Pablo Rochat discusses creative block, pranks and adding silly ideas to his work

During February’s Nicer Tuesdays, Pablo Rochat – aka the “prankster with a knack for social media originality” – took to the virtual stage to answer a series of questions from the audience as well as our host and editor-in-chief Matt Alagiah. To begin, Pablo ran us through his process and how he approaches his varied briefs, from branding work with Balenciaga to the more experimental. “I approach everything pretty similarly,” he said. “It always starts with me sketching as many ideas as possible.” Flashing us his notepad on the screen, we saw just how much detail and thought goes behind each project. “The more I iterate, the better chance I have of producing an idea that I’m excited about.”

The conversation then steered towards the key pillar to his practice: humour. “I’m constantly in pursuit of a funny idea or project. Since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to make my friends and family laugh,” he told us. “If someone was to laugh or smile that’s all I need – that’s the end result.” Pablo explained how he’s a naturally funny person, which makes it easier in the long run when making his pieces. “The more I publish and put something in front of an audience, the more I understand what is funny and what isn’t based on their reaction.” And finally, after discussing his inspirations, Pablo gave us an insight into how he stays motivated during a spell of creative block, his ultimate “enemy”. Proving that anyone can experience it, his solution was to keep a constant cycle of ideas and to always add a bit of silliness. “I spend an abnormal time in my notebook trying to think of a prank or a silly idea.”