Winners Story - Bronte Littlewood

Bronte Littlewood won School of Thought Leeds 2025 and takes you through some of the common questions about the School of Thought experience...

Is School of Thought a huge time commitment? How many hours do I need to put in every week?
On our first day, Phil told us, ‘If a mum of 4 kids can win it, you guys have absolutely no excuse’. And that was the only kick up the bum I needed.
Jokes aside, it really is a case of you don’t find the time, you make the time. Soon enough, School of Thought becomes a part of your routine, and you wonder how you spent your days without it.
Some people need to have a schedule because of work and life; others are between jobs and have all the time in the world. It doesn’t matter in the end. That lightbulb moment hits when it hits. But, if I had to guess, I’d say it was about 10-15 hours a week on average.
The portfolio took me a while though. I crammed it all into the last few weeks because I wanted to ‘use everything I’d learned’ rather than do it as I went along. I’m not sure I’d recommend that approach though. I had some very late nights.
No matter how much time you spend, work hard, and try to remember to enjoy the experience.

What if I can’t draw?
There really is ‘no right way’ when it comes to SoT. For me, the most frustrating part was having an idea - a vision - in my head, but being unable to bring it to fruition. Sometimes our artistic skills, AI, and stock images don’t suffice. It’s frustrating, and often limiting.
But, if you’re able to chop images together - using Canva or the likes - you can make it work that way. For one of my ideas I managed to find an image but A.I was struggling to expand it, so I had to snip a tiny bit of the wall and copy and paste over and over again to make it look like the image had expanded to fit a 48-sheet. Did it look janky? Yes. But the idea was there, and that’s all that matters. The agencies don’t mind. In fact, nobody cares if it looks perfect. Just do what you’ve got to do to sell the idea.
My mentor Julian once told me that you can win a pitch with an A4 sheet of paper. Some ideas need a backstory but I’d have a go at this if you fancy a challenge.
Oh, and a lightboard is really useful for tracing too, especially at the end.

What if I’m nervous about presenting?
A therapist once told me that everyone feels a little bit nervous before presenting, but I really don’t believe that to be true. I have a few loved ones who absolutely thrive in that environment,
and go out of their way to seek out public speaking opportunities - that couldn’t be any further from me. I hated it. Hated it.
There were actually a few times I chose to present sitting down, because I was convinced I was going to pass out up there. Seriously not my idea of a good time. But, it can’t be avoided, and despite feeling like I got worse every week, the support was incredible and so encouraging. While I still get anxious before presenting, SoT was the exposure I needed - I still don’t like public speaking though.
Just remember: nobody’s going to die, and you wouldn’t be up there if people didn’t care what you have to say.

What are some benefits of SoT that you didn’t expect?
There are the obvious benefits of growing your network and building beautiful relationships that last a lifetime, but there is an unexpected benefit that might surprise you.
Self-assurance. Over time you really begin to trust your ideas. Defend them, even. It’s hard to explain. It’s like how nobody tells you how to be a parent, but as time goes on you figure it out and learn to trust your judgement a bit more? I’m not even a parent but that sounded right. You develop a sense of guiding confidence. Yeah, that’s it. I really am a different person to when I started; I hope your journey is equally as transformative.

What if the briefs aren’t for me?
Not all of them will be, but that makes the ones that are even more special.
Maybe ask yourself why you don’t like the brief, is there some insight there? Perhaps it’s a hair brief, and you’re a bald man who finds straighteners really boring. But maybe you watched your mum straighten her hair in the morning before she took you to school, so you tap into the nostalgia of that.
There is no right, best, or ideal answer. The only experience you have is your lived experience. Lean into that.

Is School of Thought worth it?
School of Thought has been life-changing for me in so many ways, and I will forever be grateful to Phil and Julian for the time they gave and continue to give.
If you have the means - it’s not cheap to commute every week and the pub trips are essentially non-negotiable - then absolutely go for it. What is there to lose? Unless you’re scared...but then I think that’s all the more reason. Go on, have a go and tell me if you regret it. (You won’t).
Have fun!