BYU Alumni Achievements Award recipient Brent Anderson gave an Honored Alumni Lecture at the BYU campus on Oct. 10.
Anderson is the global chief creative officer for TBWA\Media Arts Lab, the network of "creative agencies dedicated solely to Apple," according to the BYU Homecoming website.
BYU colleges recognize alums based on their contributions to their field, communities and the university during Homecoming Week.
Anderson graduated from BYU in 1999 with a Bachelor of Arts in advertising from the BYU School of Communications.
"If we are going to make something wonderful, 'We need to be true to who we are and remember what is really important to us,'" Anderson said, quoting Steve Jobs.
Anderson said students are "creations of ourselves" and are meant to continue God's creativity by being creative.
"Creativity is God's gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God. Our creative dreams and yearnings come from a divine source," he said. "As we move toward our dreams, we move toward our inherent divinity."
Anderson invited the audience to "follow divine patterns" by remembering praying to God each day, reading His words, taking the sacrament each week, going to the temple and having the courage to set aside the Sabbath to worship God.
"The fastest way for any of us to lose our orientation, to lose our way and let the flame of our faith burn out is to slip out of the daily and weekly patterns God has invited us to participate in," Anderson said.
By following that divine pattern, people could find safety, courage and confidence, he said. He added students can create and put wonderful things into the world by following divine patterns.
"I know, and I believe, and I embrace, and I love and celebrate my faith more now than at any other time in my life," Anderson said.
Anderson's work included the "Making Something Wonderful" and "Shot on iPhone" ad campaigns and the launch of iPhone X and iPhone XS, according to his Design and Art Direction profile.
Anderson worked with Adidas, AirBnB, the Grammys and Nissan, according to his profile.
Jeff Sheets, an associate advertising professor and founder of the BYU Advanced Advertising Lab, first met Anderson at The One Show, an advertising awards show.
Sheets' connection with Anderson started when he reached out to him after he was honored for his work on a Gatorade campaign that he made, which won the best show worldwide, Sheets said.
"I went and talked to (Anderson) and said, 'Hey, we love the work that you did,' and I said, 'I'm from BYU.' And he's like, 'Guess what? I'm from BYU,'" Sheets said.
Anderson volunteered in 2011 to mentor advertising students and reviewed students' portfolios, provided projects in AdLab and helped students connect with companies.
"We are just so excited that we have alumni that care enough to want to be representative of what BYU is and share that with students so that our students will see whom we hope they feel like they can become," Sheets added.
Jensen Diederich, a BYU advertising senior, said he often thought to himself that it is hard to be a member of the Church in a creative workspace, especially in the entertainment industry, because many people do not share the same values.
"I think Brent is a perfect example of holding strong to your values and not just trying to conform to the world, but still making great art and being so successful, and he's one of the most successful people in the industry," Diederich said.
BYU students have the opportunity to create the work which uplifts and enlightens hearts that the world is lacking, and Anderson is a good example of that, Diederich said.
