Don't Tell the Obvious Story

Dig Deeper. Tell the Unexpected.

One of the biggest mistakes I see creatives make isn't bad typography, poor color choices, or weak layouts.

It's telling the obvious story.

If the assignment is to promote a medical device, they show the medical device.

If it's a toy, they show kids playing with it.

If it's a building, they show the building.

But the obvious story is usually the one everyone else is already telling.

The real opportunity is to dig deeper.

Years ago, while working in healthcare, I wanted to create a video featuring a patient. It wasn't a popular idea. The focus had always been on the technology, the physicians, and the product.

I kept asking one question:

Who is this really for?

The answer wasn't the pacemaker.

It wasn't the engineering.

It wasn't even the hospital.

It was the patient.

So I searched until I found a little boy whose personality lit up every room. With almost no production budget, I wrote the interview, brought the family in, filmed it, and even taught myself Premiere Pro so I could edit the piece.

The technology wasn't the story.

The little boy was.

On another project, I pushed to recognize the engineering team who designed the pacemaker. Some people questioned why.

My answer was simple.

Medical innovation doesn't happen because of one brilliant inventor. It happens because hundreds of people dedicate years of their lives to solving a problem. I wanted the audience to see the faces behind the breakthrough.

Again...

The product wasn't the story.

The people were.

This lesson has followed me through every stage of my career—from television commercials to healthcare communications and now AI-assisted creative work.

Whenever I start a project, I ask myself:

"What's the story everyone expects?"

Then I ask the more important question:

"What's the story nobody is telling?"

That's usually where the best ideas are hiding.

The obvious story informs.

The unexpected story connects.

And people rarely remember information.

They remember how you made them feel.

Creative Takeaway

The next time you're given a project, resist the temptation to tell the first story you think of.

Ask yourself:

"Am I telling the obvious story... or have I dug deep enough to find the one no one else sees?"

Because that's often where the best creative work begins.