Time for a change in your regular, scheduled, programming.

Looking back on the last few SCABs they’ve all been interesting

Funny and light-hearted. All really well written, giving you an insight into our weird, batshit minds. 

They’re all great right? 

Have you been enjoying them?

Good, because I’m going to put a stop to all of that.

I would like to talk about something different.

A popular SCA phrase. Marc said it in September and it’s a good metaphor.  It’s striking because of what it means. Because of how it sounds. You recoil at the thought. Fellow class members and respected alumni know what I’m talking about. Those three words.

Kill. Your. Babies. 

When you first hear it. Bloody hell. It sounds horrible. Why would I want to do that?! I wouldn’t. Never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever would i do it.

But it got me thinking about the meaning behind it. 

Have you ever watched Joe Rogan’s first ever podcast?

It’s hilarious.

Way back in 2010 he got together with his friend and filmed it on a webcam in his room. There’s no structure, no organisation. They’re just two blokes messing around, hanging out. Not thinking about an audience. Learning as they go.

In 2020, Joe Rogan sold the rights to his podcast to Spotify for a bucketload.

Watch any youtuber’s first video and you’ll laugh.

Same with a companies’ first website or a singer’s first song. 

They’re all roughly the same. Shit.

All choppy and incoherent with no indication of future success. And this is the part where we come back to that phrase. You see, dear reader, ideas are built on stumbling blocks. 

There is no such thing as a wrong first move. The only requirement is movement. Movement creates answers. So long as it’s forward. So long as you’re moving into the unknown. So long as you’re putting something out into the world. 

All first moves come with a cocktail of fear and excitement.

They’re never good.

We live in a culture of final results. Of only seeing the perfect 20th take. A culture where the slightest slip up can get you cancelled. Of course we’re afraid. Of course we’re paralyzed by fear. If our decisions are based on likes, why would we risk trying anything new? 

There will be something wrong with whatever you decide to do or whoever you decide to be. There will be people who don’t approve. People who judge and condemn you.

So creative person reading this Scab. This is my message to you. Don’t fall in love with your ideas. Your ideas are birthed by you, but they are not you. That distinction is essential. Your ideas will get bashed so if you think they define you, you won’t be able to handle it.

Let me just repeat that. Your ideas are not you. 

One more time. But in bold and with a line break and full stop this time, so you really get the message:

Your. Ideas. Are. Not. You.

Think of yourself as the excavator, not the mud or gold that you excavate. So I guess this Scab is a reminder not to obsess over a first draft. But to fall in love with the process instead. 

To fall in love with wrong turns.

To fall in love with movement.

@nabeel13arif