5 Things: What Being the 5th Brother Taught Me about What I Do
In a brand new series on LBB, the Droga5 Dublin team (part of Accenture Song) will share the five things that are catching their creatives’ attention or the unlikely avenues that are proving to be fruitful sources of inspiration. They’ll also use their expertise to give advice to other creatives and the industry at large. It’s going to be useful, it’s going to be interesting, and it will certainly be entertaining.
Shay Madden, creative director, is up next and he has wisdom to share gleaned over decades of being the fifth, and youngest, brother. Growing up in the same family didn’t lead to a monoculture among the brothers; if anything, it’s quite the opposite with Shay detailing just how different each one of them turned out. These differences are clearly something Shay cherishes to this day and they’ve taught him plenty of lessons that he carries through his life and work. There’s delighting in high and low culture, like brother number one; getting to know clients really well, per brother number two; attention to detail and always pushing for better, like brother number three; and learning the value of jumping into the unknown from brother number four.
Read on to discover all the insights Shay has picked up from the Madden brothers and his reflections on the value of individuality while learning and being inspired by those around you.
Shay’s 5 Things: on Being the Youngest of Five Brothers
David Droga, founder of Droga5, and now CEO and creative chairman of Accenture Song, was the fifth of six children. His mother stitched labels into her children's clothing based on their birth order. That’s why he named the company ‘Droga5’. Coincidentally, I’m also the fifth child, and in my case, the youngest. I’ve been working in the creative industry for nearly four decades now but when I meet up with the brothers, I’m still the kid. I don’t think I ever sought their opinion on any of my work but over the years they have all influenced me, and my work, in their own ways.
Madden brother number one.
My eldest brother is a retired English teacher. He’s always had the most eclectic taste in literature, music, film and tv. He is endlessly curious. He continues to explore new music. He reads multiple books at a time. He is always looking for what’s new. And he has the ability to seamlessly flip between ‘high culture’ and (what some might consider) ‘low culture’ to make connections most people wouldn’t.
I’ve always striven to be as curious as he is. I seek out what’s new and when it comes to culture, I don’t discriminate. Everything has the potential to influence my work.
Madden brother number two.
My second eldest brother is a rock of sense. He’s a keen lover of sports. He’s also the most laid back person you could ever meet (unlike me) … and can recognise bullshit when he sees it. He spent his working life as a salesman. However, whatever image you might have in your mind of a salesman right now, he wasn’t that. I remember asking him about his sales style once. His answer was simple. He just liked to get to know his clients really well. Meet them face to face. Have the chats. Take the time. This allowed him to give them what they really needed.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out how important that lesson has been to me. Selling ideas requires trust and no client will trust you if you haven’t taken any time to get to know them.
Madden brother number three.
My third brother, the middle child, is the arty one. Professionally he worked in the Ordnance Survey where his talents were applied to map making. This job requires huge attention to detail. He was there during the transition from traditional map making practices to a fully digitised system, so he had to adjust and learn new techniques to remain at the top of his profession. In all his time there, he demonstrated an interesting combination of patience, urgency and tenacity. When all around him were sometimes settling for ok, he would always ask, “Couldn’t things be better?”
Art was not a subject taught in my school, so most things I know about art, and tenacity and craft in the face of ‘good enough’, I learned from him.
Madden brother number four.
My fourth brother, the second youngest (c’mon, keep up), is the ‘actor-y’ one. He never had any interest in sports (unlike me) so his circle of friends were completely different to mine, in a good way. This opened up a whole new world for me. He decided to quit his regular job in his 30s and move to Italy for a year. He’s been living there for 30 years now. Through him I have learnt what it’s like to start from scratch and embrace a totally new culture.
That ability to jump into the unknown with excitement and work with new groups of people on different jobs, is something I continue to do and embrace.
Madden brother number five.
And then there’s me.
I have learnt a lot from all my brothers. But the thing I learned most, is that there in no one else in the world like you. I remember early in my career trying to imitate the work of an art director who I hugely admired. But, it was a pointless exercise. One day, it occurred to me that I had my own collection of references and skills that were unique to me. And that this is what I should be tapping into. That has been my biggest learning.
By all means learn from those around you but don’t just replicate what they do. Do work that you find interesting. Don’t use marketing buzzwords to sell your work. Use your own words. Don’t try to be someone else or, as Oscar Wilde put it, 'Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.'
Yours truly,
Madden5
