La Mesa Talks, has hosted via Oscar Motta-Quintana, multi-hyphenate Moey Shawash.
La Mesa Talks (La mesa means the table), has hosted via Oscar Motta-Quintana, multi-hyphenate Moey Shawash known as strategist in the industry and an award-winning one at that. Well, the topic of the talk centered around the theme: Ever felt like your best ideas come from total chaos? That’s exactly what this episode of La Mesa Talks has dived into!
La Mesa Talks sat with Shawash, who has an almost two-decades long experience - to unpack the messy, beautiful, and wildly chaotic process of creativity.
Some of his work iincludes reimagining Twitter for Saudi women, others include embracing the chaos of brainstorming, Shawash shares how thinking outside the box (or throwing the box out entirely) can lead to groundbreaking ideas.
There is a lot of lessons to take from this electrifying conversation:
Chaos is Misunderstood: Shawash breaks down why chaos isn’t a mess—it’s a necessary storm for creativity. Spoiler: Your best ideas might come from the most unexpected places (like a bathroom with no phone).
The Twitter Transformation: How Shawash and his team turned a simple campaign request into a platform-wide revolution by creating a female-friendly Arabic language option. Hint: It all started with a shampoo bottle.
Multicultural Creativity: As a third-culture kid with a fascinating background (think Circassian Arab roots, a Jewish Russian mom, and a childhood in Kuwait), Moey shares how his unique perspective shapes his approach to strategy and storytelling. There is also a stint in staying in staying in the UK, then roaming the Arab world to find roots in it.
Creative Leadership: Why you don’t need to look or act “creative” to be creative. Shawash’s advice? Let everyone in the room brainstorm—yes, even the guy in the suit. Interestingly he goes on to quote two of his (unnamed) mentors – one told him to ask everyone, even non-creative department people, for ideas, the other told him to assume everyone was stupid until not proven so.
Practical Chaos: How to balance freedom and structure in your creative process. Shawash’s mantra? “It’s okay not to know. Just figure it out.” It comes with experience as well, with working with too many clients in too many different cultural settings.
This episode is a masterclass in embracing the chaos of creativity. Whether you’re a seasoned strategist or just starting out, Shawash’s insights will inspire you to think bigger, bolder, and a little more chaotically. Shawash is both loud and unfiltered, but if anything, his work proved that both worked for him. Follow the full episode here.
