I am back from the Delta del Ebre today. I am writing on the train as we speak. I love to write while being on the move. Those are the best moments for me as I am connected and concentrated.

In the Rick Rubin book, he mentioned that disconnection and getting ourselves immersed in tasks like driving, doing the washing ups, … enables us to shut down the inquisitive thoughts and helps us get access to our subconscious and creative minds. Mine must be traveling, being in motion. It clearly helps me to shut me down and access my inner self. It often ends with a deep sleep, depending on my energy level.

Distraction

Distraction is one of the best tools available to the artist when used skillfully. In some cases, it’s the only way to get where we are going.

[…]

Sometimes disengaging is the best way to engage.

Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A way of being

I went to see a couple of friends that were enjoying a week´s vacation there. I am so grateful for having this opportunity and being surrounded by amazing friends.

Now that the visa topic is behind me (or at least I believe it is). There is nothing I could do more as I have sent the certification letter of my medical coverage by a South African registered company. I just have to wait and believe in it. I have plans B but I rather not think about them.

My time is now split between enjoying as much as I can, preparing my travel, and working on the Flors Festival.

I haven’t told you yet about the festival.

Last year, I joined the organization of the Flors Festival in a nice area close to Tarragona, in front of Monsant Natural Park.

The story of how I joined is funny. It was back in February 2023. I badly wanted to see and capture the flowers blooming in Tivissa with my camera. For three years, I had been attempting to do it without success. This year, I would manage. So I rented a car and booked a night in a yurt via AirBnB in a very remote location. I had to see a friend in Moía first, so I left very late around 4 or 5 o´clock. Imagine the situation, I was crossing the mountains, on curvy roads at night, covering hundreds of kilometers, consuming a lot of fuel to see some flowers. Something was wrong with me and I decided to figure it out when I got back home.

I met A. and literally the first question she asked in French was : “What brings you here?” I replied : “The flowers”.

It couldn’t have been a better introduction. A. was already in the process of organizing the Flors Festival and needed some additional hands in the organization.

A new friendship was born and later during the night she told me about her project : an art festival combining acoustic music, workshops, dance and theater. She had built the concept the previous year and was launching the first edition in 2023.

I proposed my talent as a DJ but it was clearly not an electronic music festival. I got a no for an answer.

She, however, asked me if I wanted to join the organization and especially the artists part. I knew plenty of people who might be interested in performing at the festival. I knew it would mess with my life and my workload for a moment but I accepted immediately.

Such a good decision. It has been a great experience.

I found most of the artists for the Flors Festival last year and was in charge of communication through Instagram and Facebook. I helped with everything I could and leveraged the organization skills I have acquired from my work and from being part of the BBB organization as well (a burner festival). And on top, I played on the first night a smooth electronic set under the star back to back with a great DJ.

Overall, it has been a real success. The public, the artists, and the organization team were thrilled. One important detail though, we didn’t cover all the costs. We held a retrospective meeting shortly after the festival and identified some of the errors we made.

We decided to start again in 2024, believing it is possible to be even more successful, benefiting from the audience’s experience and word of mouth. We want to relive this moment of grace: especially that Saturday night when most of the challenges were behind us, and the connections in place for a great, joyful and improvised evening. We unwound.

This year, the festival takes place between the 24^th and 26^th of May. I already factored those dates in when I gave my resignation letter to my company. Back then, I didn’t want to be lazy and wanted to ensure I would be busy with something after I left my job.

So here I am, back with the organization of the Flors Festival. With the artist family from last year, some new joiners, and a different program, I have almost finalized the artistic program in three weeks time and communicated it to the artists.

Here is a glimpse of the festival, its values and objectives:

https://lamandorla.es/flors-festival

https://www.instagram.com/florsfestival/

I am so excited. You could find an overview of the program we created for 2024 directly on the website. 

I have been in contact with the right people. Let’s call it chance. I personally do not believe in coincidences but never mind.

I have already started to work on the full communication plan and know how I want to achieve it, leveraging as much as possible the materials from last year´s festival.

I am glad I will have the chance to perform a last mix on Sunday at lunch time while the public is recovering from the festival and slowly starting to head back home.

My last weekend before heading to Africa.

Now I need to work on my playlists on top of everything else. I got my computer robbed at the beginning of the year. It is a fresh start with the songs, let’s put it that way.  

Photo : Xavier Duquesne