Driving with the window down

The sensation of driving with the driver's side window down, open to the sun, breeze and bird chatter, can be absolutely exhilarating. So, with that in mind, I drove down to Margaret River to participate in the Emergence Creative Festival 2018, with the window down.

This was the sixth (annual) Emergence Creative Festival to be held in Margaret River and it surpassed all of my expectations. Having never heard of this event before, I was curious and excited. My idea for a film had been short-listed and I would be given the opportunity to 'pitch' this idea to the Screenwest people, including the CEO!

But this pitching session was just one of the many events happening during the four days between March 21 and 24. There was a conference, with an array of speakers, including Neil Ackland, the CEO and founder of Junkee Media, whose keynote presentation was about the need for creators to be prepared to shift their ideas and platforms in order to keep up with the speed of culture. Chloe Rickard , partner and COO of Jungle Entertainment, was another keynote speaker who demystified the processes involved in television development.

There were many more inspiring highlights during my experience of Emergence Creative - too many for a single post; so much fodder for future posts. I felt as if I were in the presence of greatness for the whole few days and yet not one of these professionals ever made me feel silly, or small. My ideas were taken seriously.

After one particularly enjoyable free lunch at Vasse Felix winery, I drove back to Seashells, Yallingup, full of beautiful food, a bottle of amazing Shiraz on the passenger seat, my mind buzzing with new ideas, the wind blowing through the open window....

It was raining. I couldn't close the window because it was stuck open. I'd forgotten about that during the sunshiny day.