Per usual, SXSW kicked off like a whirlwind. There was so much to do and see, even as a three-year vet, I still found myself a bit overwhelmed. Despite the fact that I missed a few panels and as I should have expected things did not go according to plan, it was still a really fun day, a great way to get the week started, and here are a few of my takeaways:
Winners:
Here talk on “Drawing Disruption” was a great way to kick off SXSW as an artist. Shee covered a whole slew of topics ranging from how she has evolved through her art, how the medium itself is changing with the times, and what it means to be an artist in such a politicized time. She was definitely a knowledgeable and engaging speaker, she even managed to bring some levity to the situation (Including starting the talk by live sketching two audience members who weren’t paying attention to the lesson lol). If you weren’t there I’d recommend watching the rebroadcast if you have the time.
I mean, let’s be clear I’m a nerd, and when things don’t always go as planned sometime I just want to fall back on some fun nerdery to make sure I leave an SXSW day in a good place and “Marvel: from comics to screens” did exactly that for me. It was an hour of learning about the history of Marvel, how they are dominating the comic world today in print, digital, and the big screen from character creation to the narrative building, and how these impressive creatives see the company moving forward. Just a little slice of nerd heaven to keep things light
and keep me happy.
Losers:
The proclaimed analysis of society’s growing loneliness simply didn’t deliver for me. While the panelists were certainly knowledgable they, didn’t provide any information I found to be eye-opening or made me think about the subject matter in a new way. I think the speakers did a great job of providing educated context to the issue and discussing the subject matter from a wide perspective, I just didn’t feel like I left this talk with any new discussion points.
Takeaways:
SXSW is a marathon and not a sprint. It’s perfectly fine to go into a day with a plan and come out on the other end having had a completely unexpected experience. On Day one 2019, I took in the sights and sounds got a lay of the land and dipped my toe into various tracks and came out successful. Day two will definitely bring on many more educational & interactional opportunities!
