huge ambassador for the BLM movement…
Ze has seen his opportunities in the creative industry limited in the past as he has been often overlooked for jobs. This is despite being relentless in his idea creation via OMB every day for a number of years. He is a figure that a lot of people look up to in our community. He inspires, mentors and is always positive and supportive to others. He is responsible for the idea that sparked both the hugely viral film for Isabella, as well as the WWF idea that saw global brands and Premier League teams pledging their support.
“I have had a bad experience of trying to get a foot and acceptance into the creative advertising industry. I was so heart broken with my experience of looking for work in a white dominated field, that I decided to forget my dream and I got a job within the NHS, which was more accepting of me as a black person, as it is a true definition of a multicultural employer.
One day flicking through twitter, I came across One Minute Briefs, which was running a brief for the NHS. I was instantly hooked and restarted creating again.
The One Minute Briefs community gave me so much support, and made me feel accepted in the creative industry. I have never come across such a welcoming community in advertising, with no barriers, and my colour and experience was seen as a strength.
With this support, I have won numerous awards and found my trust in humanity. When I was down, there was always a OMBLE to pick me up, and now I go forward with strength and some really good friends.”
Danielle has been a vital member of the OMBoard and gave an emotional and empowering speech at our last OMBLive event. Her ideas are exceptional…not just creatively but also in how we can better the community as a whole.
“We’ve all watched the news. And it’s safe to say that the tragic events that have unfolded across America the past few weeks have been a wake up call to the rest of the world.
Systemic racism exists and has done for a number of years. And there is still a fundamental change that needs to happen in our society.
It’s important to acknowledge that the creative industry plays a big part of our society.
This industry includes advertising and marketing, crafts, architecture, product, gaming, graphic and fashion design, film, TV, video, radio & photography, music, performing and visual arts, museums, galleries and libraries (hopefully I’ve covered them all!) but the lack of diversity and representation amongst these sectors is very apparent. (Google the stats if you want the numbers.)
Diversity is a matter of social justice.
Therefore the creative industry has a social responsibility to do a better job at diversifying its workforces.
The industry does not currently represent enough of its consumers, the communities it serves, the people that enjoy the goods it makes or the entertainment it offers.
Equalities and diversity are integral to all of our work. It will only enrich everything we do.
Collectively there needs to be a commitment from us as a community, to put Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at the heart of everything we do. And showcasing that everyone has creativity within them no matter who they are.
The mission for now and the future should be to support individuals and organisations within our community that represent all these values. Fully transparent, fully inclusive and striving to make a positive change wherever we can. We are all a part of this industry, we all have a circle of influence, so we call all actively be a part of the change, if we work together.
This of course needs to be done well and for the right reasons, not just because the world is watching. After all. It’s what we do when no-one is watching that we show our true selves.
I have some ideas on how we could take this further, some of which I’ve already shared with Nick. But I feel that needs further discussion for another time and I’m happy if anyone wants to collaborate or discuss any ideas they have also.
Finally, you don’t need to be a particular race, age, gender or religion to be an OMBLE. Absolutely everyone is welcome. All you need, is one minute.”
That’s why, I’m running today’s OMB alongside Ze and Danielle in order to celebrate inclusivity, diversity and total equality for everyone in the creative world, and beyond.
But we can’t do that without the OMBLES...
We are creative.
We are supportive.
We are inclusive.
We are equal.
We are One Minute Briefs.
We are One.
So let’s show everyone that we are united against racism as a community in the way we know best.
Share your positive posters, scribbles, sketches, notes, designs, GIFs and more to show how we want our creative industry to be fully inclusive, diverse and equal.
Tweet your posters to @OneMinuteBriefs, @D4nielleCl4rke & @ZedTrafficker with the hashtags #WeAreOne & #BlackLivesMatter
We spoke to a number of our other OMBoard and followers to get their thoughts to help put together today’s brief. See their quotes below.
If you’d like to add your own, please e-mail it to us at interest@bankofcreativity.co.uk
“If skin colour doesn’t define creativity, it shouldn’t limit it. I have experienced difficulty from getting international jobs because of my skin colour. OMB helped me get my work out, as well as other creatives like myself who also find it difficult to branch out. ”
“One Minute Briefs is a community where those behind the avatars get recognised for their style and the way they approach the brief each day. The idea is what makes someone stand out. For example, most of the time you can look at an advert and instantly know who has created it. Zed is one of those people. He stands out because of his incredible, award-winning ideas. Why should it be any different in the ‘real world’?”
“A great idea doesn’t discriminate here.
No idea is born into racism. At OMB inclusivity is our creativity.
Unity in community. Where creativity is celebrated, ideas are encouraged, you are appreciated, whoever you are. It’s as simple as that. There’s no fear, no pressure, no prejudice, just fun every day. A unique spirit of togetherness, like no other.”
“Names and profile pics give a clue to the person (and are helpful when meeting up IRL!) but race, age, gender, or class doesn’t come into it for me. I only see outstanding work, mutual support, and emotional warmth from everyone in the community.”
