After co-founding one of the most successful creative agencies in Australia, you’d be forgiven for thinking Justin Drape had reached realms of creative fulfilment that most of us can only ever dream of. However, in a refreshingly candid interview with B&T, Drape – who is now co-founder of Exceptional ALIEN – confesses that there were some creative urges that the advertising industry couldn’t quite fulfil.
“The first business that I started was B2C while I was in university. It was a design business and I sold my designs on T-shirts, posters, cards, etc, in various stores around Australia,” he said.
“There’s a real sense of pride and satisfaction when an audience is actively seeking out what you’re creating, and they’ll pay for it. But most advertising is actually the opposite of that. It’s an imposition on somebody’s time”.
“I’ve always been really, I guess, keenly aware of that”.
“While I’m extremely proud of what we’ve created at The Monkeys, and the agency’s continued success. I had a yearning to create another B2C experience that a global audience can appreciate and benefit from, and that’s what we’re trying to create with Exceptional ALIEN, something that, you know, has global impact and just helps people, informs people and entertains people around the world.”
Exceptional ALIEN is just that. It’s a platform where people can combine their love of travel with that of creativity – receiving recommendations and insights on the best creative places to visit around the world from the best creatives around the world.
For those hipsters amongst us who nearly always find ourselves wandering into a quirky art gallery when we’re in a new city, it’s a welcome change from a travel culture that insists you must hang out with the mainstream tourist folk (usually spotted with big rucksacks, lumpy sun cream and sunglasses on a piece of string).
Drape says the relationship between travel and creativity is natural, and about as old as time (sorry this reads like we’ve about to delve into the birds and bees, we’re not).
“I mean, historically, travel has been synonymous with art and artistry. If you walk into any gallery, you will see most artists were born in one place and died in another. It’s because you’re seeking that continued curiosity and inspiration, which changes you and leads to personal and professional enrichment and growth. So I think that’s a natural state for an artist to continue to travel both physically and mentally,” he said.
“Creativity informs the most rewarding things that you do when you travel. And if you look back at the fondest travel experiences you’ve had, they probably involve food, wine, fashion, art, music, architecture, entertainment, and people, of course. So we want to actually create a category – creative travel, because this is an opportunity to curate creative experiences that you can trust by some of the most exceptional creators in the world.”
The name – Exceptional ALIEN – came from the US visa term ‘Alien of exceptional ability’ to describe someone who has excelled in the arts or education. Drape has widened to the remit of the platform to fit all the modern ways you can be creative. As well as artists, musicians and fashion designers it also includes gamers, entrepreneurs and marketers.
This means that even the most hardened soul-depleted ad landers amongst you can use Exceptional ALIEN to return to your once flourishing creative roots!
