SXSW: It’s My First

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For the SXSW community showcasing their craft at the mega festival, it's mayhem right now. Bon courage to all of you out there - you are doing amazing!

For me, it’s getting real. The planning that begun weeks ago is now in full effect. My final SXSW programming discovery moments are here. At last, it's packing time.

I've been in the digital, creative, and human-interest business for 25 years. I've watched colleagues, friends and family members attend the festival for decades. My awareness of the festival goes back even further. As I naive Canadian immigrant to Phoenix, I remember looking up Austin on a Rand McNally map to figure out how far it was from my new home (~1000 miles or ~1600 km). It was 1993 and I wanted to catch the Lisa Loeb and Meat Puppets shows before my high school graduation.

It's 2022. This is my first time. I can't contain my excitement.

Here is what I am looking forward to.

-Hanging out with my girl Elissa Coughlin and her tribe from Unity. This trip does not happen without your sisterhood. Thank you!

-Seeing former client and long-time inspiration Nazli Strobl from Adobe IRL after all these year.

-Listening to LIVE MUSIC! I missed it so much.

-Eating tacos.

-Watching Priya Parker's keynote. If you can make it y'all, you don't want to miss it. And if you do, catch the recording. I've enjoyed watching her share her thoughts about how we gather since I first met her at House of Beautiful Business in 2018.

-Content from The New School with IBM and the Parsons School of Design, putting the A for ARTS in STEM. More design, more creativity, more beauty please.

-Checking out VW Chief Scott Keogh's nice BUZZ.

-Meeting Natascha's business partner Claus from CURAZE on this side of the Atlantic.

-Seeing former colleagues and clients.

And all of the unplanned and chance encounters.