Since the first blog post I've been pretty open about how some of this was a struggle for me. I've been told too open at times... but that's just me. If you ever hear me speak in public, you'll likely hear a few unexpected things about my life. Being my authentic self is important to me.
Yesterday my authentic self went to Summer Camp completely unprepared.
It's a longer story than necessary, but I got lost before I made it in the gate (partially because I had media credentials nobody knew what to do with.) And, because I didn't prepare by finding a map before I went, as soon as I opened the Summer Camp App on my phone and saw this picture, a panic attack set in.
By the time I emailed my contact inside Scamp, got an emailed version of the map, and made my way to the correct areas, I had been on the grounds almost 4 hours. Stressful yes. But the best cure for stress? Music. And PhanieRae is who I was there to see. So, problem solved. They were fantastic. In fact, so good that she was asked to sing with another Scamp act this weekend!
I hope to have videos soon, but I have uploaded pictures on their Artist Page and Facebook.
I left to head to my daughter's graduation and came back that night. Thankfully the line to get in was gone by 9pm when I got there. Because I hadn't had time to get used to the grounds while it was still light out, I walked around overwhelmed a lot of the time.
Thankfully, I ran into Roy Ponce (Brainchild) several times and just seeing a familiar face was enough to help me re-center enough to find the next stage I was trying to get to. You'd be surprised how much it helps just to see someone you know!
Once I got to the stage, and focused on the music, all was well again. Every time. The crowds faded away and I was fine. Just another reason I keep doing what I do... no matter what is going on in my head, the music gets me.
Here are some of the bands I was able to see last night.
You can find live videos for them on our Facebook page and you might see some Instagram videos pop up at some point. Make sure you're following us on Instagram as well!
As important as being myself is to me, so is letting others learn from my mistakes.
So, here are some tips...
Tips to prepare for your first music festival:
- Prepare mentally. Don't just worry about what you need to buy or when you need to be there or if it will rain or if you have the right shoes. Realizing unexpected things are going to happen and everything will be fine, helps. Keeping some strategies in your back pocket for what you will do if something unexpected does happen will help tremendously.
- Be prepared for long lines. It is what it is. Complaining doesn't make them faster. Use it as time to get to make new friends.
- Have a map ahead of time and know what's on it.
- If there is a festival app, download it ahead of time and use it (Really, I should have spent more time on it before... it an amazingly valuable tool and resource.)
- Bring a friend or arrange to meet someone there. Even if they've never been before either, having someone else to say... "Don't panic, we can do this" helps.
- Ask for help BEFORE you are overwhelmed. I didn't meet one unfriendly person there last night. I may have been able to avoid that first panic attack if I hadn't tried to be so independent (or maybe oblivious.)
I'm taking a break from the rain to get this posted... I'll have more about today later. Thanks for checking in!