Ruben Cirugeda has been a senior creative in Melbourne at Clemenger BBDO, DDB and CHE Proximity since 2007. Before that, he was an art director at M&C Saatchi for seven and a half years.

He has drawn since he was a child. Now he paints.

He paints on the side. He paints because he loves it.

He paints because he “has to”.

Cirugeda’s Inside the Passion Pit is the second profile in The Stable’s content series, sponsored by Flint Productions and Alt.vfx with Arc Edit, that explores the sideline passions some of AUNZ’s top creatives.

Next week, our video profiles begin. We filmed nine creatives, in twos and threes in our stunningly low-tech Passion Pod all over Sydney, to make four episodes. The final shoot was in Justin Drape’s back garden, in a thunder storm, with his dog. The storm wasn’t planned. 

There’s a good chance that your thing on the side is, like Cirugeda’s, essential. Does it feel like this…?

Painting was always in me…

As far back as I can remember, my childhood was always filled with drawing. Many years were spent on various kitchen tables working on cartoons, creatures, faces and characters. And there were so many Which is the best drawing competitions against my brother, in which my parents were the reluctant and very diplomatic judges. From early school years, I was labeled the best drawer or the kid that draws. It wasn’t just a proud badge. It would become integral to forging my identity. Not only was it something that I enjoyed and was good at, but it gave me confidence and something that I could always go to. I was seven when my mother first enrolled me into painting classes. While other kids my age were being driven to football training, by age nine I was off to formal oil painting classes at McClelland Gallery.

It’s a place where I can lose myself…

When I paint, I do tend to totally lose myself in the moment. Hours can tick away. Painting a picture is just as the cliché states, like starting on a new journey … well, an emotional one. You ride the highs when the brush strokes are beautiful and fresh, the lows when you’re trying desperately to pull an over-worked painting from the brink. It’s a mixture of struggle and happiness. As a painter, you’re constantly trying to reach that magic place, when your internal critic is content and you’re happy to leave a work as it stands.

…the thing that keeps me in balance…

Having a creative job as an art director, allows me to use my left brain. I love to conceptualise and problem solve. I often think visually and am able to use my visual strengths and ability to express a piece of communication. I tend to believe a creative job can never totally support a person’s healthy creative outlet all of the time. To help me feel balanced, remain fresh and produce the best creative work, I need to constantly produce work that inspires me.

Whether it be proactive work on the side, for a charity, or a passionate interest such as painting, it’s important to keep producing work.

…It’s an antidote to being a commercial creative.

The main stresses of being a creative director? Time constraints and tight budgets, coupled with the high expectations. One of the main challenges is to help clients to see the work from their customer’s point. To create the best work is only one part of the process. To sell it in, gather support and build trust is the other half.

Another challenge is to be able to quickly reset after any setback and to look for the next opportunity.

Why do creative people have to create? 

Creative people need to be makers. I feel that’s ultimately what we are here to do. Being creative is purely a means to express who you are. The work should surprise and delight. I try to constantly remain open, curious, and not lose my sense of humour. With two young children at home, I’m constantly swapping the IPad for pens and paper. Kids need to be bored and encouraged to use their own imaginations. We hope it’ll help develop them into ‘bigger makers’.

If I could only do one thing for a year?

I’d paint.

My bucket list was quite large at one point. Having trimmed it to a few at a time keeps me motivated and stops me from feeling too overwhelmed.