My last official SCAB. The reflection to end all official reflections. One huge mirror towering over the past year of my life. No pressure.

Reflections are an important part of this course. In order to reflect, you have to observe. In order to observe, you have to understand. In order to understand, you have to be Nicolas Cage.

Over his long and illustrious career he’s made many astute observations. Many of them provide great learnings for us to understand our journey here, and how far we’ve come. This list comprises a small amount of advice for any prospective students. The Great Cage would be a magnificent mentor here at SCA.

“I never disrobe before gunplay.” — Drive Angry. The foundation of our learning here is about trusting the system. To develop your creative mind properly takes time. You need to adjust to the learning curve so you can adapt to the environment. Be patient and be stupid.

“Release the baby!” — The Croods. Following on from be stupid; be baby. ‘Release the inner child’ is a mantra we meditate to. Big babies make for big ideas.

“That’s funny, my name’s Roger. Two Rogers don’t make a right!” — Gone in Sixty Seconds.  Partnerships are an important part of this course. This probably causes people the most anxiety. You flippantly chop and change between people whilst being evaluated as a potential idea mate. People are insecure. Your partner could come in all different shapes and sizes. Chill and let the process unfold.

“I mean it, honey, the world is being Fed-exed to hell in a hand cart.” — The Rock. Don’t make bland stuff. Consumerism casts a big brown cloud over our whole world now. Don’t add to the shit smell. Make work that makes people think.

“Sorry boss, but there’s only two men I trust. One of them’s me. The other’s not you.” — Con Air. We’re torn between mentors from day one. They all have opinions. They’re all awesome. They all send your head spinning. Learn how to process feedback and dissonance.

Only if it’s a noun, and the words have equal weight. Like, Homeland Security. If it’s a participle modifying the first word, then… you better keep it lower case.” — Seeking Justice. Craft is an important part of the learning curve. Use mentors. ‘God is in the detail’. Look at everything through a magnifying glass.

“I saw you and you saw me, don’t pretend like you don’t know who I am girly man” — Snake Eyes. Being unafraid to sell yourself is key to success here. There is no point in being timid. Confidence doesn’t mean arrogance, but you need some to get your stuff out there.

“I love pressure. I eat it for breakfast.” — The Rock. There are many difficult periods over the course of the year. At times it’s very easy to lose perspective. Work hard but smart. Eat a good breakfast.

“Well, I’m one of those fortunate people who like my job, sir.” — The Rock. This is one of the easiest things to lose perspective on. It’s meant to be fun. You chose to do a course like this so you didn’t have to look at another fucking spreadsheet. It’s meant to be fun.

“Tool up, honey bunny. It’s time to get bad guys.” — Kick-Ass. This is Marc’s current philosophy. Equip yourself to disrupt the industry. Usurp the stale industry. Create madness. This is where we’re at now. Lots of work to be done.