I USED TO COUNTDOWN TO THE WEEKEND

By Alexandra Sims

 
At every stage in SCA you’ll be told that term 3 is the toughest, maybe from past alumni, you read it in a SCAB, or hear it from Marc in town hall at any opportunity in the first two terms to make you realise how easy the current workload is and light a fire up your arse. Well, we’ve finally found our way over to that dark place we were warned about and now we can see that the scary details have been exaggerated. Like any tale, it has been altered as it was handed down to us and all the tears and terror are actually back somewhere we came through in term 2. The endpoint isn’t quite familiar but it’s not alien territory, though I may be oblivious (everyone has their own SCA experience), I don’t think a single one of us wants to run back from here to the days of ice breaking and mug painting.

I used to countdown to the weekend but now they’re coming round too fast. Time doesn’t drag here, even if you spend 8.30am to 7.30pm in the studio. So I say this to anyone looking to be in our place, with the least sarcastic intent I’ve said anything, ENJOY.

‘We can’t make more time but time will stretch to accommodate.’ This came from a talk about how to take control of your free time and I think it’s pretty apt for now. Partnerships are being cemented over by business cards and websites which are no longer extras but requirements. We cross our fingers that we’re in our final teams because 10 weeks for a new book doesn’t seem like much time when it’s not the only thing we’re working on. We don’t believe it but there’s more than enough time to do it all if we treat it right and it doesn’t have to be full of stress, it can be fun. Playtime isn’t over, if anything it’s starting. We were reminded this morning by another of Marc’s tricks that when we have a goal that really matters to us we can turn things around because nothing motivates us more than the tangible, the opportunity to have our work to become an actual thing.

 
Any symptoms of stress on our bodies are in fact energising us to meet the challenge of getting placements in great agencies, the adrenaline is spurring us. Term 3 isn’t scary, term 3 is exciting. At least that’s what we tell ourselves when things are going well, ish. There are no sure things here.