Guest Article: Arvind Sharma on Goafest

The challenge of creativity is to see what others are unable to see and create something that hasn't been created before. It requires creative minds to appreciate a different perspective and sharing perspectives with such minds can be energising.

A few months ago, I came across an interesting piece of news which talked about the discovery of a Michelangelo painting in a student hall at Oxford. Today, the masterpiece is touted to be worth £100 million. It is easier to recognise the brilliance of an idea many years later than it is in present time. It has taken nearly three centuries for the world to fully recognise Michelangelo as a multifaceted genius. Today, we admire even his scribbles.

A similar case in point is that of Claude Monet, the genius Impressionist painter. His work was then known to only a handful of people and appreciated by fewer still. It was not until a century later that he was acknowledged as one of the greatest painters in history.

The challenge of creativity is to see what others are unable to see and create something that hasn't been created before. It requires creative minds to appreciate a perspective different from what has been done in the past. Sharing perspectives with such minds can be energising and even the slightest recognition from them can be reinforcing.

Goafest is one such platform where the best of creative minds gather to recognise great pieces of work from amongst a plethora of good ones. It offers a wonderful opportunity for the creative minds of the country, the subcontinent and the world to interact with the best in the business, get mentored by them and take a leaf out of their success stories.

The sheer exposure to a wide array of brilliant work sets higher benchmarks, inspiring people to create fresher, better work. The environment encourages people to exchange experiences, ideas and practices from their own life. It allows them to interact with other like-minded people who may be trying to tackle similar issues and challenges. In turn, perspectives are broadened.

India's only advertising and award festival - Goafest - is today in its seventh edition. It stands not merely as a platform for giving awards but as one of the biggest sources of inspiration, motivation and learning for the creative people of the industry, whether they work in creative departments or outside them.

The author is chairman, Goafest 2012.

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