Erik Kessels – work on your inner amateur
In the lecture held in Domus Academy, Eric Kessels explains how embracing an amateur mindset, imperfection, and playful experimentation sparks true innovation in advertising, design, and beyond. Read more insights from a creative partner of the communications agency KesselsKramer.
Based in Amsterdam, Erik Kessels has been the Creative Partner of the influential communications agency KesselsKramer since 1996, with offices in Amsterdam and London. Throughout his illustrious career, he has crafted iconic campaigns for prominent international clients including Nike, Diesel, J&B Whisky, Oxfam, Vitra, Citizen M, and I amsterdam. Known for his daring and unconventional advertising, Kessels has earned numerous international awards for his work.
Erik Kessels began his lecture by emphasising the importance of nurturing an “amateur spirit” in a world saturated with expert-level proficiency and cutting-edge technology. Modern professionals are quick to master tools like AI and design software, but Kessels argues that maintaining the mindset of a beginner is crucial for genuine creativity. He advocates for the freedom to make mistakes, embrace naïveté, and continually approach projects as if experiencing them for the first time. This amateur approach, he suggests, is not only refreshing but also fundamental to innovation. Kessels points to his own work and his book, The Complete Amateur, as testaments to the value of starting anew, promoting an ethos that creativity thrives not in perfection but in embracing the unpredictable and the imperfect.
Erik Kessels underscored the importance of embracing a beginner’s mindset in the creative process. He believes that approaching projects with the naivety of someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing is vital for genuine innovation. While the finished work should be crafted with professional skill and precision, the initial stages of idea generation should remain unrestrained, driven by curiosity and playfulness. Kessels illustrated this with a project for a Dutch school struggling with littering. Instead of standard solutions, they designed installations that made it intentionally challenging to dispose of trash, which successfully changed behaviour. The concept highlighted that sometimes creativity lies in avoiding the obvious, seeking out ideas where others aren’t looking.
The speaker also shared how finding inspiration in unconventional places can spark new ways of thinking. He cited the work of Sam Barsky, an amateur who creates knitted sweaters inspired by the places he visits, as a source of inspiration. Such unexpected perspectives remind creatives to maintain a sense of wonder and experimentation. He also recalled his own projects, such as a playful photography exhibition that encouraged visitors to interact with and even jump on the exhibits. For Kessels, moments of shock and surprise in the creative process, where his own work feels unexpected or awkward, are the most satisfying. He concluded with an example of his 24 Hours in Photos project, which compiled nearly a million images from Flickr in one day. The exhibition demonstrated how an abundance of visual content could be used to challenge viewers’ perceptions and engage them in playful, immersive experiences.