SCABs

Ego, not a dick – By @GaryGaro1

By Gary Gerardy

 

Ego, not a dick.

 


SCA is definitely not a casual school. Not a conventional too. You have no exams, no tests or sort of silliness. But you have masterclasses. Masterclasses given by professionals coming from very various backgrounds. They are all interesting of course. Most of them are even great. And a few of them are what we call legends. When I say legend I mean people like Tony Brignull, Rory Sutherland, Sir John Hegarty, Graham Fink, Jonathan Macdonald, Drayton Bird, … Those kind of people. The ones who aren’t leaving anyone indifferent and that one day being compared to would be a dream.

 

The last legend we received at SCA was certainly one of the most craziest one we received in house but also one of the most inspirational. His name; Mark Denton. Director and owner of COY! Communications. Known as an unstoppable creative force with a quirky personal branding he has spent almost 40 years in the advertising industry but believe me he is definitely still as nut and vibrant as if not more than a fresh young pair of creatives at the start of their career. His secret ? Passion, sure. But also this obsession of always trying to give not only legs but also wings to his work and make it live beyond formats. Not to lie under the advertising scope but being able to stand by itself. For this, great work is obviously the first condition but then you need to push if further and sell it on its own. Of course you need to believe in what you’re doing if you want to make others believe in it. Which means that firstly you need to have faith in yourself and love yourself somehow. I guess that’s what we call an ego.

 

Well I always grew up with the idea that ego was bad or a least not a quality. And I always hated boasters and big mouths. People who need to put their dick on the table to get some reconnaissance and attention. Sad people. Well I learned this year that there is a difference between « ego » and « me, myself, and I ». Mark Denton is not the first one to say it. John Hegarty did also mentioned that ego is more than important in a creative career. It gives strength to be more confident in what you are selling but also protection against negative vibes and flops. Not hard to believe when you know that Mark Denton spent the first five years of his career too afraid to speak. Now he is one the most outstanding creative the industry still has. And is definitely more than a star when it comes to sell himself.

 

An artist on the edge to get inspired by ? More than ever.

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