Cannes Lions 2025, acclaimed brand strategist Bonnie Wan delivered a soul-stirring keynote that stood in contrast to the festival’s fast pace. Titled “What Do You Want? A Creative Brief for Your Life,” the session invited the audience to pause, breathe, and redirect their powerful creative energy inward.
The talk wasn’t about consumer behavior, branding frameworks, or award-winning campaigns—it was about crafting a creative strategy for your life.
The Question That Changed Everything
With disarming honesty, Bonnie shared the moment that reshaped her personal and professional world: asking herself the deceptively simple yet often avoided question—“What do I truly want?”
Not what your job expects. Not what your family demands. But in your heart of hearts, what do you want?
This question saved her marriage, redefined her career, and became the foundation for what she calls a Life Brief—a practice of writing with radical honesty to uncover the patterns, truths, and desires buried beneath life’s noise.
From Creative Briefs to Life Briefs
As a long-time brand strategist, Bonnie was no stranger to distilling brand truths into simple, compelling creative briefs. Yet it wasn’t until a personal breakdown—balancing a high-powered agency job, three children, and an emotionally frayed marriage—that she realized she had never created one for her own life.
Her first Life Brief, titled “Taking Our Time,” helped her and her partner reimagine their family life, career priorities, and daily rhythms. It was the spark that led to realignment, relocation, and ultimately, renewal.
The Practice: Radical Clarity Through Brain Dumps
Bonnie encouraged attendees to start a simple, daily practice of 10-minute brain dumps—unfiltered, judgment-free writing that helps uncover emotional truths and misaligned narratives. Over time, this exercise reveals clarity, creates emotional catharsis, and leads to bold action rooted in authentic desire.
Creativity as a Way of Living
“Creativity isn’t a job title. It’s a way of seeing,” Bonnie reminded the crowd.
She challenged the industry to apply the same imagination used for campaigns to their personal lives—to live creatively, courageously, and without regret.
In a time of industry upheaval, AI disruption, and personal disconnection, Bonnie offered an anchor: clarity as compass. When the rules change, when the playbooks expire, it’s not more hustle we need—it’s deeper truth.
“You can author your own story—or live someone else’s script,” Bonnie said. “You can regret trying. Or regret never trying at all. But it all starts with one question: What do you want?”
