(Photo by Betty and Kora)
A lot of people make the mistake of running around to see artists and don’t spend enough time frolicking around the forest.
Britz: It’s the same thing here. People get so caught up in their schedules. It’s like, no, just chill out and check some things out. You don’t necessarily have to be on a regimented schedule, you know? I’ve been going to festivals for 14 years now, and honestly, most of them I don’t even look at the lineup because I just don’t care. I’d rather just wander around and see what I find. I love music, but I’m an experiential festival goer. It doesn’t really concern me whether I see Bassnectar or not – even though I love Lorin! He’s a great guy.
Festivals are such an escape for people, and for someone like yourself that has been an attendee and has made the transition to be an industry insider, I’m curious what is the biggest impact festivals have had on you, and what value do you think festivals offer regarding one’s personal development?
Britz: Yeah, I mean, festivals have changed my whole life! I don’t even know where to begin with how they’ve affected me most. I honestly have no idea what I would be doing today if it weren’t for going to festivals. I think that in general they have made me a much more openhearted, open-minded person, you know? It’s really affected who I am on a really deep level.
I think festivals are a really good opportunity to learn about ourselves. I mean, regardless of whether you have a great festival or maybe not-so-great festival, there are so many learning opportunities being in these situations. You know, on the production side of it, there’s a lot of problem solving involved. You could have Plan A, B, C, and D, and things can still go sideways and you have to come up with a solution to something on the fly.
To an extent, that happens to you as an attendee as well. Maybe your car breaks down on the side of the road. And then you have to go through that whole thing. And then you learn about yourself, how you react in these high stress situations or where you have to be social all the time. There are just so many learning opportunities for people at festivals, I find. And you might not even be totally aware of what you’ve learned until months later when you think about it. It’s a pretty ripe opportunity for personal growth, going to festivals.
