Live the passion

This AdWeek Europe session started with Alex James, ex Bass guitarist from Blur snapping the legs off a rather lovely velvet sofa to the audience’s amusement. The drama averted, we took a leap into the lives of three rather special people, discussing how they’ve managed to turn their passion into a career.

Alex was joined by model Daisy Lowe and fashion designer Mira Mikati.

The first thing that struck a chord was that all three panellists had passions that were not mere whims, but were deep rooted childhood dreams and experiences.

Daisy reminisced about her love of fashion and dressing up as a child in her mum’s clothes and shoes. She brilliantly noted that in the eyes of a child, laughter is the best applause, so the more eclectic the outfit, the better! Alex couldn’t get into his school choir, but found a mentor who spotted his determination and helped him to learn the harmonies which would lead the path to his future career. Mira’s memory was of her avid belief that clothes should be fun and colourful, not black!

It’s not all come easily to our star line-up, each have encountered barriers and challenges along the way.

For Daisy, modelling and a love of food were never going to exist in harmony. Her personal frustration led her to author a successful cook book ‘Sweetness & Light’ which allowed her to indulge her sweet tooth with natural and nutritious treats.

Alex’s decision to quit college and join the band was met with ridicule from family and friends, as was his decision 15 years later to quit the music scene and move to the country to set up his farm and cheese business. Both of these decisions meant taking risks and defying expectations, but both resulted in unparalleled success.

So how did they keep faith and overcome these challenges?

Daisy’s view is that doing something you love is a privilege and never a sacrifice. If you believe in it enough, success will come your way.

Mira left us with the profound advice not take life too seriously. In her eyes, having your own vision is the key to success. We should stand by what we believe, celebrate our uniqueness and most importantly, not try to please everyone.

Alex believes that you can channel fear and make it the engine that drives you forwards. And make no mistake, 90% is hard work but 10% is luck.

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OMD UK

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