About me.
Hi! I’m Gabe. I graduated Leeds College of Art this year where I studied creative advertising. I’m looking for a job/internship within the industry the moment. I wasn’t ever someone that would get the most out of school as primarily I think in images, because of this LCA is where I flourished. During my time at LCA I was lucky enough to have the chance to visit agencies all over the world. Ranging from New York, Amsterdam and Hong Kong, Agencies like Droga 5, Wieden and Kennedy, Oglivy HK and Achtung. Each time visiting an agency really solidified to me how much I’d like to work in the creative side of advertising. During my time at LCA I came to realise that I draw the most inspiration for my work from social interaction, and thus can’t think of a better place to work than somewhere where I am surrounded by creatives. Its an environment that suits the way my brain works and nurtures creativity. I’m someone that definitely works best when part of a team. I love being able to bounce ideas off similar minded people, I’m a strong believer that the best work comes when you have the freedom to talk to people about it.
Insight.
I figured the best way to tell you about myself is to tell you a story about me. So I’ll tell you about how I learnt to swim. I was always short when I was a child, it seemed all my peers had an extra few inches on me. Even the girls. So when I was about 3 (and a half) I mention the extra half because it matters when you’re are that age. My mother took to the local swimming pool. Upon doing this me and mum met two other boys from my nursery, boys I seemingly looked up to at the time both literally and metaphorically. To my dismay and utter embarrassment neither used armbands in the pool. Making fun of my mine as though they were an advert telling everyone in the surrounding area “this kid sinks”. They suddenly felt like an insult to my entire demeanour. So I got out of the pool, sheepishly looked around with a filled with a sense of inadequacy. I found myself gazing upon a huge mural on the back wall of the pool. It bore a picture of a man mid stroke doing front crawl; in that moment what seemed like a light bulb went on in my head. I discarded my armbands with a nonchalant throw over my left shoulder. I alerted my mother in the pool as to what I was about to do. As when you’re that age did it really happen if your mother didn’t see it happen? Curling my toes over the edge, adrenalin rushing through my veins, I filled my lungs. And jumped. Water rushing around my head, filling my nose and ears. If they could do it then so could I. Finally rising to the top of the water after what seemed like an age submerged, I began to swim. And not just some water trot experienced swimmers sneer at, no. I was swimming front crawl. I completed my length, throwing my arms the air, grinning cheek to cheek, victorious. I had done it. Later on that day my mother told me that my “friends” I’d met at the pool that day couldn’t actually swim. They were just taller than me and could touch the bottom of the pool. The moral of this story is that I’m someone who’s not afraid to have a go, I’m not afraid to jump in at the deep end. Literally.