Dear Mentors and Faculty – One Last SCAB pt. 2

My last SCAB was a 4AM stream of consciousness ‘goodbye’ to every student finishing SCA this year and, given that I just closed that document and opened up this one, I can safely say that the staff of SCA are going to receive the same awkwardly written compliments. Let’s do this…

Adah: Coming through at the end of the year when we needed you and sacrificing your time and mental energy for us was so appreciated. Thank you for your support and showing me that the legacy I want to build is even bigger than I imagined. 

Alan: From talking photography and life lessons over a beer in Market House to a random comment that sparks a whole executional route, your feedback was invaluable this year.

Caroline: Even as an Art Director, you still taught me so much about the simplicity of an idea. I will always value the fact that you made yourself available over email, Slack etc so often and gave such detailed feedback.

Chris: Cracking lines with you when I was working by myself for a while was the proudest the Copywriter part of me has ever felt. Every topical I made when you were in the room mentoring that day became miles better than anything I could have done on my own. 

Dave Dye: The magic of the legend that is Dave Dye became apparent to me when you talked me through your process in creating work for the pitch for Love Honey. You made it look easy, sure, but the thing that struck me the most was how much fun you were having even after all these years (and the fact that I still remember the idea means it was amazing too!)

Deanna: Man. I could write a whole SCAB on the growth I experienced this year because of you. From our first meeting, to the random talks on the various sofas of SCA, to your unwavering support throughout the weight of this past year, I appreciated every second of your valuable time spent on me. Your words, both spoken with volume as poetry and gently while sitting across from me left me in awe and thankful that there are people like you who are willing to help out people like me. 

Dusty: The way you give feedback is exactly what every student at SCA needs. At least, it was exactly what I needed. The energy you give made me feel relaxed and reminded me not to take things so seriously and have fun with it. The effort you put in to find work and examples to inspire me when I was still not getting it was more helpful than you know.

Ian: Sitting with me for hours at a time, your incredible attention to detail and your ability to come up with what is just the perfect idea to explore has made me a better Art Director. It’s no surprise why you are, I think, the hardest mentor to book time with. There isn’t a student at SCA who you haven’t helped to grow (even if they might not realise it and still hear your voice screaming “straight quotes” in their nightmares.

Justin: It’s quite weird to get to know someone as a mentor purely over a webcam, but somehow we managed to get on really well despite that. Your numerous suggestions were always the catalyst for me spending hours at my desk, just playing around with designs. But on top of that, it’s been a pleasure getting to know you as a person. I may have given up on the yoga in the last few weeks but I promise I’ll be right back at it after Wednesday. Ok maybe after Friday. Or whenever my post-Portfolio Day hangover stops. 

Mike: As a mentor, I appreciate your ability to see an ember of a good idea and then help to turn it into a great one. But on top of that, I was blessed to meet you during Brixton Finishing School and was taken aback by how supportive you are. The fact that’s just who you are is incredible. 

Pete: You were right, during D&AD I wanted to yell at you. But you pushed me beyond the point I thought I was capable of and I appreciated every second of it. Perhaps more importantly, thank you also for helping me grow Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally and Spiritually/Socially. I am forever grateful for that opportunity. 

Richard: When Rachael and I saw you for the first time, we had no idea what to expect. After what seemed like an eternity of just constant and consistent amazing feedback, I left our call knowing that you had helped to improve my book ten-fold.

Rob Mac: I hope by now you already know that I think you’re an incredible mentor. I would eagerly write down every reference you made in both masterclasses and conversation. Honestly, it was just wonderful to have gotten to chat to you about your life. I actually noticed one day that I laughed more with you than with any other mentor. One of the bravest things you can do is stand up in front of a room and ask people what they see. I’m glad I got to know the person behind all of those preconceptions.

Uri: It may be in alphabetical order but I have also saved the best mentor for last. There wasn’t a single moment that I didn’t enjoy talking to you. As a strategy mentor, hearing you break down and rebuild our ideas was incredible. And as a person… We’ve met a lot of people from the industry who are performative when it comes to pushing the boundaries of the industry. Your “wokeness” and authenticity is ingrained in you. I could never thank you enough for your support, for speaking up when you didn’t have to and for never compromising. You always leave me feeling inspired.

Faculty

Amy: There’s not a doubt in my mind that we will stay friends after this year comes to an end (I mean, if you want to…) I’m grateful that you put up with all of my shit and answered the stupidest questions someone can ask sometimes, both SCA-related and personal. I hope you know I have your back in any situation. I look forward to you rejecting my hug once we’re all allowed to hug again.

Marcia: Literally every time we talked, mostly while drinking at Market House, I would make two mental notes: The first was “Damn, Marcia is so cool.” The second was to make more of an effort to talk to you. My biggest regret of the year is not being able to chat to you more often. I guess it’s never too late and at least in this SCAB I can tell you that I do think you’re super cool and that I appreciate everything you did this past year.  

Max: I have never been more terrified than when, in Marc’s virtual office, you asked me where I’ve been. Talk about my feelings? Now? With no time to prepare?! But upon reflection, I understood it was exactly what I needed. And that’s been the case with your support all year. You’ve helped me exactly how I needed to be helped. Thank you for not giving up on me. Please know that I do know that I could always come to you with anything. 

Marc: You might notice that unlike the students and the mentors, the faculty aren’t in alphabetical order. I figured it would be rather poetic to end where it all started. This past year we’ve had some crazy ups and downs. It was tough at times; even when I didn’t want to hear it, you told me exactly what I needed to hear. I went from idolising you (rip my Daddy issues) to respecting you to hating you to… I’m not really sure how I feel right now. I find it impossible to hold a grudge so I definitely don’t feel any negative feelings towards you. I will say this, it’s undoubtable that you are a massive (if not the most massive) reason for my personal growth in the past 11 months. 

I hope that I’ve had even a fraction of that effect on you.

…

It’s been a pleasure, SCA.

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Song of the SCAB: Galantis – Gold Dust https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t10s26GsWvY