“The Key - Quick Conversations on Creativity”: Maria McDowell (Founder lollipop Mentoring)

🍭 What is The Key 🔑 to Great Creativity❓ 🍭

❝ Having the space to be yourself.

When you feel safe to fail, you can be fearless, and that is when real creativity happens. ❞

Maria McDowell, Founder of lollipop mentoring CIC and Operations Director at LeSHOP (powered by Publicis)

🌴 Maria McDowell and I worked together many moons ago and it was a fantastic "Cannes Moment" to bump into each other.

Moments like this really are one of the highlights of attending Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Lions Festival of Creativity.

We had a great catch up, and of course we had to do a “Quick Conversation 🎤 in Cannes 🌴” asking:

👉 What is The Key 🔑 to great creativity?

Here is what Maria McDowell shared:

1️⃣ Space to be yourself: When you feel relaxed and free from fear, your creativity opens up.

2️⃣ Freedom to fail: “If it doesn’t work, that’s okay… I can scrap it.” True creativity thrives without fear of mistakes.

3️⃣ Solve for yourself first: Maria launched lollipop mentoring CIC to give others the support she wished she had.

4️⃣ Authenticity fuels others: When you are yourself, you thrive… and everyone standing behind you thrives too.

🤝 🍭 “Be the change you want to see.” Maria McDowell lives this every day through lollipop mentoring CIC, helping mid-level Black women in advertising and marketing connect with senior mentors.

🙏 Thank you, Maria, for such an inspiring perspective, and a reminder that creativity starts with confidence in who you are.

🎉 So great to see you!!

AND thank you to The Marketing Society for being one of the 'Cannes Correspondents 🌴" at this year's festival!

🍭 Link to the lollipop mentoring CIC website to find out more in the comments

#QuickConversations

#TheKey

#Creativity

#Mentoring

#Authenticity

#FearlessCreativity