Tony Bowe

Growing up surrounded by the arts and later discovering advertising through creative side projects, Tony Bowe found his way into the industry by building his taste and his portfolio. Now based in Chicago, Tony continues to refine his craft through collaborating with copywriters, studying great (and not so great) ads, and encouraging other creatives to keep going, even when self-doubt creeps in. His philosophy is simple: “Make more stuff.”

What I do

How would you describe what you do?
As an art director, my job has two major components. The first is coming up with unique creative ideas that help our clients reach their goals. The second, and much harder part, is convincing the right people that my ideas will work. Working in the ad industry takes a lot of creative resilience—coming up with 50 ideas, facing rejection, and then starting again from scratch. It can be frustrating, but it’s a ton of fun. Every day I learn something new and refine my skills as a creative.

What are the main influences and inspirations behind your work?
I grew up surrounded by the arts. My sister is an illustrator and painter, and I was a theater kid. I love creative storytelling in every form. Whether it’s a film I love, a musical that gets stuck in my head, or an iconic commercial, I find inspiration in any story or art form that connects with people. It’s also important to remember that you don’t have to be a film buff or an art history expert to be a skilled creative. I can’t tell you a specific filmmaker or artist who influences my work. Inspiration can come from anywhere.

The mentor I've learned the most from is Steve Driggs at Brigham Young University. He made me want to be better. If my ideas were just average, he’d let me know, whether out loud or through facial expressions he couldn’t hide. He knew a good idea when he saw it and brought out the best in my work.

Tony's workspace

Would you say you need any specific training for what you do?
I think almost anybody can be an art director with enough effort. I was blessed to attend a great advertising program but you don’t need to go to portfolio school to be a great art director or designer. Start consuming art as much as possible and gain inspiration from the world around you. Build your taste. Decide what you like and don’t like, and learn how to explain why. Spend as much time creating as possible. If you do that, learn to work with a team, and master your design skills, you can be a great art director.

What’s been your favourite project to work on from the past year, and why?
My favorite project this year was a student commercial I made for NASCAR. To bring our vision to life, we needed a racecar and an entire orchestra. This was a big ask with our small budget. I was lucky to work with a great team—shoutout to fellow art director Emma Kate and our copywriter, Cam, who wrote the ad’s ridiculously good tagline. Our director Heber worked with our composer Jeff to produce an entirely original track blending classical music with the roar of engines and tires on the raceway.

This led to the coolest experience of my creative career. While filming with the orchestra, we showed them our song to give them an idea of the timing. After listening to it only twice, they were able to play it perfectly. It made the entire shoot seamless. Being able to see something I worked so hard on come to life was indescribable.

What does a normal day-to-day usually look like for you?
I wake up, get ready, and walk to my office in downtown Chicago. Some days are busier than others, but I usually spend my time working on new campaigns, writing scripts with my copywriting partner, Grace Poukey, building decks and presentations to share with our creative directors, and meeting new people around the agency. I also typically forget to pack a lunch and run to 7-11 for a can of Monster energy and some taquitos. On slower days, I often look around the office for some kind of creative inspiration, like an old awards show book or an art magazine. I also bug people constantly and ask how I can help with their projects. Then I get busy again and miss when things we're slow.

How I got here

What was your journey like when you were first starting out in your career?
As someone who’s still starting my career, it’s been incredibly exciting, incredibly fulfilling, and incredibly intense. I actually began my college career studying political science and didn’t know anything about the advertising industry. Luckily, I developed some creative hobbies and met some people who inspired me to make a change.

Once I took my first advertising class, I knew this was the right path for me. Everything since then has been a blur—late nights, zero-budget film shoots, portfolio reviews, agency visits, and countless hours refining my skills and putting my heart and soul into my work.

And now I have a job, which is nice, too.

How did you go about landing your first few jobs, clients and/or commissions?
I got my first internship thanks to a chance meeting at a student award show and a professor putting in a good word for me. That one required a lot of luck. For my second internship, I just applied—I had no connections at the agency, but my portfolio was solid enough to land an interview. For my final internship at Leo Burnett, which has since become a full-time job, I sent a cold email to a recruiter letting her know I applied. She hit me up, we talked on the phone a few times, and I was hired. Every job search was different, but the number one piece of advice I have is to be consistent and focus on your portfolio. I applied to well over 100 jobs when I graduated, all while refining my work. The rejection emails were frustrating, but all it takes is one person to see what you have to offer.

