On April 13th, earlier this year, I received an email that confirmed me into Cannes Lions’ ‘See It Be It 2023’ Cohort. Out of 700 talented applicants around the world, I’d been selected to represent India, along with 15 other candidates from 15 different parts of the world, with Guatemala, Norway and Taiwan represented for the first time.
For the uninitiated, ‘See It Be It’ is a female acceleration program with the mission to achieve equal gender representation of creative directors and leaders across the global industry. Even today, less than 22% women reach the creative director position, and it will take more than 246 years to close the gender pay gap. On the long road to equality ahead of us, I knew this was going to be a pin on my life map that’d change its course.
See It Be It has a simple mantra. See the power of the incredible female, non-binary forces of nature around you, and that of our allies, so that you have an expansive idea of what you can be.
Here’s a recollection of what I saw and how it has expanded my heart, brain and mind in miraculous ways.
I saw Madonna Badger’s resilience. She’s the CCO and founder, Badger Agency, New York, maker of ‘Women, not Objects’ and our ‘See It Be It’ ambassador. Her story is one of how to keep going after something unimaginable happens – how to find immeasurable hope in the midst of life. I feel fortunate to have found a mentor and friend in her. She said three things to us that will forever stay with me. The first is that ‘feelings are not facts.’ We often think that how we feel about things is also how others are reading a situation. But it’s rarely so. Show up in your power instead of letting your feelings beguile you. The second was to write a gratitude list and keep it handy. Look at it anytime you feel you don’t belong. It’s a power tool. And third that Michael Bay movies are the shit – it’s a perfect antidote to days when you need a break. In a matter of a week, she showed us the power of vulnerability by being so effortless in her skin. There’s a new place in my heart where she rules.
I saw the fire of 15 incredible women from all around the world, each of whom had created something so powerful – it would outlive them. And still, each one of them wondered if they belonged in those rooms. My friend from Taiwan, Tung, had the perfect response. In Taiwanese culture, if a girl pierces her ears, it means she will be a woman in her next birth too. She joked that to leave her imposter syndrome as a woman behind she made sure to not get any piercings.
I feel an incredible sense of sisterhood with this cohort. We have ugly cried together, given each other the longest hugs, shared how we really felt, along with our dreams and hopes. Each of one us wants to create impact and have a big life – but now we have each other to keep our morale high in the face of setbacks. And to keep each other accountable for the goals we have set.
I saw Laura Brown and Attorie B’s commitment. Laura and Attorie facilitated and organised the program. I remember Laura saying that her family came from a working class background. She was the first one to graduate in her family. And so, she had dedicated her life to creating equity. They both slept little for months before we arrived, fought every odd to bring us together – embassies of different countries notwithstanding. When your job coincides with your purpose, incredible things happen.
I saw Steph Cajucom’s dedication. She is a ‘See It Be It 2022’ alum, fire creative director at Translation and our mentor this year. She was dedicated to making each one of us feel heard, seen and valued equally.
I saw the transformative effect of the female body, thanks to our incredible speakers, who chose to be open about their own bodily experiences. There is a huge gap when it comes to understanding the nuances of female health. Science is political. When there aren’t enough women in decision-making rooms, there isn’t enough money invested in studying the ageing female body. The industry has lost several brilliant female minds to perimenopause and menopause. Creativity is the answer to a lot of problems. This needs to be one of them.
I saw Josy Paul’s childlike curiosity. I entered this cohort, wanting to learn the cheatcode to navigating leadership. But Josy Paul made me connect with my inner child, and inspired me to do the outrageous thing – to let my emotions guide me to places that logic alone never would.
I saw the world’s most impactful work and felt both joy and envy. It was incredible to see Talented win three metals – two Bronzes (Why is this a Swiggy ad) and one Silver (Or travel with Cleartrip) in our first year. But there’s so much more to unpack in the world. There’s no way one can come out of the Cannes Lions experience without feeling inspired. Ideas like ‘OptInk,’ ‘We didn’t write this campaign’ (Not Milk), and ‘The Last Photo’ raised the bar of creativity for me.
I saw Tea Uglow’s compassion. She said that one can journey through life, feeling the bumps on the road, or one can fill those bumps for everyone else who’s about to ride through that path. She’s given her life to filling the holes. We had the incredible opportunity to have lunch with the Glass Lion Jury of which she was President. She first ensured if we were all comfortable with English – and had a diverse group of speakers to translate. Not all of us can show our full personality in English. Maybe we are smarter and funnier in our mother tongue – Tea acknowledged that and made space for that dialogue. She’s my favourite icon for humanity and fashion.
I saw Susan Hoffman’s badassery. She’s the Lion of St. Mark and CCO of Wieden and Kennedy. Even today, she works on projects as a Creative Director and is obsessed with ideas. ‘Never stop thinking and working independently’, she said – no matter how high you grow in the hierarchy.
I’ve heard stories of how people find themselves crying for no reason when they travel to a spiritual place. That was me in my first hour at the Palais.
Everything I saw and experienced has seeped into my bones and it runs through my veins. I know I can be everything I had the opportunity to see – and that’s a cue for you to know that you can be it too.