Eugene Cheong flips a middle finger to the corporate machine in raw, new creative survival guide

The creative industry is in flux, spoiled by corporate compromise and AI that values speed over actual quality. A new book, however, is fighting back to show that doing great work is still worth the trouble. 

Written entirely by hand, this rebellious manifesto is a giant middle finger to corporate cowardice, giving a real, swear-word-filled look at what it actually costs to keep your standards high. It is basically a survival guide for burned-out, sidelined, or frustrated creatives who need to know that surviving the industry wilderness is entirely possible.

Not your usual book to get inspiration from

If you’re someone who has worked in the creative field for three decades, won more than 250 Cannes Lions, and led one of the biggest creative agencies to receive seven consecutive Creative Network of the Year titles, people would assume that if you write a book, it would be about leadership and giving inspiration. For Eugene Cheong, it’s the complete opposite.

Eugene’s new book, Cowards Don’t Go to Heaven: The Scribblings of a Lost Creative Soul Who Found Paradise, lays bare the harsh truths of the creative life. 

At its core, it explores eight essential creative habits: courage, idealism, curiosity, playfulness, free-spiritedness, intuition, authenticity, and persistence. 

Instead of framing these traits as simple, aspirational ideals, Eugene presents them as demanding daily choices that strip away the glamorous facade of creativity to unveil its raw, often ugly reality.

A love letter to his children and young creatives out there

While written primarily for his daughter, an up-and-coming tattoo artist; and his son, a filmmaker; the book is ultimately a love letter to young creatives who have been told that the industry is easy to navigate and constantly fun.

It is also tailored for creative directors, job seekers, and anyone trying to survive the daily grind of professional life.

Perfectly imperfect

In the age of generative AI, where visuals can be produced in a matter of seconds, Eugene chose a different path for this book by writing all 13,000 words entirely by hand. This raw process is fully visible on the pages, where crossed-out text and scribbles stand as a reminder that there was no delete key or CTRL + Z to undo his mistakes.

To complement this personal approach, he collaborated with Simon Spilsbury, who created 71 original illustrations to match the organic feel of his handwriting.

For anyone feeling lost in the corporate machine, this handmade manifesto proves that while the path of creative integrity is undeniably brutal, the paradise found at the end makes every single scratch, scribble, and scar completely worth the trouble.

The book will be launched at D&AD HQ in London on June 9, 2026, from 7 to 9 p.m.

About the author

Eugene Cheong is amongst a handful of creative pioneers who, in the late 1980s, set in motion what is known in the industry as the “Asian Creative Revolution,” which began in the iconic Ogilvy Singapore agency, before spreading north to Hong Kong, Thailand and India.

His 30-year career includes stints in Ogilvy Singapore, Ogilvy London, Batey Singapore, and, in 1995, Euro RSCG Singapore, where he was its rookie executive creative director.

Returning to Ogilvy in 1998, he was elected to the Ogilvy Worldwide Board and Worldwide Creative Council in 2009. In the same year, he was appointed chief creative officer of Ogilvy’s Asia Pacific network.

In 2013, he took on the additional responsibility of running the Singapore creative department, restoring the fractured agency to its award and new business-winning ways.

Under Eugene’s leadership, Ogilvy Asia Pacific was crowned Creative Network of the Year in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016 by Campaign Brief Asia. In 2018, Ogilvy Asia Pacific snagged the prestigious Cannes Lion Regional Network of the Year.

Eugene is recognized by the D&AD Copy Book as one of the world’s 50 best copywriters. In 2016, he was the most awarded creative at The One Show and in 2018, he was elected to the International Board of The One Club.

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