So today a friend of mine, Leon, leaves Hong Kong to move to Geneva.
I met Leon through this blog … and thanks to us both living in the same city … have had the pleasure of spending a fair amount of time in his – and his families – company.
Apart from him being just a top and talented guy, I love that when we meet, we hardly ever talk about advertising or communication theory … we talk about life.
Even though Leon is a very successful and highly regarded creative, I’ve always thought he would make an even better planner.
That’s not because his work isn’t great … it’s because he can define and describe emotions better than anyone I’ve ever met.
Whereas many creatives rely on film and music to convey emotion, he does it via general conversation … so things that we may regard as mundane or forgettable suddenly become circumstances of incredible beauty, wonder and magic.
That’s an amazing skill and I wish I had it … but I don’t … which is why whenever I talked to him, I would sit back and bask in the feelings and emotions he was able to create with his words.
Even though technology will allow me to stay in touch with him … it won’t be the same … and last week, when we had our last HK dinner, I got quite sentimental because if I am being honest with myself, I know there’s a good chance that I will never see him again and while that may be of huge relief to him, for me it’s a great loss.
So Leon, thank you for your friendship and support … stay in touch … and write those books.
Especially the second one.