By Rob Heimann

D&AD: a brain dump from a work in progress.

From about week two it was a lot of, “YOU WILL BE BROKEN!”, “FEAR THE MADNESS”, “D&AD WILL TURN YOU INTO MEWLING WORMS BEGGING FOR AN END TO YOUR MISERABLE EXISTENCE!”. Okay, fine maybe I made up that last one up. Still though, there was distinct vibe of fear, followed by assurances that the faculty would mold us into golem like machines (are golems technically machines?) made to win pencils.

As time moved on we trained, honed and montaged into strategic, lateral thinking ad making super humans. We were nervous but knew we were capable.

We didn’t all agree with the means but we all understood them and respected the results.

So a weeks before the storm people were forming partnerships and I didn’t. Not gonna go into that now – point is I didn’t. And I did something that normally, I’m not brilliant at. I got on with it.

I started thinking about a brief and after two days of real hard cogitation and research, I spoke to mentors. It turned out without realising I had taken all the strategy masterclasses and internalised and learned. So much so I was given some of the most sincere and exciting encouragement I’ve had. And what’s more I’m not dying of stress and panic.

I’m not all the way there yet. I’ve still got plenty to do. But for now I’m happy and pleased with how the work is going. I’m not going to win a pencil and as much as I like the trophy the real reward right now; is how good I’m feeling about the work I’m doing. I’m having fun. Maybe I’d be considered for a pencil if this were a strategy brief, but hey!

I’m genuinely considering the future as a single and that’s crazy. It’s exciting too.

Check in on me in week. I may have changed my mind.

The copy scores 80 in the Flesch Reading Ease test