Advertising’s a bit s*** just now, isn’t it?
I could be diplomatic but I’d rather be brutally honest. That’s what this piece is about.
No amount of self-congratulatory LinkedIn posts with “Awesome work!” comments from one’s mates can hide the mediocrity of most of today’s creative output.
The only people who can fix this are the next generation of creatives. The students and interns. The ones sleeping on floors. Eating Pot Noodle. Or living with their mums and dads to make ends meet.
They won’t stand a chance unless they start getting brutal, honest feedback from an experienced creative who knows what he’s talking about and still gives a shit about the work.
I have someone in mind: Graham Fink
He’s brought his revolutionary anti-school creative roadshow, TheArtSchool, to Edinburgh on 25 March 2026. It was completely free because students have no money and Graham has a big heart.
I asked Graham why he’s doing this and how it works. This is what he told me:
“I started TheArtSchool in 2002.
I’m passionate about education and I remember my own experience when I was trying to get into advertising. I went to a huge number of interviews and found that most people were quite polite about my portfolio. They might say a few encouraging things or make the odd comment, but very few were genuinely honest. The big turning point for me was when I met Dave Trott. He looked at my book and said, “Your book is s***!”
Hard to hear, of course, but what mattered was that he then spent time helping me improve it. A few weeks later I got a job. That honest criticism changed my life.
So by the time I started TheArtSchool, I had built a successful career in advertising and wanted to give something back. And although I called it TheArtSchool, I never really saw it as a school in the traditional sense. It was more like a creative underground movement, a bit like Fight Club. The advice is always raw, direct and honest. It was originally aimed at young people interested in advertising, but over time it became much broader than that. People interested in graphic design, filmmaking, photography, fashion and illustration started coming too.
The format has always been simple. A session would usually last about three to three and a half hours. I would open with a talk, challenge the room a bit, and then bring in guest speakers.
Over the years I’ve had some incredible people like Sir John Hegarty, Trevor Beattie, Alex Taylor, Rory Sutherland, Nicky Bullard and Karen Cunningham. But probably the most famous was Gary Oldman, who came and spoke for two hours.
I never wanted it to feel formal or predictable, so we held sessions in all sorts of unusual places: a pub, a cinema, a sculpture academy, a nightclub during the day, a petrol station, where we pinned hundreds of ideas on the wall, and even the Houses of Parliament.
The response grew very quickly. About 30 students came to the first one, 70 came to the second, and by the third there were well over 100. Over the years, thousands have come through the doors.
The results have been hugely rewarding. I’ve reviewed hundreds of portfolios, helped put teams together, and mentored a lot of young talent. Many of the people who came to TheArtSchool went on to get their first jobs in the industry. Some have built major careers, some now run agencies, and some have won top awards including Cannes Lions and D&AD Pencils. I remember once at an awards show in Cannes, three ex students walked on stage to pick up their Gold Lions. I felt like a proud parent.
But for me, it’s about giving people confidence, direction and the honest truth, especially at the point when they most need it.
TheArtSchool ran from 2002 to 2011, and then I moved to China. After my time in Asia and then the USA, I returned to the UK in 2020 and felt that the standard of British creativity, particularly in advertising, had slipped. That made me want to start it again.”
If you don’t know anything about Graham Fink or you reckon he’s just some boring old dude who bangs on about the good old days, let me put you straight.
He’s one of the world's most awarded and diverse creatives. An ad man, photographer, film-maker and multimedia artist.
His work includes campaigns for Dixons, Land Rover, Ariston, Silk Cut and Coca-Cola. His iconic British Airways commercial, ‘Face,’ was named among the 100 Greatest Ads of all time.
In 1996 he became the youngest ever D&AD president and was voted into the Art Direction Book, representing the world’s top 28 Art Directors.
In 2001 he set up his own production company thefinktank, directing music videos, commercials and short films.
In 2011 he became Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy & Mather China. The following year he won Ogilvy Asia’s first ever Cannes Grand Prix.
As a multi-media artist, he’s had a number of exhibitions in London and Shanghai. Including one called ‘Drawing With My Eyes’, for which he designed a piece of software that enabled him to draw portraits using only his eyes.
I asked him why his Edinburgh gig will this be different to any other creative training session. Here’s what he said:
“This isn’t a classroom. There’s no syllabus. No safe space to hide. It’s a high-energy, fast-moving experience designed to jolt you out of theory and into the real world. It’s not just about making ads. It’s about building taste. Instinct. Resilience. It’s about writing headlines that stop people mid-scroll. Taking photographs that hit. Pitching ideas with conviction. Navigating social, PR, and creative culture with confidence. This is creative survival training.”
What’s missing from our creative business right now is inspirational leadership from people who aren’t scared to give young creatives a reality check. Graham Fink’s TheArtSchool day in Edinburgh is a one-off injection of exactly that.
Gerry Farrell is Creative Director at Gerry Farrell Ink and a Member of The Marketing Society Scotland
