Courtesy of Do512.

In my personal utopia, I‰’m not currently in D.C., but rather in Austin, Texas. When I hear Texas I think of Sandy from SpongeBob, cowboy boots, barbeque, and Republicans. Basically, a laundry list of my dislikes. However, South by Southwest is a jigsaw puzzle of all of my favorite things; a Dr. Martens event, Snoop Dogg, a large majority of my iTunes library live, film screenings, a panel about Grumpy Cat, funky fried food, and people who are genuinely passionate about what they create. In lieu of raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens I would have a ‰Platinum Badge‰’ to the set of film, music, and interactive conferences and festivals.

SXSW is a unique blending of exhibitions, concerts, showcases, sessions, screenings, book signings, meetups, workshops, and parties. These events are divided into three categories; music, film and interactive. But many events fall under more than one of the headings. SXSW appeals to basically anyone and everyone, which is kinda the whole point. Anyone who thinks they’re someone is there. The approach of the festival as a conglomeration of all things culture is a lifestyle, promoting the notion that people have complex identities but can express them all simultaneously. You can be a stockbroker on Wall Street, who wears a suit during the week but on the weekends is in a folk band and brews his own beer, and end up teaching a yoga workshop at one of SXSW‰’s countless special events. This isn‰’t even that far-fetched; Goldman Sachs hosted its first party at SXSW this year.

From SXSW’s website: “SXSW’s original goal was to create an event that would act as a tool for creative people and the companies they work with to develop their careers, to bring together people from a wide area to meet and share ideas. That continues to be the goal today whether it is music, film or the interactive technologies.‰Û

Courtesy of Adam Kissick.

Going along with this theme of individuality, the artists that are showcased are as diverse as they come: Run the Jewels (coming to AU next week!!!), Waxahatchee, The Recycled Instrument Orchestra of Cateura, The Weeknd, just to name a few. Even the venues they play at are insanely different – little bars, big lawns and street corners. No genre is discriminated against. There are traditional gospel singers, death metal bands, soft singer songwriters, Tejano, and experimental artists all en masse. Even SXSW‰’s sponsors are the antitheses of each other, such as Monster Energy, McDonald‰’s, IFC: Always on, Slightly Off, Miller Lite, Esurance, the Austin Chronicle, and Sonicbids.

SXSW is as much about being one‰’s self as it is about being together. Creatives in all fields can bounce ideas off of one another and even secure funding for their ventures. These two weeks in Mid-March fuse professional interactions with beer while a rookie rapper spits fire onstage.

This intersection is so vital to SXSW that it created a way for those who bought a pass to only a third of the festival (such as just music or film), to get the full experience. Convergence Day offers a set or session from all parts of SXSW. Or, for me, it‰’s listening to Speedy Ortiz live online, watching a snap story from The FADER tent, reading the transcript of a panel on Boyhood, and pondering my own startup simultaneously. Of course, then I realize I‰’m just in D.C.