KIKI HOLSHUIJSEN

How did your upbringing, family, or culture shape you as a creative?

My mum, my aunt, and my cousin – all the women on that side of the family – have a wonderfully creative and slightly chaotic streak. Which meant a lot of admin work (like taxes) never quite got done on time at home, but my days were filled with stories, songs, poetry, and puns. I grew up surrounded by brilliant female wordsmiths who showed me just how much fun language can be.

“I grew up surrounded by brilliant female wordsmiths who showed me just how much fun language can be.”

What’s one misconception about underrepresented creatives that you’d like to dispel through your work?

Women often get handed agencies’ “female” briefs, like the tampon ads or motherhood manifestos. And while it’s important to involve people with first-hand experience in a field, that doesn’t mean they should miss out on other projects. Give your female teams that new car campaign, or the big football film, and they’ll come up with a ridiculously funny or devastatingly human point of view you otherwise would’ve missed out on.

What’s one piece of advice you wish someone had given you early in your career?

Your worth isn’t defined by a bad day or a tough brief. And trying to prove yourself by putting in increasingly more hours and effort isn’t just counter-productive, it’s unsustainable. So cut yourself some slack, and try to enjoy the journey. Because creativity is a long road, full of blisters, but also great views when you stop to look around every once in a while.

“Your worth isn’t defined by a bad day or a tough brief.”

If you could change one systemic barrier in the creative industry, what would it be?

I think we have a huge accessibility problem. Creative schools are expensive, and interns are still often poorly paid, if they even get a spot. Since the rise of AI, many junior positions are disappearing. We need to be doing the opposite. Invest in talent and make sure the future of creativity comes from different economic backgrounds. Otherwise, we’re perpetuating an echo chamber that doesn’t align with the real world anymore.

What’s your best hack for overcoming a creative block?

Switching off your head and doing something with your hands. Getting them covered in mud, or paint, or makeup, or dirt. Whatever you fancy. Just making something without motive. Sometimes we overcomplicate “creativity.” When we go back to creating by playing, it helps us reconnect with that imagination we were lucky to have in abundance as kids.

“When we go back to creating by playing, it helps us reconnect with that imagination we were lucky to have in abundance as kids.”

How do you navigate being your authentic self in corporate creative spaces?

I make sure never to dim my sparkle, and to always lead with empathy. At our office, we’re asked to describe ourselves in one word. I chose “sensitive,” which is often used to label people – mostly women – as too soft or too emotional. But to me, there’s incredible power in feeling deeply, understanding others, and caring enough to notice. Empathy is at the heart of every great insight and idea.