This year was particularly special though because the short film I worked on in college was playing at the festival. So this year, I was there as a filmmaker instead of just attending. A few other people from my film team and I got to speak at the festival about our experience. I had random people coming up to me telling me that they liked my work and that we did a good job. I got to talk to a few potential employers, and one was even able to give me a pretty solid lead on a potential freelance project. I'm pretty excited about it.
Things like this always help to remind me why I do what I do. Why I wanted to be an artist, of all things - despite some of the terrible things that can come with that particular choice of career. These kind of moments might be fleeting at times, but being in that kind of a place... There's just so much energy. I feel so alive when I'm surrounded by people who are so creative and/or just as passionate about art and animation as I am. Almost nothing makes me quite as happy as that does. It makes me feel happy about who I am and what I do. It even makes me a more sociable and talkative person. Anywhere else, I hardly say a word, but I practically couldn't shut up this weekend. On stage, I was eager to talk and answer questions, and I normally loathe public speaking. I talked so much the one day that my voice got hoarse by the end of the night.
It's a very strange and exhilarating experience in general.
My film didn't win any awards at the festival, but it was enjoyable all the same. That wasn't why I wanted to go, anyway. I had fun, and that's all that really mattered.