Hi, my name’s Matty, and I survived the Texas Creative track. If you aren’t sure what Texas Creative is, we’re the eccentric kids on the 4th floor of the BMC. We’ve camped out at Jenn’s Copies for days on end, panic-whispered about something called “Critique Wique,” and are way too excited about receiving a T-shirt with a severed hand on it. People outside the program might think we’re crazy, even cultish. I’m here to say that even though TXC is definitely a cult, you should definitely consider joining. 

 

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Like any cult, we have our own recruitment process. Take Adv325. Then, you can apply. The application has three parts: work you did during 325, coming up with a creative answer to a prompt on a notecard, and the notorious big question. The big question is vague, meant to test how you come up with a story --and most importantly, answer existential questions insightfully on an 11x17 piece of paper. Some big questions TXC has asked in previous years:

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“Why are you here?”

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“What is the meaning of this?”

 

“Why didn’t you see it coming?”

 

“Where does it come from?”

 

 

If they like you, the indoctrination process begins. Danielle Weiss is a newly recruited art director this semester. When asked about the application, she said she “was obsessed with it… couldn’t stop working on it.” One of 40 accepted into the program this semester, Danielle moves onto the indoctrination process. She started this semester in Portfolio 1.

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P1

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P1 is where you first learn what it means to have a big idea, the difference between concept and craft, what art directors and copywriters do. You get your bearings. I asked Danielle how she's liked it so far and how she knew she wanted to stick with it. She said “I had a moment during office hours where I just sort of knew I was in the right place.” 

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She’s aware, of course, of the tough road ahead. In P1, you prep for your first ever Critique Wique. Critique Wique is a long held TXC ritual where the exhausted students receive feedback on their work from professionals in the Creative Advertising world. As Critique draws near, the more frantic the 4th floor of the BMC and surrounding coffee shops become. 

 

The ritual requires students to finalize their work, print it, and mount it onto foam boards. Most don’t sleep the night before critique. They’re at Jenn’s copies or FedEx printing, mounting, and reprinting. At 8 the next morning, students set up the Union Ballroom with all of their work. Once the critiquers get there, the real fun begins. 

 

Rumors spread every semester that if you don’t do well at Critique, you’ll be cut from the program. That’s false. The three Portfolio teachers --Sean LaBounty, Ryan Romero, and Rohitash Rao --decide who gets cut. And although critique matters, your score isn't the deciding factor. Effort is. So, if the cuts scare you from joining TXC, know that working hard is what keeps people in the program. 

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P2

 

While cutting people sounds like the end of times, most people survive Critique Wique and cuts just fine. They move onto Portfolio 2, where the prize of P3 and a good portfolio becomes all the more real.

 

I met with Minji Joo, a P2 art director, to talk about what changes between P1 and P2. Her P1 teacher, Sean, teaches people to “fly [their] creative freak flag and to never be afraid of ideas.” In P2, Ryan is known for playing devil’s advocate and teaching students to “be mindful of all that is connected to [their]... campaigns.” She also had some advice for P1 that she wish she’d known. “Give lots of feedback in class, say what everyone else is afraid to say...When you find yourself in a roadblock with your creative partner, be sure to thoroughly communicate with one another...It’s a team, not two people fighting to see who is right.”

 

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P3

 

After another Critique Wique and another round of cuts, you're  It’s time to continue your journey with Portfolio 3. Once you make it to P3, there are no more cuts. The goal switches from teaching you how to build a portfolio to making your portfolio strong enough to get a job.

 

Blake Stephens is a copywriter in P3 this semester. When asked about his overall TXC journey, he said the thing he’s learned and valued most is how it “taught [him] to think in different ways and try things different ways. Everyone’s got a different way to solve a problem. You can always learn something.”  There are other classes to take, such as P4, Copywriting, Art Director's Seminar, and Digital Portfolio, but you're a fully recognized member of the cult that is Texas Creative. We commemorate this with swag, complete with our logo of a severed hand holding a pencil. These are the crowning trophies that signify to the world that you survived the program. 

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Once you’re in the cult, you’re never out. Alumni come back for Critique Wique, students bond for life. I can’t count how many times Sean’s told us we’ll attend at least one wedding where half of the guests will be from TXC. Some of us even apply for jobs as partners. There are a lot of hardships during indoctrination, but the friends you build in the program keep you strong. I’ve loved my time in this program, strange as it’s been. I sincerely hope I’ve done my part convincing the next generation that our little cult is worth joining.

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Check out more at hiretexascreative.com