There was a time when Edward Suhadi thought success meant the view from the top: luxury weddings in Europe, clients who demanded perfection, a calendar filled with achievement. But a trip to Halmahera in 2012, meeting children who had so little, yet lived so fully, shifted everything. “It made me see that life works both ways,” he recalls. “It’s not only the champagne glasses but also the small boats on a wooden pier.”
Today, as Creative Director at Ceritera Storytelling Agency, Edward is driven by that duality. His work, whether in photography, branding, or film, carries an honesty that mirrors how he lives. He begins each morning before dawn, when Jakarta is still and the city has not yet asked anything of him. “That’s my sacred hour,” he says. “With a book, coffee, and my dog, Leica, by my side.”
For Edward, creativity is inseparable from character. He believes you cannot create meaningful work without embodying it in your life. “Who you are at work and who you are at home must be one person,” he says. His measure of success has changed, too. It’s no longer defined by fame or accolades, but by respect from those closest to him. He speaks about his wife, not just as a partner, but as an anchor. “She reminds me that love isn’t about excitement, it’s about steadiness,” he reflects.
At 46, he speaks with clarity earned through both triumph and humility. What endures is his belief in authenticity, in following instinct, and in living truthfully enough that the story you tell is simply the one you live. Edward wears the Zenith Pilot Big Date Flyback 150th Anniversary Edition.
