SCABs

Good Luck Kids – By @now_pictured

Good Luck Kids

Our year is over and when people say a year at SCA flies by, they aren’t lying. Especially when your year is interrupted by a global pandemic. We’ve gone through so many ups and downs and with some hindsight, I want to share some advice with the new intake coming in two months’ time.

  • HAVE FUN

This is something we often forget. SCA is this scary hard school and you need to kill yourself to make it. At least this is what Marc will have you believe. But let’s be honest, the only way you can do good work is to do it at your own pace. You can’t force being in a playful child mode. 

  • TERM 1 DOESN’T MATTER

When you come into SCA you take it super seriously and start dedicating all your waking hours to it. But trust me, term 1 doesn’t matter, so really take it easy. Enjoy painting mugs and shirts and don’t get too stressed about those first briefs because come January you will forget all about them. 

  • THERE IS NO PERFECT PARTNER

When looking for a partner I’d say you need to have similar goals in your career, a similar work ethic, and a similar sense of humor. But most of all you need to respect each other. I think everything else can be overcome. And if it’s just you as a single, more power to you! Like I said in my reflections one time: You are the only person that likes all of the things you like. 

  • LISTEN TO MARC

While I may disagree with many things Marc does and says now and then he has good points and he’s good at putting a fire up your ass when you need to be motivated.

  • DON’T LISTEN TO MARC

At the end of the day, Marc is just one person at this school and we can often forget this. Just because Marc doesn’t like something it’s not the be-all-end-all. Choose mentors that are on the same wavelength as you and let them guide you! 

  • GET USED TO CONTRADICTIONS

One of the hardest things for me was getting used to all the contradictions coming from the school and Marc. Get used to simultaneously being utter shit and one of the best creatives ever. Get ready for your book score being 90% but also being so shit that you should throw your portfolio out and start from the beginning. Get used to being one of the best cohorts but also one of the worst. At the end of the day, these are different ways of manipulating you and the sooner you’re aware of this the less likely it is for you to be under the influence of it. With that said though, sometimes you need to succumb to it in order to grow and improve as a person and a creative (I WARNED YOU ABOUT CONTRADICTIONS!!!). 

  • BOOK SCORES DON’T MATTER

As soon as book scores are introduced they seem like the most important thing ever. Of course, you want to be the best and top the list. But if I learned something from being in a fluctuating top 5 of books the whole year, it really doesn’t matter. Different mentors with different tastes look at the books with different expectations, so there is no real consistent bar as to how your work is graded week-to-week. So they’re guiding points that keep you motivated, but don’t stress about them. 

  • DON’T USE STRAIGHT QUOTES!!!

If you learn this early on Ian (the art direction mentor) will love you! There is a difference between ‘ and ’. The straight quote is only used for inches, while the »curly« apostrophe is what you use for possession etc. But even the best can fall as a straight quote found it’s way into my book for the first time in the very final book inspection. 

I’ve already overstayed my welcome buuuut before coming to SCA I would advise you to have as much fun as you can! Do everything and see all your friends. Also familiarize yourself with the likes of Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro. You’re in for a bumpy ride but if you remain confident in yourself throughout the year and just stay true to yourself, you’ll be fine! Also, don’t take stuff too seriously and have fun. <3 

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