14. Get Weird in Austin, TX

I had the recent opportunity to fly to Austin, TX with my wife Jazzy to attend the 2024 SXSW Conference & Festival. It was an amazing time, rewarding both professionally and creatively. From the conference sessions on branding and storytelling, to some amazing performances from upcoming artists – attending SXSW was a bucket-list worthy experience that will serve as creative inspiration for some time to come.

Celebrity Sightings

The SXSW Film & TV Festival premiered big Hollywood movies daily, welcoming A-list celebrities seeing the likes of Anne Hathaway, Ryan Gosling, Jordan Peele, and even Cheech and Chong  all premiering films during SXSW. The Paramount Theatre was home to these major premieres. The area was always bustling with crowds waiting for the next celebrity red-carpet sighting.

Comedy

On the funniest night at SXSW, we caught a comedy show that featured some great talent at The Creek and Cave. The lineup included Ashley Barnhill, Pete Lee, Dulce Sloan (The Daily Show), Orlando Leyba (America’s Got Talent), and Chris Gethard. The room rolled with laughter all night! Every act was hilarious!

It was a great time in a fairly intimate setting. We got to kick it with and meet some great upcoming artists. From Minnesota, Nur-D and DJ Hayes brought a lot of energy and stage presence! I absolutely loved their set! Heather Victoria from North Carolina (Jamla Records), and Edi Callier from LA brought some soul to the showcase in unique ways. They were really dope! We were also honored with the opportunity to hear some unreleased music from MontyKong as he closed the night with the determination and stage presence to make his friends and fans from his old city proud.

It truly was an amazing night of good vibes and good music! Can’t wait to hear more from the artists at this showcase.

The Art Bus & Other Live Music

The dope thing about SXSW is that there was music everywhere! Every lounge and event had featured artists. Caught a couple of street corner rap cyphers, and countless street musicians. I loved soaking it all in being entertained in some unexpected ways. I met a Russian reggaeton artist, Dyce, whose fluent Spanish flow was both impressive and entertaining! But the most unexpected was being blown away by musicians on the ART Bus!

Walking out of the convention center after a marketing panel discussion, we were greeted by a European woman in clogs who invited us onto the Art Bus. Hesitant at first, but since we were getting weird in Austin, we got onboard. The bus featured an impressive sound system, a bar, and 35 seats. The woman who invited us aboard happened to be the singer for the next band performing, Fieh. They were amazing! Crammed onboard my favorite venue of the week, was a drummer, bass player, guitarist, keyboardist, and lead singer performing for a bus full of SXSW weirdos. It was one of the most memorable experiences of the entire week!

Our last night in Austin, we attended the Funk Factory Pourri party featuring Janelle Monae as DJ Johnny Jane. We were lucky to have had priority entry privileges to the biggest party of the night! The general admission line was long with no guarantee of getting in. Inside the venue, it was packed from wall to wall with people waiting to party with Janelle Monae. It was a fun night, but we had to call it early to prepare for our flight home the next day.

Brand Activations

Throughout the week, at various locations around the city were brand activations, or special promotional events hosted by some major brands. I attended activations by Porsche, Marshall Amplifiers, Smirnoff, and Pourri. These were a lot of fun and full of lots of freebies.

The Porsche activation featured some beautiful Porsche vehicles new and old. It was a pop-up Porsche museum of sorts. The space also featured some official SXSW discussions on the music industry and the Porsche rooftop lounge.

Marshall Amplifiers themed their brand activation as a funhouse. The Marshall Funhouse was a blast! They had carnival games, food, live music, and dancing mascots!

At the Pourri brand activation we were treated to free food, drinks, live music and free samples of Poo Pourri spray. The space also featured a giant inflatable and the nicest public bathrooms in the city.

With a little online luck, we found an unofficial SXSW event, the SXSFlex Secret Garden Party and were treated to free Franklin’s BBQ, live music, and good time! The party was sponsored by the finance app, Flex.

After my last conference day, I got word of a pickleball party a short walk away on Rainey St. We arrived and see a very loud and vibrant neon yellow, pink, and orange pickleball court and DJ booth. This was a very lively party sponsored by Smirnoff featuring pickleball, food trucks,  and free Smirnoff Smash vodka soda.

