Oli's braindump: Thoughts behind our New Blood Pencil Brief

My creative partner and I recently laid our grubby hands on a fancy schmancy New Blood Pencil. I’ve done enough bragging, so I thought I’d share some behind-the-scenes thoughts on why I decided to take on this brief.

The Brief

So essentially, this year's brief was to make your mark... dangit, I lost my train of thought.

Anyways, because I'm a lazy fuck with goldfish memory, I've plucked this out from a recent article written by a close family friend of mine (thanks auntie Intan :P)

The brief itself was simple in wording, but tricky in execution: Make your mark. In a crowded industry, with new graduates struggling to stand out, how could a young creative prove they were worth remembering? Who exactly were they trying to reach? Agencies? Employers? Fellow artists?

As a fresh grad myself (whatever you want to call us — modern creative, entry-level, cannon fodder), it felt painfully relevant.

The industry right now is literally on fire. AI breathing down our necks, mass layoffs left and right. What a time to enter the game, huh? For many, the only option feels like going freelance straight away. And sure, it’s painted as the new young dream: go solo, rack up recognition, maybe even hit that shiny 256k IG followers milestone.

But here’s the thing. Those polished freelancers you see flaunting their client wins and churning out daily tutorial videos (where do they even get the time lmao). They’re the exception, not the rule.

Jumping blindly into solo work straight out of uni isn’t romantic — it’s brutal. You’re not equipped yet. Think about it: handling production pipelines, writing proper contracts, managing clients, chasing invoices… all on top of actually doing the work. And let’s be real — we’re still babies in the industry. Without support, burnout comes fast.

That’s why this brief hooked me. In a fragmented industry where the young creative’s dream is to go solo, I took this on hoping I had something worth saying — that ideas that truly work don’t happen in a vacuum. Impactful creativity needs connection, not just cleverness. It thrives when challenged, pushed, and refined by different perspectives.

Because at the heart of creative practice is people. Bouncing half-baked ideas off someone else. Arguing over why an idea does or doesn’t work. Picking up inspiration from conversations, collaborations, and even clashes. Those moments of exchange, whether with a partner, a mentor, or even a stranger, are what give an idea the weight to actually land.

And nobody can do that alone in an echo chamber of their own thoughts. Even the so-called genius artists had critics. Sure, if you’re a fine artist (sorry don't come after me pls) you might get away with that — but advertising isn’t the same game. Here, ideas have to be strategic. They need to work beyond “cool” and actually deliver impact.

"Friction sharpens ideas."

These fleeting thoughts formed the basis of Oli & Lychee's dynamic. Two brains, two perspectives, constantly stress-testing each other’s ideas until the cracks show — or the gold shines through. That back-and-forth isn’t just our process; it’s our strength.

The visual is so dumb it's brilliant.

This is one of my favourite LinkedIn posts we made early in our ideation stages. I’m proud of it because it cheekily captures the message we’re trying to get across — and shows exactly why our dynamic works.

I’m the airhead, big-picture thinker. She’s the misfortunate overthinker who hyperfixates. We all have our blind spots: without each other, she’d be overwhelmed by the chaos, and I’d be blissfully unaware of the iceberg right in front of me.

Her need for spontaneity balances with my need for structure. I move with the end in mind, while she thrives when boulders are thrown her way.

And that’s precisely the point. Connection is what makes creativity stronger. It’s not just about filling gaps — it’s about building something bigger than what either of us could’ve done alone.

Anyways, I'll leave it at that. My brain has shrivelled up. You can do your own introspection.

Peace out,

Oli