By Alex Øverland

 

First Impressions

 

So many thoughts and impressions to get out of my head! Here are some of them.

 

Today, the first day at SCA, was crazy.

 

I never knew that sitting still and taking in information could fry my brain like that – it was exhausting.

But even so, I never once felt like being anywhere else, simply because everything Marc, the tutors and

the mentors said was clearly intended to improve my chances of getting the job I want at the end of all

this.

 

To use a tech-related simile, there doesn’t appear to be any ‘bloatware’ like I’ve found in education I’ve

previously been subject to. Of course, the learning goes off on tangents, like the improv comedy we’ll be

doing Wednesday, but it all works toward the single goal of shaping us into great advertising creatives.

I’ve got no expectation that this year will be any easier simply because everything we do has a

worthwhile purpose, but I hope I hope remembering that purpose will get me through the tough parts

(I’m already dreading the breakdown we were all promised) and out the other side, stronger and more

prepared to take on Ad Land.

 

Speaking of, I can’t wait to visit the agencies! We were told to make sure to ask powerful questions, so

“What is the best piece of advice you’ve received?” is definitely getting used. Also, I might ask whoever

we meet what their favorite ad ever is (and why) – hopefully I’ll learn about some cool stuff to check out

later on.

 

I have to confess that in the survey we were sent, that asked how much of our heart and soul we were

ready to put into the year, I didn’t put ten. I interpreted the question as “how much effort will you put

into the year”, and with that in mind, I’m not sure what I am or am not capable of. Hopefully, by the end

of the year I’ll say “Yep, that’s pretty much all I’ve got!” and at that point be confident in my ability to

create great ideas, so that in the event that we get another survey, I can honestly say I gave it

everything. I’ve got a feeling that there’ll never be a better opportunity to see how much stress I expose

my mind to, and find out what bizarre and memorable (useful) stuff it can come up with. I just hope it’ll

be enough. A quote comes to mind, that I think is relevant: “Honestly, you just take a deep breath and

say ‘Fuck it’.” Some sound advice from Johnny Knoxville.

 

In an effort to tack another 100 words onto this SCAB, I read Daniella’s Zoo SCAB; she made the point

that “You are not above fucking up.” That seems like a good way to tie off a post about first impressions

and my expectations for what is to come: I hope, that by the end of the year, I’ll have a huge bunch of

fails, blunders, mistakes and screw-ups to learn from, that have resulted in some great ideas, and the

skills needed to keep creating great ideas.