With Gratitude

There was so much to do and see all over the city. We walked for miles each day, from venue to venue, session to session. Took in the sights of the city down Congress Ave., around the Convention Center, Rainey St., and 6th Street. And even with all the walking we still missed a lot. I hope to have the opportunity to return to Austin, TX to see more.

I went to Austin in search of creative inspiration and found just that. The passion and drive of every artist I met was contagious. It was comforting and uplifting to be among so many talented creatives pursuing their dreams. My experience in Austin is empowering me to be a more confident entrepreneur and artist.

It really was an awesome time with great music, good company, and self-reflection. I’m thankful to the Lancaster County Community Foundation and the Baldwin Leadership program for helping provide such an unforgettable experience!

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Feeling fortunate and grateful for new opportunities and relationships. The last couple of years have been transformative. I’ve been getting back to self and finding that creative hustle and confidence to move different and dare to be strange. Doing so means shedding any insecurities and stepping into the dopeness of who I am! I’m working ! New drive and ambition is opening doors and I’m ready for exciting new experiences!

Life has been busy operating our coffee business but in all the commotion I’m finding time to be selfish, in a good way. I’ve recently been blessed to be accepted into the Baldwin Leadership program. It’s an 18-month cohort program that puts me in a room with some of the most talented and influential artists, professionals, and entrepreneurs in Lancaster County. I’m truly grateful to be included among this inspiring group of individuals (imposter syndrome and all). I look forward to learning and growing with the 2025 Baldwin Leadership cohort!

So what does the leadership program mean for me?

The program awards each class member a grant opportunity to pursue a passion project thats near and dear to their hearts. Making room for self-discovery. It’s a rare opportunity for a guilt-free, selfish pursuit of a great aspiration. Read that last line again, #bars.

Over the next year and a half I have the chance to explore what motivates me as a creative. I’m learning new ways to bridge the gaps between my art and profession, and look to leverage them to impact my community.

I can’t truly say what will come out of this experience, but it has potential to help shape my future on the road toward self-actualization. Progress is always the mission.

Thankful for the Lancaster County Community Foundation. I’m very fortunate to be given this opportunity!

Stay tuned…

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The tennis tournament gives hundreds of local tennis fans a front row seat to witness some highly skilled women who are among the best in the world in tennis. Several of which will play at the US Open just weeks after leaving Landisville. Notable alumn of the Koser tournament includes Ons Jabeur, runner-up at Wimbledon in 2022 and 2023.

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Starting a business is hard! Support is vital at startup. We found support with the help of our dope ass SCORE mentor. We’re in new waters and though we’re competent and experienced, it’s nice to have his support and reassurance that our pursuit in this next phase of our lives makes sense for us. If he ever reads this, THANK YOU, Ed and SCORE! We’re doing our due diligence now, but 2022 has brought us a new business and a fresh start as we reorganize our lives around new hope and hustle.

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I’m on the pursuit of happiness, and living life to create opportunity for the people I love. It feels foreign to me to watch so many avoid their calling for the convenience and comfort of a paycheck. I won’t be one to look back with regret for never chasing what was in my heart. I can’t settle for living another man’s dream. I’m genuinely more concerned with the impact I have on my family and community. The impact on my family by providing stability and support; and the impact on my community through good work.

Chasing a dream is hard. Especially when you’re doing it  alone. No support. No contacts. Just the grind. No one sees you struggle. The joy of every win and the pain of every setback is yours. I embrace all of it. Ready for the big win. We’re almost there.

Since January 2022, Jazzy and I have been putting in work to build something special. We’re launching a coffee business! We’re closer than ever to making this dream a reality. There’s lots of work still to be done but it is truly an exciting time for the Garcia’s! I’ll say it again because it feels good to say it publicly – we’re opening a coffee business!

We’ve made adjustments in our careers and schedules to help get us closer to our goal. I left a position that had lots a promise and job security for a flexible schedule and great opportunity to make a splash in the non-profit world. I’m now part of the management team at a pretty cool non-profit. I don’t regret my decision. The next decade is going to be one of goodwill and entrepreneurial growth.

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Our goal is ambitious. We’ve got this! I have no doubts. If I had to estimate, we’re halfway to the beginning of our next story. This is the prologue.

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