By Becky Brice

Before & After Deadline Day

During D&AD Panic stations. Nothing’s done. Nothing’s ready. Nothing’s getting anywhere. I can’t force ideas. I’m unable to think laterally.I’m wasting time. I’m wasting energy. The temptation to give up is unreal and increasing day on day. My belief that I’ll get there and that it’ll come to me is waning.Shall I give up for the day or keep going in the hope that something will appear. A miracle just as I need it.The headphones are back on, in an effort to keep me focused. I’m a magpie. I get distracted by any slight movement, every shiny object in the corner of my eye...A couple of mentors have voiced the opinion that putting on headphones shuts you out from the world, but for me it simply gives me a break. I’ll come back in after I get something done, feeling satisfied that I’m clear in what I’m doing. It separates ‘work time’, and ‘la de da time’, when I can let my mind wander. And right now, I need focus, so with all respect, I’m going against the no headphones rule.After D&ADI seem to suffer from rose tinted glasses syndrome. I look back to D&AD with such fondness, until I read the above. This was a scab I started during a brief wobble about 2 weeks into a project. I seemingly became so panic stricken that I didn’t finish it, instead getting on with work, a good decision I feel.The ability to reflect is drummed into us hard at this school, so you’d think reflecting on what I’d learnt over the past 4 weeks working on D&AD would be simple. You think wrong. But in the true nature of scabs, I will do something because I know it’ll help me, not because I find it easy.What went well?

• Contrary to the above I didn’t give up when all was going wrong.
• I had good partners. Both of them kept positive when I was feeling less so.
• I learnt something new. I’d never done rotoscoping before, so if all else fails I got a new skill.
• I had fun. I put this down to my partners. They were great. Playful child all the way.What could have gone better?

• I wasted time at the beginning because I was greedy and wanted to do too many briefs. Istarted on 3, which was inevitably too much and ended up dropping one. The time spent on itfeels like such a waste now.
• We didn’t leave enough time for craft. (I know shock horror.) Marc and co told us repeatedlyto leave enough time to craft, but it seems everything else takes just that little longer than expected, seeping into craft time. It’s also difficult when you don’t think you have an idea yet to leap into craft.All in all not too shabby.