The Flower of Life
Based on Cong Le Tran’s Vietnamese roots and upbringing in Germany, he carries two worlds within himself in the best sense. They guided him throughout his quest to find a unique creative voice. Even more so as a 1980s kid, experiencing a significant turning point: The beginning of the internet era. With this rich potential of innovative ideas stemming from the analog and digital world and his practice of Buddhism...
Cong, what is your work all about,
and how did you start out?
The core of my work is that I observe an awful lot.
My background, however, is in music. Hip-hop was a way for me to escape my conservative Asian upbringing.
Back then, the rap game was where you could go a long way with rebellion and an attitude.
Did you make or DJ your own music?
My sister’s friends introduced me to the Douala Club owner, a famous techno club in Ravensburg back then, hosting the likes of Monika Kruse, DJ Hell, Sven Väth, and Funkmaster Flex. At 14 years, I was bold enough to introduce myself as a great DJ and became the first resident DJ in this techno club to play hip-hop records. I loved how I could lose myself, with 800 or 1000 people moving to the vinyl I was playing. Later, I started making beats and worked in artist management. Naturally, the big dream was New York City. From 2004 I was there regularly with the intent to stay, but my father called me at the end of 2006. His mother had passed away. That hit me very emotionally. Being the family man that I am, I immediately flew back. With that, the dream of making it in New York City was shattered for the time being.
I’m sorry to hear that. You seem to have found your way, nonetheless. What came next for you?
As I got involved in the agency world, I noticed that people and their intrinsic motivations fascinate me tremendously.
I’m a Buddhist, so what drives me are the elementary questions in life: Who are you? What do you do and why? What shapes your identity? I have been meditating for over 30 years. I hold great affection for this space where nothing exists. I draw everything from it. My fears dissolve there, but I also dare to dream big. So when I encounter creatives for a project, I always try to meet them on this level. I strive to create something that is not inspired by books but from within. You will come across ideas you’ve never had before in your inner black space.
While drawing ideas from your inner self is not per se unusual, I am aware that there can be tremendous pressure to identify through professional performance in the Vietnamese cultural context. It strikes me as almost a rebellious act when you say you perceive your value exclusively from your inner self. Does that require courage?
Yes, the wish to make your parents proud is deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture. I’ve been told I will fail at many points in my life: Young father. Father of three. No academic career, especially in a country where your degree and title mean everything. Going after a job that is often driven by randomness and luck. Consequently, my ambition was influenced by the will to find my identity and a certain moral compass leading me to sustainable decisions. In the agency context, a workflow is often based on criteria that are only relevant in economic terms. So I decided to take a more wholesome approach and say: Hey, how could we activate forces together that make you unique? What resources are available to us? Can we hold ourselves to high standards?