The creative industry looks very different from the one most senior leaders grew up in. So what would they actually do differently if they had to start all over again right now?

This question was answered by Wez Hawes, an industry leader with decades of experience across creative agencies, Andy Wright, host of Asking For A Friend on Never Not Creative, and Emma Keen, a mental health expert who brings a unique perspective on how personal discomfort and growth intersect with professional development.

Be well-rounded, not narrowly defined

Wez is clear that varied experience is one of the most valuable things a junior creative can have. Whether that means crossing disciplines, studying something unexpected, or simply working on as many briefs as possible, the ability to bring something from outside your immediate job title is what makes a creative genuinely useful. In the fragmented, leaner agency landscape that exists today, particularly in markets like Australia, being adaptable is not a nice-to-have; it is increasingly essential.

Double down on ideas, not just tools

For all the noise around AI, Wez is firm on one point: it still cannot crack a genuinely original, lateral idea. It can surface unexpected words or prompt a new direction, but the creative leap, the connection between two things that nobody else has put together, still belongs to humans. His advice is to get exceptionally good at idea generation. Award school, personal projects, and practising lateral thinking are all worth more than chasing the latest tool.

Discomfort is where growth lives

Emma adds an important dimension to the conversation. Doing things that make you uncomfortable is not just good for your mental resilience; it is one of the clearest signals that you are actually developing. Staying in the safe lane of what you already know will keep you competent but rarely make you exceptional.

AI as a jetpack, not a replacement

Both Wez and Emma are optimistic about what AI means for juniors who approach it with the right mindset. Used well, it accelerates capability rather than replacing it. The creatives who will thrive are the ones who can guide AI with strong ideas, not the ones who outsource their thinking to it entirely.

The message from this session is consistent and encouraging: the fundamentals of great creative work have not changed. Ideas still win. Curiosity still wins. The people who invest in those things, rather than simply keeping up with every new platform, are the ones who will stand out.