By Sophie Edwards

It’s common to want to keep your cards close to your chest.

Honestly.

I struggle to open up.  And I’ve noticed the majority of British SCAers do the same. Yet the Danish seem to be so open it’s scary.

By being stuck with a Dane for a few months I’ve learnt a valuable lesson.

Honesty. Honestly.

When you are truly honest there are no surprises. Zero. Zip. Nil.

This may kill a game. But it births a healthy working relationship.

Working with one other person is tricky. Of course there are going to be things you hate and things you love.

But by being honest, I think, you can work with anyone.

Genuinely. Give it a shot:

Tell them how you’re feeling.

Get to know what’s on their mind.

Ask what’s working and what’s not.

If you’re too scared to say it’s coming from you, blame your gut (it’s easier that way, no one judges your gut). Gut? Yes. You read correctly. I don’t mean your stomach.  Instead I mean that deep feeling you have. You know the one that tells you if something is wrong?

Honesty works outside partnerships. It can bleed through aspects of your work. Making it better.

Ask someone why they don’t like your campaign. Explain what you were trying to do. Often, when you’re still learning, you’ll find you’re trying to say one thing, but your campaign is saying another. Chat it out. Explain what you were trying to do. You’ll get to somewhere better just by talking.

So we’ve covered people and work. Now let’s tackle hardest thing to be honest about. Yourself. (Sounds pretty deep, doesn’t it?)

I’m terrible at putting myself first. But you must be honest. Remind yourself why you came on this course. What is it you wanted from it? Always dreamed of doing copy but now you’re somehow doing art? Wanted to start your own business rather than do ads? Leave the UK and travel the world? Do what feels honest and true to you, because only then will it all click. Partnership. Ideas. ‘Inner peace’.

Newbies, I’m speaking to you now. Be honest with Marc about why you want to come to SCA. Admit if you mucked something up. Humans are very good at forgiving.

Fat Penguins, at the moment the studio is like extreme speed dating. Start being honest. If it’s not working, tell your partner why. Better now than when the stress ramps up and you find yourself suddenly alone portfolio day, crying because Jimmy has finally admitted he doesn’t want to work with you.

Don’t be like Jimmy.

Honestly.