SCABs

To Every Version of You Welcome. – By @MunrajSC

Oliver SCAB logo

By Munraj Chawla

 

To Every Version of You: Welcome. 

 

Above the doors of the entrance to the School of Communication Arts 2.0 reads: 

“There are 10,000 versions of you, which one will you bring today?” 

I started writing this SCAB with a very cynical thought process. I understood the meaning of the inscription, that there are countless parts of you that add up to you being the individual that you are… But whenever I read it, I questioned why anyone would only show one or a handful of those versions to everyone else? To me, I guess the inscription should read: “There are 10,000 versions of you, bring them all today,” because each of those versions of you could spark a discussion or thought that could potentially lead to a brilliant idea. 

Recently, I’ve been reflecting on the kind of place SCA is and on the brilliant people inside this repurposed church. You’re given a place here because of who you are, how you think and what your story is. Within 4 weeks you quickly learn that every student, all the mentors and the amazing faculty of SCA are so different and that you can learn so much from each of their (our*) stories. 

And it can be daunting. 

I’m introduced to so much every day, most of which I have never been exposed to, that in some conversations I can feel as if I’m playing ‘catch up,’ as if I’m the only one not getting the references being made. In my short time here I’ve been introduced to countless new genres of music, authors, artists, musicians, movies, places to eat, even photographers (of which I am an avid fan, feel free to message me with anything photography related). 

But actually it’s exciting to be around such a wealth of knowledge previously unknown to me; I’m often inspired and spend hours down a rabbit hole finding out about all the new people and places referenced to me. That’s an experience born out of the environment that SCA creates. It all means something here. One of the first lessons we learn is to “collect dots” – to absorb so much information from so many different places that you become as rounded of an individual as possible, so that the work you make can be influenced authentically from the source and provide you with endless perspectives and points of inspiration. Of course going out into the world is important, but what I’ve been appreciating recently is that the other people here at SCA are ‘dots’ themselves and offer me so many new opportunities to expand my horizons. Days here consist of flitting between conversations about modern American history to issues around mental health to hearing obscure football references. No day and no conversation with even the same person at SCA is the same. 

The point I’m making is that, yes, there may be 10,000 versions of you but it would be impossible and uninspiring to only bring one of them a day. The School of Communication Arts 2.0 is a place where you can not only be yourself, but should be as many versions of you as possible.

 

The Song of the SCAB this time is actually an album: 

Dermot Kennedy – Without Fear

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDidaSiom1k07pkqrGdIgzLsliIY6P8II

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