SXSW Day 6
What an amazing day 6! Read on for lessons learned, dear reader.
General SXSW lessons:
- Practice your presentation until you breakthrough and find your authentic voice. This is really hard to do and is something I constantly work on.
- “Music is more than music…it’s a movement,” said by Matt Sparks at SXSW today.
- I realized the evolution of SXSW during Amanda Palmer’s talk. Film, interactive, and multimedia (now interactive) are an extension of music and what’s possible. We are now coming full circle with the idea of convergence, the idea that all things are interrelated and interconnected.
- Create an on stage persona as a way to not only add to your brand but also connect with your audience on a more personal level.
- Musicians are (and have been) actively and intentionally bringing audiences together.
Featured Session Bruce Mau’s designing for the 5 senses
- Truth: “be true to my vision and never compromise my work.”
- Most experiences on the visual. We are missing out on fully engaging our clients when we only focus on one of our senses.
- Using all 5 senses (and potentially more) during design will enhance our experiences. Theme: designing for multiple senses is what Lulemon and Bruce Mau are doing. They are teaching us to fully engage our audiences and guests with senses we don’t use on a daily basis. This type of design not only can enhance our experience but can also foster authentic human connections.
- bad design = bad experience
- Time does not equal money as we are often taught. Time is more valuable than money because unlike money, we can never get back the time already spent.
Featured Session: Amanda Palmer
- AP is an example of the power of convergent ‘technologies’ and what we can do with them.
- We need to embrace women’s stories in music and all industries.
- We need to share our stories because there are people out there that need to hear them. This theme emerged during Susan Fowler’s keynote talk.
- Being vulnerable and speaking in your authentic voice may turn people off but it will also resonate with your true fans.
- Know your worth. Ask for what your worth.
- Look for new ways to share your art/music/writing/product/etc., especially when ‘Steve, from marketing’ doesn’t support you nor have your best interests in mind.
- “Can you think of [music] as a medicine and can you think of women as very capable chemists [or pharmacists as they are called in the US]?”
- To all men: “Walk into the dark with us so we can all walk into the light together.”
Session: The Silent Loneliness Epidemic: Designing Solutions by Baya Voce
- Make space for vulnerability.
- Be kind and compassionate with yourself.
- We can each re-wire our brains to replace negative thought patterns in our brain.
- Look to Byron Katie and The Work for a methodology to re-wire your brain.
- Getting an outside opinion helps you not only see an objective perspective but, may also help you solve your problem.
- Forget about job titles. In fact, let the idea of job titles go. Stop worrying about the destination and remember to stay on the journey (from one of my exercise partners).
Music showcases
- Show: Leikeli47
- “Money, what? I got money!”
- “I do what I do for you!” She produces and makes her music so we can embrace our individuality.
- Powerful on stage personas are memorable. They also make the performance about the audience, not the performer.
- Show: The Black Pumas
- We each can be artists.
- The Black Pumas ask us (during the show) to start a conversation with a stranger. Let’s build real human connections.
- Show: Open Mike Eagle
- “Every answer was there…every question was known”
- “I take control of my scene.”
- Dream big like Open Mike Eagle and you too, can eat $100 bills!
- De La Soul
- We need to support musicians so they can own it and continue to make good art.
- Embrace your individuality and do it your own way.
- “Live your dream! Live your dream! Live your dream!”