Hello ! Please introduce yourself .
Hi ! I ’ m James Dominic Mendoza — an ambitious visual communicator . When I was in junior high school , I said to myself : “ I want to be an ad man !” Today , as an Art Director in TBWA \ Santiago Mangada Puno , I asked myself , “ Do I really want to be an ad man ?” Kidding ! I ’ m living my dream .
You kicked off 2015 with a personal theme called # ProjectNewMan , and in 2016 you further explored it with # TheNewManWanders . What mindset did you have entering 2017 ? And how about 2018 ?
Actually , both # ProjectNewMan and # TheNewManWanders started in 2015 . These were about getting lost and finding myself again . 2016 was about fine-tuning and sharing my craft ; at the same time , secretly building my folio in preparation for 2017 . It was that year I decided to take my career seriously . I left my past agency and searched for an aggressive team that will complement my career objectives .
With all the time spent working out my career , my presence on Instagram changed drastically . I ’ m still figuring out how to balance my time especially now that I just landed a new post in a more ( if not the most ) aggressive agency in the country . 2018 will definitely still be about proving myself worthy to be in the advertising industry . But if time permits , I would like to work on a new project . Portraits ? Film photography ? We ’ ll see !
What led you to starting these personal projects ? Has any of these led to revelations about yourself ?
Back when I was still working with a social media team , I thought of starting a social media-based project to practice what I ’ ve been learning at work and explore the medium to know what can still be done . These projects taught me a lot about purpose and possibilities . I learned a lot about myself — my fears , my weaknesses , and my limitations . But what ’ s surprising was how God revealed Himself to me through these projects . How He filled in my weak points and how He twisted events in my life to make me feel # blessed .
How do you work on staying on-theme ?
I think having a vision matters . It ’ ll keep you aligned with your goals and will give you direction as to where you ’ re going . It will also draw the line of what your project is and is not .
Let ’ s talk about Instagram . It ’ s pretty much your playground for these projects . From sharing your travel photos and digital artworks , you ’ ve also specifically created content for Instagram . You put in a lot of effort to express yourself through it . What to you is its allure ?
Well , when I learned about Instagram , I felt like it was a medium made for me . I think in this day and age , people are becoming very visual on how they consume information . Instagram , being a visual-led medium , is the perfect platform for me to share my thoughts . The power of how a single photo translates to a dynamic story is inexplicable . I also like that Instagram continues to reinvent itself to keep up in this fast-paced digital era .
2017 saw you working on commercially successful campaigns , competing in Cannes Lions and speaking at DigiCon — Did you ever dream of achieving any of these when you were just starting in the industry ? And what would you say to an aspiring creative who has sights set on the same things ?
Yes . That was “ the dream ”. Up to this day , I can ’ t help but wonder what I did to deserve all these blessings . It ’ s overwhelming . I never thought that these will all happen to me during the early years of my career and at a young age .
My tip to those who have the same dreams : Don ’ t fake it . People in this industry always say : “ Fake it ‘ till you make it .” Maybe that ’ s one way to do it . But for me , being raw and real led me to where I am now . I accepted my flaws as a creative and worked on my weaknesses . I still have a long list of things to learn . Until now , I don ’ t even know how to use a pen tab . And worst ... the pen tool ! Hahaha ! I guess it ’ s also making the best out of what you are capable of . Because passion is always more important than skills . Passion can ’ t be forged .
What ’ s something about advertising work that younger creatives would be surprised to know ?
The best ideas don ’ t always come from the creatives . I am a strong believer of collaboration and sometimes the best ideas were generated not only through brainstorming with your concept team but through the ideas and opinions raised by an account person or someone from prod or a story told by “ ate pantry ” or “ kuya guard ”. Ideas can be sparked by anyone . You ’ ll be surprised how sometimes these ideas were the ones approved and produced by your clients . So hear out everyone and always bring your pen and paper !
What ' s new for # TheNewMan ? Follow him on Instagram @ jamessmendoza
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