The halfway point advice 

1. Don’t worry about being annoying. Leading up to this point I was really worried about being annoying to the mentors if I asked them questions outside of our 1:1 session. Then one day I realised it really doesn’t matter. If a mentor, or anyone actually, doesn’t have time or doesn’t want to respond to you then they won’t. It is well known if you don’t ask, you don’t get and I think it’s true. 
2. As an extension to point 1, reach out to people outside of SCA. I am still working on this part myself but so far there has really only been a couple of times people haven’t responded to me. The people that I have spoken to outside of SCA so far have been super helpful and really interested in what I am doing so it has been amazing to extend the network.
3. You will get knocked down and you need to get back up again. This one is hard. I have been knocked down a few times now and sometimes it’s pretty easy to bounce back and sometimes I’ve fallen onto concrete and it’s taken a while to heal. Even with the most painful feedback though, it’s important to screw your head back on and look at the bigger picture.
4. Following on from point 3, it’s ok to throw your toys out the pram sometimes. This course is hard and it’s emotional and you get pushed to feelings you might not have felt before so sometimes you might need to let it all out. It’s ok to go to have a shower cry, or a sulk in bed or an hour power cry as long as that’s where it ends. 
5. Seek help. If you are struggling, speak to someone. Anyone.
6. Use the mentors. At the beginning I felt I always had to have pretty clear ideas when I went to see them. Over time I am realising it can be good to go with just a seed and see if it’s worth growing or they might even be able to help grow it with you. 
7. Crack on. Procrastination is a killer and it’s probably better to step away completely with a walk or chat with someone for a short time than trying to push through a bad procrastination time. 
8. Get some blue light protection glasses. I suffered some pretty bad migraines these last few weeks with my screen time being really high. I don’t wear glasses and my eyesight is fine but I got some non prescription blue light blocking glasses and (touch wood) I haven’t had a migraine since.
9. Record stuff. If you go for a 1:1 and you feel like it’s hard to write down all the notes, make a voice memo to check back on. 
10. Morning walk. This has become a ritual and it stops the morning stress of waking up 5 minutes before class. I have been walking in the morning for 3 months now and it has been the best way to wake up and be ready for the day.
11. Admit when you’re wrong. This industry and course relies heavily on good partnerships. This means admitting when you are wrong and not being stubborn will be the best way to produce good work.
12. You don’t always have to agree. You don’t always have to say yes to things if you think they are wrong and this industry is about opinions.
    It can sometimes feel like you always have to agree but it’s good to remind yourself that this industry is mostly subjective.

This advice is just as much to anyone else as it is a reminder to myself of what to do if I’m having a rough time.