Aaron Duffy is the Executive Creative Director and co-founder of boutique creative agency, SpecialGuest. He also works as a director with acclaimed production company, 1st Ave Machine.

In this inspirational chat, Aaron shares the story of how a project he wasn’t excited about (and nearly turned down) propelled his career forward and landed him a coveted Super Bowl ad.

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Searching for stories

In 2010, Aaron was given a unique creative brief. It was for Google. At the time, they had not advertised on television.

At first glance, Aaron didn’t think it was right for him. The ad was about a love story shown entirely through Google’s user interface for search. Not exactly visually stunning.

Aaron thought he’d graciously decline the job. The restrictive brief didn’t match his style and he thought it was kind of sappy. But after a few words of encouragement from his creative partners, Aaron decided to give it a shot.

Over a decade later, that television ad he nearly passed is a cultural phenomenon. It played during the Super Bowl and was inducted in the MOMA archive. You might recognize it.

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This blessing in disguise changed the way Aaron thought about creative work. It helped him move past narrow-minded ways of making things. And for the rest of us, it is a wonderful reminder to always remain curious.