SCABs

Not finding a partner in this year’s cohort. – By @G_Medford

Not finding a partner in this year’s cohort.

I have just come to terms with the fact that I will not find a partner at SCA this year and that is fine because I honestly don’t think I have much in common with most of the cohort.

Let’s be real, I started life in the Midlands, came to West London and grew up on drum n bass, grime, graffiti, pirate radio sessions, free parties and illegal street racing on a Sunday. Ordinary life for me is far removed from most people on the course but these things make me ideal for advertising. No one cares about kombucha or how fucking ethical your coffee beans really are. There are more of us common folk in the world, desperate to consume to fill that void in our lives, and we definitely don’t want to be constantly reminded that we are stupid for notwanting to be super ethical about our purchasing.

A big part of my life is consumed by music. Growing up there was always reggae being played in my house or my aunty and uncle around at ours with the latest jungle / drum n bass. From an early age, music has been vital to everything I do creatively, which I took a step further when I moved out at the age of 18 and started DJing and producing dubstep. From Birmingham to London, through dubstep, techno and drum n bass, I have made countless friend within the music industry, playing on pirate radio, small clubs and even a couple festivals, and although I may not play radio anymore, my access to unreleased music is unparalleled.

Now music is cool, but not my main passion, and as I get older it has become more of something I love to do on the side. Instead, I find the other passion of my younger years coming to the fore, my affection for visual art and design. I found freedom as a teenager doing graffiti, going out under the cover of darkness to paint the roofs of warehouses, train lines and derelict building. Giving the world the chance to see the lettering and characters that I had been sketching during the day on the back of my math and English books in school, was the perfect introduction to graphic design and although my attempt at studying this at university didn’t quite go as planned, I was still inspired to turn my art into trainers and streetwear with the two companies I started.

I learnt a lot failing to start a business twice, namely that starting your own company with limited financial freedom, is no easy feat and that much of the process is just curveballs you couldn’t possibly have planned for. I also learnt a lot about myself through those experiences. For one, I’m not afraid to try anything new and even now I try to throw myself new challenges headfirst, because nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Being a little older than my peers may have made partnering up a bit harder, and I understand why, but I think they have missed a brilliant opportunity to gain some great insight into things they might not experience themselves in life. Until next time @G_Medford.

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