What has been your biggest challenge along the way?
The biggest challenge for me has always been imposter syndrome. Even when I won awards and got good feedback from industry professionals, I still felt like I wasn’t good enough to build a creative career. I can’t draw or paint or sculpt. I still hesitate to call myself an artist. But that’s OK.

I don’t necessarily have a specific solution for people facing the same thing, but it takes time and consistent effort. Even when I felt like my ideas weren’t good enough, I kept making things anyway. I learned to appreciate and celebrate my peers when they succeeded instead of comparing myself to them. To anybody dealing with impostor syndrome, just remember that everyone else is feeling the same thing and that your success and talent are not accidents. You’ve earned everything you have.

What skills from your creative work have you found helpful – and vice versa?
I’ve found that the more work I do in creative advertising, the more I love and hate watching commercials. Seeing a bad ad is so painful for me, especially since I now know that it likely took 6 months to make and went through 10 rounds of revisions.

It’s also fascinating to watch a great ad and analyze how it was made. What was the insight that gave them this idea? How did they come up with that tagline? Where did they shoot this? What agency came up with it?

How important are social media and self-promotion to your work?
I hate to say it, but self-promotion has been key to my success. It’s painful for me to post on LinkedIn. I hate cold emailing recruiters and humble bragging about campaigns I made. But I wouldn’t be where I am today without it.

The realization that made me stop dreading self-promotion was that: I wouldn’t get the opportunities I wanted if people didn’t know I existed. I could have the best portfolio in the world, but if recruiters and creative directors don’t know about it, somebody else would get the opportunity I wanted. To any creative who is nervous or feels weird about self-promotion or sharing their work—I get it. But just throw some stuff out there and reach out to cool people. Ask questions. Get feedback. It will open doors for you.

What are three things that you’ve found useful to your work or career, and why?
There are countless books, websites, and resources that I’ve found helpful over the last few years. Lucky for you, I have them all in one place at thecreativecheatsheet.com. It has links to design resources, networking tools, must-follow content creators, and more. It’s everything I wish I had 3 years ago.

I’ll also be updating it regularly with new stuff, so make sure to bookmark it and come back later. If you’re reading this, I hope there’s something helpful there for you!

What have been your greatest learnings with making money and supporting yourself as a creative?
If you’re earning a living as a creative, be grateful. It’s such a blessing. I used to dig ditches and haul rocks for 15 bucks an hour in 95-degree weather. Being able to come up with ideas and express our creativity for a living—even when it’s stressful—is something a lot of people want but will never experience.

And if you’re not earning a living as a creative, that doesn’t make you any less of an artist, designer, or photographer. Be who you want to be. Keep making things.

Advice

What’s the best career-related advice you’ve ever received?
I don’t remember who it was, but someone once visited my advertising class at Brigham Young University and shared this simple truth about building the career you wanted.

First, you need to visualize the life you want. What’s your dream gig? What kind of work do you want to make? What skills do you want to have in a year? What recognition do you want to receive? What is the ideal situation for you?

Second, think about what actions are more likely and less likely to get you there. Do you need to spend some extra time on the weekends practicing a new skill? Is there a bad habit you should give up? Do you need to apply to a new school or new job?

Third, be intentional every day about taking actions that get you closer to the life you want.

Where do you go to feel connected as a creative?
I spend a ton of time, much more than I should, on LinkedIn. I love looking up an agency, watching their ads, stalking their employees, and going through their portfolios. It’s honestly a great way to see what people are making and what kinds of agencies you might be interested in. Plus, people always appreciate when you send them a message complimenting their work.

What advice would you give to someone looking to get into a similar role?
Make stuff. Crack jokes. Watch movies. Listen to music. Go to museums. Meet cool people. Post something you made online and see what happens. Get really good at design. Get really good at understanding people, brands, and consumer behavior. Make a website. Watch great ads. Watch bad ads. Learn from both. Apply to 100 jobs. Send emails to agencies and recruiters. Send follow-up emails. Send follow-follow-up emails. Take a break. Make more stuff.