The power (and cost) of being emotional

It’s taken me years to figure this out: I’m an emotional creative.

I used to think that was a weakness. Maybe because someone I deeply respect once suggested it might be.

On my last day at Mother, Robert Saville — Bob — sat me down for a conversation. It was generous, meaningful. I still wish I worked with him. But during that talk, he said something that lodged itself in my brain and quietly played on repeat for years after.

He said:
“You’re too emotional. And that will hold you back.”

I wasn’t upset. I didn’t even fully understand what he meant at the time. Because for me, emotion was the engine. It drove everything I made. It gave things soul. How could that be a problem?

It took me over 15 years to translate what he meant:
“Jim, you care too much. And sometimes, that will be used against you.”

And he was right.

That emotional core led me to make some bad decisions. To work for people who mistook my care for weakness. I struggled through those times, but loyalty — another so-called “flaw” — helped me push through.

Now? I see it differently. It’s a lesson that shaped Tipota. The agency I’ve built with love, from the inside out.

At Tipota, we care — really care — and we turn that into results for our clients. We use emotion as a tool. We seek it, shape it, and build it into brands. But I’ve also learned how to channel that emotion differently.

Not every client has that emotional spark from the start. Sometimes they’re more functional. (If you're one of those clients reading this — that’s not a bad thing. It’s why we work well together.) Because emotion isn’t always loud or obvious. Sometimes it needs to be coaxed out, translated, redirected.

For me, music has become that translator. It’s how I access emotion when it’s not right in front of me. A song can unlock an idea. A whole album can carry me through a project. I’ve even been known to listen to the same track on repeat for days if it helps keep the emotional current flowing.

It sounds a little mad, I know. But really, it’s about protecting the moment. Finding whatever tool keeps the connection alive — when the emotion isn’t coming from people, I borrow it from sound. It’s still human. Just delivered differently.

Don’t be scared of being emotional.
Just learn how to use it. Shape it. Channel it.
Because the world doesn’t need less feeling.
It needs more care.