The Uncomfortable Truth About Idea Envy (And Why It's Actually A Good Thing)
Picture this: You’re sitting in class, casually observing your peers present their ideas. You nod along, trying to look like you’re taking it all in, when suddenly… BAM. It hits you like a ton of bricks.
That deep, gut-wrenching feeling. A cocktail of awe, jealousy, and maybe a tiny pinch of self-doubt.
Your stomach churns, your head starts to ache, and you think, Why didn’t I think of that?! Yep, you’ve just been struck by the dreaded idea envy.
Now, envy - let’s be real - isn’t exactly known for being noble. It’s literally one of the seven deadly sins. We all know how bad jealousy can feel: it’s uncomfortable, it’s embarrassing, and it can make you question your worth. But here’s the twist - at AdSchool, we don’t run from envy. We use it. We turn it into a secret weapon.
You see, idea envy isn’t something to be ashamed of. In fact, it’s a creative fuel. It pushes you to up your game, think harder, and dig deeper into your own work. At AdSchool, we've built a whole learning culture around that awkward feeling - and transformed it into a ritual of growth.
Enter the legendary ‘Idea Envy’ session. Every week, teams present their concepts and progress toward their final competition piece. It sounds innocent enough, but these sessions can run for hours. (And I mean hours - bring snacks.) But they’re worth every minute. You get live, unfiltered feedback from a room full of sharp minds and brutally honest peers. It’s intense. It’s uncomfortable. But it’s also the stuff that turns decent ideas into award-worthy campaigns.
And then - just when you think you’ve survived the gauntlet - comes the voting. Each person casts their top three picks. It’s like a low-key reality show finale, minus the confessional interviews and dramatic music (although let’s be honest, the tension is very real). Waiting to hear if your idea made the cut is nerve-wracking. But whether you come out on top or end up back at the drawing board, the experience is invaluable.
Because here’s the thing: the point of idea envy isn’t to make you feel small. It’s to make you better. The sting of “why didn’t I think of that?” is just a spark - one that pushes you to refine, reshape, and raise the bar on your own work. It’s tough love, creative bootcamp style. And at the end of it all, your ideas (and you) come out stronger.
So if you’re feeling the envy creep in - lean into it. Let it sharpen your instincts, stretch your thinking, and remind you that jealousy, when channelled the right way, can actually be a sign that you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be: surrounded by great minds, doing great work, and becoming greater because of it.
