“Can you use Adobe?… Yes”

“Ah, yeah. I’m not too proficient at Adobe either!” NEVER believe these words if they come from an SCA attendee. A rollercoaster first week at SCA is now finished, encapsulating a tidal wave of emotions that will no doubt rear their heads many, many times over the forthcoming year. The clear, undisputed emotion being FEAR. Fear at the casual photoshop brilliance nonchalantly rolled out by my fellow SCA students. Fear at the realisation that this process will require a rather lot more than ‘knowing your way around Illustrator”. Fear at the awareness of how much juggling this course will require alongside a full time job. 

Old Mr Fear is given a bad rap too much of the time, though. It can, in small doses gulped down quickly like a tequila shot at Freshers week, be just what the Doctor ordered. Fear informs, it sharpens, it quickens. It gets the juices flowing and informs your next steps. Fear is what I’ve signed up for. 

The realisation that sleeves must be rolled and my entry level Adobe ability must be hastily improved on was bracing, but exhilarating. They say you are the sum of the company you keep, and if that’s the case then I’ll be an all singing all dancing GIF megalord in no time. I’ll be able to summon a fleet of pixies wearing customised Air Max trainers at the sweep of a hand, whilst knocking out a silent film based loosely on the concept of Norway. In all seriousness, the 2020 SCA class feels like an inspiring bunch, and as one of the more, ahem, mature members of the group I feel even more inspired by this youthful energy and optimism. I’m realising I need to up my design game ASAP – that I can’t rely on my copy and that this course is very much two halves of a whole (though never designed in such a tediously predictable way as two halves, duh). I’m out of my comfort zone big time, and that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day. You can’t get a job from endlessly watching Premier League Years. Believe me, I’ve tried. 

At the risk of dinging the cliche bell one more time (I may go for the record in one of these SCABS), I am very much at a crossroads in my life. After a decade at the coalface of creating, running and marketing music festivals, I’ve been desperate for a new pathway for some time. Also there is a slight issue with large scale public events at the moment – not sure if you’d heard? Even before the one long doomsday that is 2020 came into vision however, I was keen for a change, and SCA feels like the right bridge to get me there. I believe I’m pointing in the right direction for the first time in a while. 

You know how that old saying goes (THE CLICHE BELL HAS BROKEN THROUGH OVERUSE). “The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. Here’s to the next 999.5 miles together.