Ash Myburgh
Senior Creative/Art Director
TL;DR - I'm a visual storyteller, I like ideas and I like learning from other people. Somehow I convinced people to pay me to do that for a living.
I'm Ash and I am a Senior Creative and Visual Communicator living and working in Sydney. I moonlight as a podcaster and full-time wrestling fan.
I have worked in the advertising industry for nearly a decade and I specialise in creative problem solving, with a particular interest in the intersection of brand storytelling, innovation and human behaviour. Essentially, I like understanding why humans do what they do and enjoy finding cool ways to put brands at the centre of that.
I host a mental health podcast, Paved with Gold, where I highlight the power of lived experience, something that I value in my personal and professional life.
Career & Background
Could you tell us a bit about your professional background?
I’m formally trained as a graphic designer, where I focused on visual communication and photography, but that morphed quickly into a career as an art director and creative in the advertising industry. I have worked in ad-land for nearly a decade, working on brands such as IBM, KFC, American Express, Uber Eats, Hyundai and ALDI. I have worked on big glossy TV ads, created apps, ideated and executed experiential tech activations, designed many an eDM and I even redesigned the KFC store uniforms. I’ve also had a lot of fun.
I’m a bit of a magpie when it comes to trying new skills (you can probably blame my ADHD for that) and regularly dabble in writing, video production, podcasting, photography and social content.
This means that my career has always been malleable and in a state of flux. At this stage of my career, after nearly a decade in advertising, I am looking for new and interesting opportunities to stretch my creative legs and lend my skills to different industries in a more hands-on way. If that sounds like I haven’t figured out what I am doing yet, then you would be correct.
One thing I know for sure though, is that I am looking forward to seeing what is coming up next.
What inspired you to do what you are doing now?
I always say I stumbled into advertising by accident. While I started as a graphic designer, I always felt that my brain naturally strayed towards bigger ideas and concepts. Someone else must have noticed that too because I managed to land a role as an Art Director at Ogilvy Australia and it was like a light had been switched on – this was what I was meant to do.
I’ve always had a deep need to understand ‘why’ – why people do what they do, think how they think and why things are the way they are. Pair this with a brain that is naturally wired to think in a visual way, and it became clear that being a creative problem solver becomes less of a want and more of a need. A need to creatively express insightful ideas that, ideally, make meaningful impacts on everyday people.
What drives and inspires you
What are your core values?
- Authenticity
- Compassion
- Integrity
Who is your biggest inspiration and why?
Creativity is multi-faceted and needs multiple perspectives to grow and evolve. We can’t expect to get everything we need from one person, nor should we. So when I look for inspiration, I look at who’s the ‘best in show’ based on the skill I need.
When I need tenacity and conviction, I look to Esther Clerehan.
When I need killer instinct AND emotional intelligence, I look to Jenny Mak, creative partner at DDB Australia.
When I need a guide for the type of mentor I want to be, I call on Jon Austin, co-founder of Supermassive.
When I need a reminder of the power of change, I look to Cindy Gallop.
For the foundations, it’s Sir John Haggerty.
When I need a north star for creative expression, I analyse the work of artists Yayoi Kusama and Rafael Lozano-Hemmer.
When I need a masterclass in using words as a weapon, I study wrestler CM Punk.
When I need a second opinion, I ask the creatives I mentor – they can often teach me a lot more than I can teach them.
And when I need belief in myself, I look to the kind words and recognition bestowed on me by my peers, colleagues and, juries over the years. If I doubt myself, it means that I’m doubting all of them too. And I have far too much respect for them to allow that.
Your favourite food for thought
Books
- Junior: Writing Your Way Ahead In Advertising by Thomas Kemeny
- The Resilience Myth by Soraya Chemaly
- Strong Female Character by Hanna Flint
Podcasts / Thought Leaders
- A Bit Fruity, hosted by Matt Bernstein
- Jameela Jamil
- Aubrey Gordon + her podcast Maintenance Phase
- (Paved with Gold – The Eating Disorder Recovery Podcast – If I was going to shameless plug my podcast anywhere, this felt like the best place to do it…)
You as a Mentor
Why have you decided to become a mentor?
When entering the advertising industry as a young art director, I sought a female creative role model whose position I could aspire to. But for the majority of my early career, that elusive art-based female creative director was noticeably absent. I initially believed that art directors weren’t destined to be creative directors, let alone could rise to even higher ranks. But there was no shortage of male art-based creative directors. Then it clicked – it’s not that female art directors couldn’t make it to the top, they were being overlooked.
I realised if I wanted to find the art-based female leader I craved, I needed to become her. So here I am, trying to become her.
I’m committed to helping shape the industry into a more equitable, diverse place for the next generation of advertising creatives, and being an Assisterhood mentor is a real and tangible way of honouring that commitment.
I want to not only offer an opportunity to help other women in the industry but to learn from so many incredible women who will in turn enrich my creative practice. By leading and teaching, I know that I will be doing a lot if not most of the learning myself.
What are the top skills or qualities you bring to mentoring?
- Collaborative
- Empathic
- Non-judgemental
- Nurturing
- Supportive
Ready to apply?
The best time is right now. Take a chance – you never know where an Assisterhood mentor can take you.