What does creative excellence actually look like in practice?
In this conversation, we sit down with Libby Tsoi, Creative Director at DixonBaxi, to unpack the reality behind great creativity – from her early instinct to leadership, and a little bit of behind the scenes of one of the world’s greatest agencies.
What doesn’t come as instinctively to everybody as creativity, is a curiosity that cannot be satiated. We talk about how this is a great differentiator when it comes to judging talent outside of the portfolio.
This innate curiosity doesn’t stick to a 9-5 – Libby explores her own, very personal, creative practice outside of work. It’s not the first time we’ve heard a rallying cry for personal work, and it won’t be the last. Invest in your own curiosities, at every stage, to keep that creative muscle flexed.
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From managing feedback to setting the tone, Libby highlights the emotional responsibility of leadership, which means balancing honesty with composure. Sometimes that draws a tension between being your ‘whole self’ with your team, and being able to rise above challenging times to maintain the resilience you need in front of a team.
And when it comes to bringing your whole self to work, Libby commits. She readies herself to kill it in the studio every day, with a morning routine that puts us to shame. It speaks to a commitment to greatness; when you invest in yourself, creativity will follow.
But it’s not just for you. Libby is passionate about diversity in the industry and speaks about not seeing people like herself in leadership roles, and how that drives her to show up visibly – not just for herself, but for others who need to see what’s possible.
“We all have creative instinct”
— Libby Tsoi
Creative Director
