Debbie Millman has an ongoing project at PRINT titled “What Matters.” This is an effort to understand the interior life of artists, designers, and creative thinkers. This facet of the project is a request of each invited respondent to answer ten identical questions and submit a nonprofessional photograph.
Benji Wiedemann is the co-founder and executive creative director at Wiedemann Lampe, a London-based brand and business consultancy.
What is the thing you like doing most in the world?
As a ‘creative’ by profession my answer might seem a bit flat, but the thing I like doing most in the world (apart from spending time with my two boys) is creating. Not necessarily designing, but creating: starting with nothing and ending with something. The act of creating is such a positive force and driver for transformation that can be channelled into absolutely anything we do – whether I’m cooking a dish with only the scraps I find in the back of our fridge or finding myself stacking stones on a beach to create a miniature sculpture park. Creating fills me with a sense of purpose in life, but more importantly, it brings me incredible joy.
What is the first memory you have of being creative?
My first memory of being creative is more of being co-creative with my dad. When I was growing up he worked a lot to provide for us. He seemed to work all hours of the day, seven days a week. So we got to spend relatively little time together. But occasionally if he hadn’t left for work yet, we’d sit together at the breakfast table. I’d ask him to draw for me and he would fill my white A4 sheets with anything I’d ask for. From underwater scenes filled with sharks and octopuses (it’s actually not ‘octopi’ as I thought – I had to google that one) to complete safari scenes with lions and elephants. He always included his own made-up creatures too.
I was spellbound by how all these drawings just spilled out of his mind, through his pen, and onto the page. I’d take these papers filled up with black key lines to kindergarten and would spend the day colouring them in.
These moments of shared creativity helped my dad and I to stay close when he wasn’t able to be present. To this day I love that creativity is a force to bring people together, as cliché as I know that sounds. It’s no coincidence that one of my favourite aspects of work is being able to bring all these brilliant creative minds together under one objective and see where the journey takes us.
What is your biggest regret?
They say that the things you regret most in life are the things you don’t do. This idea has always haunted me – so much so that whenever I am uncertain about whether to do something or not, I tend to do it. Whatever the outcome, you learn from the experience – good, bad, or ugly. But saying that, recently I was on a ladder painting my living room ceiling. When I decided to step backwards off the ladder I trod barefooted with full force onto our large, bulbous cactus. This I regretted. Instantly.
How have you gotten over heartbreak?
Easy – I haven’t. But I don’t see that as a bad thing. Experiences like heartbreak shape who you are as a person. For better or for worse, you aren’t the same person again. There’s a real skill in finding positivity and growth in these moments of pain. I’m not sure I have fully succeeded in doing this yet, but I’m getting there…
And then there’s always Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie.
What makes you cry?
This is a tough one – there’s too much to list here. I’m quite an emotionally governed being, so I get affected by the state of the world easily, and often. And since becoming a father this emotional sensitivity appears to have only been heightened.
How long does the pride and joy of accomplishing something last for you?
Increasingly less and less. I’m more interested in the things that I haven’t accomplished yet, rather than dwell on the things that I have.
Do you believe in an afterlife, and if so, what does that look like to you?
I do believe in an afterlife. It looks like this:
Our body gets absorbed into the earth and contributes to the growth of something new.
Our actions, values and beliefs that have guided us throughout life get absorbed into a shared social consciousness.
And that’s about it.
The time that we have on this planet is finite, which makes it so precious. I guess that’s why I have chosen to focus my professional life on culture – to help define the values and knowledge we choose to share with the next generation.
What do you hate most about yourself?
I’ve worked to reframe the vocabulary I use to think and talk about myself, and after about 45 years I can now proudly say that I don’t hate anything about myself. But, since you’ve asked, IF there was one thing that would be up there, it would have to be self-doubt.
What do you love most about yourself?
In line with my previous answer, I’d have to say the thing that I value most about myself is… my self-doubt! Doubt is a powerful tool for questioning and interrogating my thoughts and decisions, ensuring all my actions are done from a place of unity, authenticity, and integrity.
And I like my hands.
What is your absolute favorite meal?
My absolute favorite meal is Laksa (a spicy noodle dish from Malaysia), specifically from Apium Noodle Bar in London. It’s number 29A on their menu, or it was, as – heartbreakingly – the place closed about ten years ago. I loved it so much I started documenting the dish each time I ate it. I have hundreds of photos, so although I can’t sample it again, I can at least still revisit all those precious memories of times we spent together.
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