Debbie Millman’s ongoing project “What Matters,” an effort to understand the interior life of artists, designers, and creative thinkers, is now in its third year. Each respondent is invited to answer ten identical questions and submit a nonprofessional photograph.
Ed Hayes is chief strategy officer at Bloom and has spent over 25 years advising clients on strategy, positioning, architecture, innovation and design. His key focus is on using strategy and cultural know-how to grow clients and agencies. He’s worked with the likes of Heineken, Lego, Diageo, Britvic, and Virgin, and in every project he aims to fight complexity with design thinking and ideas, ultimately helping brands and people make better choices.
What is the thing you like doing most in the world?
Walking. Anywhere. It frees a busy mind, occupies the body and unknots things. And it’s free. It’s not about walking in a specific place; it’s more about the process of walking itself.
When I lived in London, I used to walk for hours instead of The Tube. You end up figuring things out just by letting your brain idle while you walk. This isn’t a revelation; lots of people know this, but it’s been proven that if you can’t work something out, going for a walk helps your brain process things.
I once saw Iain McGilchrist talk about how we live in a left-brain world, but we should live in a right-brain world. The right brain should be in charge, and the left brain helps out.
The right brain is more active when you’re walking or when you’re asleep—it’s your subconscious. It tends to be more correct and more intuitive, while the left brain works to rationalize things afterward.
What is the first memory you have of being creative?
As a child, I was doing pretty much the same as what everyone else was doing: making our own fun because we were bored and there was nothing to do. My sister and I would make up our own Olympic Games and perform plays. We played a lot of ‘town criers’- basically a yelling competition.
A lot of what I did as a child involved making things up, creating something from nothing. And that’s what a lot of my job is about now: starting from nothing and creating something that feels solid.
What is your biggest regret?
Taking until the age of 30 to grasp what being professional meant. Graduating in the late 90s didn’t help. I started university in Newcastle in 1994 and started working in 1998. There was too much fun to be had.
But it all meant my professional life kicked in late. I learned the hard way that you have to show up, and I just didn’t. I got away with it for a while until I worked for someone who sat me down and said, “You’re obviously smart, but you can’t do the job.” I didn’t know what was expected of me, and I got fired.
It all clicked into place when I started working at Bloom, thanks to Ben [White], the founder, who told me what to do and then left me to it.
How have you gotten over heartbreak?
Losing a job was heartbreaking. It was as bad as a romantic breakup, in fact, maybe even worse. You get dumped. You have to push through – time heals. But it’s also so important to talk and take measures so that things don’t resurface later.
I’m so pleased more men are learning to communicate or address their past. It’s important to advocate for men talking about their mental state more.
I really respect Richard Huntington, CSO of Saatchi & Saatchi, who’s been so transparent about his own struggles. I think it’s very admirable, especially for someone in a leadership position. If you’re in charge of an agency, managing a team, or you have a family, you have a responsibility to put your oxygen mask on first. You can’t help others if you can’t look after yourself.
What makes you cry?
Stories of sons and mothers really get to me – especially when sleep-deprived.
How long does the pride and joy of accomplishing something last for you?
The nature of the work I do means you never really feel “done” with anything, so it’s hard to feel the sort of sense of accomplishment you might get if you’re an artist who’s finished a painting or a writer who’s completed a manuscript. And that’s fine, it’s just the way it is.
My only true accomplishment is my family. And that lasts forever, in some sense. Everything else doesn’t last much beyond a few hours before the next thing comes along.
Do you believe in an afterlife, and if so, what does that look like to you?
No, it’s motivating and exciting to believe that this is it. I don’t think there’s anything afterwards. It’s all happening now. The gift of having consciousness and creativity is that we should enjoy it while we can. Let’s embrace the here and now. We have this amazing consciousness, so why not enjoy it now instead of waiting for something after?
What do you hate most about yourself?
Partly, I suppose, vanity, pride, self-regard…When you get told ‘Oh you’re really smart’ or ‘we can’t do without Ed’, that can go to your head and make you lone wolfish.
My wife always says, “Oh, you’re just guessing. You just think you know stuff.” I rely on people to call me out.
What do you love most about yourself?
The reading I’ve absorbed. It’s all non-fiction to make up for my lazy academic career. I recommend to anyone Theodore Zeldin’s Intimate History of Humanity.
Another great book goes back to the first question: The Master and His Emissary by Iain McGilchrist. That’s where he introduced his concept about right vs left brain: it’s all about letting your right brain take the lead while your left brain follows.
There’s so much good that comes from reading: it teaches you about narrative, argumentation, and language, and it teaches you a lot about focus.
What is your absolute favorite meal?
Sunday night cereal is a thing for me. The silver lining of a giant, long lunch. An amuse-bouche for breakfast the next day.
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