Because being average at a lot of things means you relate to a lot of people. I like puns. I think alliteration can be clever. Those are the kinds of things that get you side eye from other creatives, like you're not "elevated" enough, like your taste is a little too easy. But over and over in this business, that stuff is what lands. Not always with the award show judges. With actual people. With clients trying to sell something to actual people. Standing out matters. Nobody's arguing that. But standing out doesn't mean your instincts are wrong just because they're common. Liking what a lot of people like is a huge part of this job. It's basically the job. You're trying to make a brand feel relatable, and it's hard to do that if you've spent your whole career avoiding anything relatable yourself. I was never going to be the most talented person in advertising. So I leaned on the two things I could control. Stay curious. Stay unafraid to put myself in situations I wasn't ready f...