“At the core of the creative industry (of which OMB is born) are bright, original ideas. And the beauty of bright ideas is that they can come from absolutely anyone. Everyone should get the opportunity and encouragement to share those ideas with the world. We can’t claim originality of anything – of ideas, of thinking, of expression – if we’re only hearing the same voices, seeing the same faces, reflecting the same cultures, and sharing the same experiences. We’ll only break out of that echo chamber by actively addressing that lack of diversity. OMB does a great job of this by giving everyone with an idea an equal platform on which to share it. And the wider industry needs to do the same.”
“Sometimes you don’t know who’s behind the handle or the avatar. Sometimes you do. But, like the early rounds of “The Voice”, talent speaks for itself. You don’t have to see a singer to know they’ve got a good voice. Likewise, you don’t need to know who’s created a piece of work to know that it’s good. OMB let’s the work, the idea, the creativity, do the talking. It’s as simple and egalitarian as that. ”
“When I started to get involved with One Minute Briefs, I did so because I saw an opportunity to improve and learn. I never expected to make friends and I never expected that I would become part of a community that has become so close and supportive that it almost feels like an oxymoron to say that it actually exists on social media, an often volatile and combative platform.
What I’ve come to realise is that aside from the opportunities to exercise your brain, OMB offers an online haven for creative people. There is no judgement and no pretensions as anyone can enter and anyone can have a good idea. This goes some way to eliminating the fear of rejection that often comes with sharing ideas. The people who do come up with consistently brilliant ideas don’t rub this in the faces of others or metaphorically swagger around the internet, they offer advice, encouragement and mentor those who are new to the community. We share in our successes and failures equally, and there is the crux. Equal. At no point does gender, age, sexuality or ethnicity enter the equation. People from around the world uniting daily in the name of fun and creativity.
When we get together in the real world for a meetup, it is an equally wonderful thing. It’s so uplifting to behold such a diverse bunch of people, who might never encounter each other under ordinary circumstances, come together to share stories and celebrate each others accomplishments.
One Minute Briefs is a place for everyone. When you submit an idea you are a creative, pure and simple. You aren’t rewarded because of the colour of your skin or any other defining feature, rewards are earned based on what you do. Now wouldn’t it be refreshing if everything else in life could be the same.”
“We all, as a community, love great ideas and out-the-box thinking. We celebrate this, in one minute, every day. None of us, community or individual, can reach our full potential without unity with others. Whatever your skin colour, we are all OMBLES, we are all creative, and we are all humankind.”
“OMB runs on diversity respect and inclusion. Which makes this community so powerful. All individuals value each-other regardless of skin, race, age or talent. It’s like - we are all individually together in a unique way”
“OMB has given me renewed confidence in my career, when things personally and professionally were difficult. The ability to collaborate/share and engage with ideas globally is above and beyond anything I have found myself able to do day-to-day.
We have coined the phrase ‘doing a Hally’ at OMB which basically means trying to involve as many members in the community as possible to achieve a greater final outcome towards a cause/brief. This open involvement is fundamentally what makes OMB so special”
“Don’t underestimate the ability of any Human Mind. Adversity, multi culture, adaptation, possibly bilingual experience, could have expanded the depth and breadth of someone’s thinking. We are minds.
”
“Getting to know my fellow OMBLES blind has been truly eye-opening for me. I’ve got to know the way they think, before I know anything about their background or appearance. Turns out regardless of their native language, or how, or in which decade they grew up, we have way more common ground than I had ever imagined. It’s a lesson that I feel privileged to have learned, and a community that I feel very proud to be part of. OMB is great a great ice-breaker, what makes it so special is that it breaks down barriers too.”
“OMB is one of the few creative platforms which allows you to express yourself no matter your level, background, skill or ability. It is inclusive and welcoming to everyone who can answer the brief.”
““you’ve gained weight, your behind is bigger, you tan so dark — that’s not beautiful.”
this one is for my fellow asians. hear me out.
whether we admit it or not, asian communities foster some of the worst ideals and standards that carry strong anti-Black sentiment. whether at family gatherings or when you’re being ‘unsophisticated’ at the dinner table or when you date a Black individual — many asian languages have racist phrases of retort. if you know, you know. it is so easy to laugh these comments off but know how harmful these are to the black community. draw the line — i encourage you to speak to your parents, your siblings, your older relatives and explain to them that this is wrong.
let’s dismantle racism from the roots up.
show your support for the #BLM movement. #WeAreOne
“what does the model minority myth have to do with Black Lives Matter?”
this one is for my fellow asians. hear me out.
“valorising” means “giving validity to”. the model minority myth valorises asians, upholding them as exemplars of what POC should be. it goes back to the first waves of immigration from asia to the USA but know that the myth is still inherently present today across the world. by upholding one ethnic group, you antagonise anyone who is not of that ethnic group. asians must reckon with the fact that we consciously and unconsciously perpetuate the myth because it benefits our social advancement to do so.
in order to truly support Black lives, know that all forms of othering are harmful.
let’s dismantle racism from the roots up.
show your support for the #BLM movement. #WeAreOne”
“Every advertisement has one sole intention: to spread a message. Today the OMB community has crafted beautifully creative messages emphasizing the importance of unity and equality.
The OMB community is comprised of diverse voices from all over the world that inspire and elevate each other. May our collaborative spirit encourage each and every one of us to elevate the diverse voices around us in our professional and personal communities.”