By Marley Muirhead

You say jump, I say okay I’ll fly

Things are getting tougher now at school and I believe this is the attitude I need to have. Asking how high you’re meant to jump isn’t enough.  You’ve gotta one-up everyone’s expectations. Despite this sentiment, I don’t feel like I’m doing great at making this happen. Lately it feels there’s a waterfall of sand that I’m trying to grab handfuls of. Like frantically trying to grab and the tighter I grab the more it just falls out of my fingers. But you know what, let me highlight some positives because that’s important. I am getting a lot handier at Photoshop and Illustrator (for all of you future SCA-ers I highly recommend learning that before you start, you’ll save yourself a lot of pain). I actually managed to design an entire flyer in the shape of a bunch of grapes that we didn’t even up using but I was proper chuffed with myself. Might just become a graphic designer if this all falls apart. I am also getting better at writing case study scripts. Last term I felt like I wasn’t doing well enough at developing a story in them and really selling my idea. Felt a bit fraudulent going ’round telling people I love to write fiction and yet I struggle to tell a bloomin’ story. Honestly, I think there was a point last week where I was getting angry at myself for not taking that script-writing class four years ago at university. But I do think I’m starting to get the hang of it.

Another positive huge positive for me is that I’m getting better at scamping. That might just be the biggest change I’ve gone through from last year to this year in terms of the creative process. I do fancy myself to be mainly a copywriter, so I suppose I found it difficult to brainstorm using visuals. I think it’s important to overcome the whole “I-can’t-draw” narrative it’s easy to weave for yourself. But it’s safe to say that on a weekly basis at least four trees are sacrificed for my creative development. Doing Mother Nature proud with that one. I also think I’m coping better at working under pressure. Me three months ago I’d be in a fit of panic with the workload I have now. Now, although I’m a natural worrier, I don’t panic quite as much as I used to.

Looking forward, I want to fly. I really bloody want to fly. I do feel that I’m battling with myself with that one. I know I can be doing more, but to be honest not the issue. What’s difficult is knowing you can do more while simultaneously feeling like you’re giving it your all already. I gotta give it something I’m still discovering I have in me. I hope that makes sense. But I’m telling myself and telling you, I’m going to be bad-ass copywriter. I’m going to fly. It’s going to happen. I’m going to work that into existence.