The Burrills at Breakfast
Anthony Burrill is in my house like he is in many, many houses. My house on the other side of the world in the UK. THINK OF YOUR OWN IDEAS. The kids like to read it as they learn phonics, and Anthony has more than earned his place among design royalty. I recognise him having seen him speak in Manchester and my room in Mérida's Sureno Hotel is next to his. I introduce myself to him and his lovely wife, Emma at breakfast and join them. Very quickly I'm enamoured by their warmth, their pleasant nature. The Creative industry is littered with renowned names bereft of ego. This thing we do, this creativity, it's fundamental. We do it purely, professionally, but in the majority of cases, with decency and with little ego. This happens on several mornings before Paradiso kicks off each day and we keep bumping into one another around and at our respective events at the festival.
On day 3 I finally get the chance to properly meet Zipeng Zhu, a New York-based artist and designer. We said hello on day one in a group setting, and now, he's sitting alone in the restaurant one hour or so before his workshop. He waves me over and says "Don't be alone!" Zipeng is a bundle of energy, dressed in brilliantly loud clothes, and full of great stories. We eat together and after he's finished and I'm still working on my chips, he begins telling me a story.
"Oh, so I got talking to this unassuming couple, and I didn't recognise them. I say, nice to meet you Anthony and Emma, and we talk about Mérida and all kinds of things. It's only after about 20 minutes that I see the ‘B’ of his surname. Wait... Anthony... B, ANTHONY BURRILL, at what point were you going to tell me I'M TALKING TO GOD?!'
I almost choke on my veggie burger as he somehow illustrates the way it so often is in our profession. He pays for his food and leaves to prepare for his workshop, his unmistakably bold look bringing full colour to the room, and I chuckle over his omnipotent casting of this unassuming industry favourite. It's only when I call for the bill that the waiter tells me Zipeng paid for mine too.
Despite the hours in my hotel room, when you lead with creativity, it’s hard to ever be truly alone.