Talent. Desire. A Blank Canvas. The First Edition of F of X Wraps Up
Two hundred and fifty creators.
Over forty guides who have cracked the code.
One amazing location in the forests of Jim Corbett National Park.
Those were the ingredients that went into the most magical festival for creators that took place in India over the third weekend of February, 2019. If you’ve been keeping up with us, you know that we had one goal in mind- to bring you, and creators like you, together to India’s first residential forest festival for creators.
So far, we’ve had festivals of all kinds- music, art, theatre- and each one of them has set the precedent for something even bigger- a festival for creative cross-pollination that we pulled off with F of X.
A bit of science, because this writer just couldn’t resist! In an atom, the charged particles occupy a very small percentage of the atom itself. 99.99% of an atom is empty. Before you go pooh-poohing that observation, think about it- most of the universe is actually a blank slate, quite literally!
And that’s what we strived to create at the festival, too. We wanted to create the blank canvas on which other people could draw, paint, sing to, dance on, and discover their X in the process.
Each of our spaces- Heart, Mind, Soul and Hand were designed to help people explore where their dominant creative energy flows from. Our guides came with the most versatile backgrounds possible- we had angel investors, marketing and brand communication specialists, storytellers, artists, lifestyle coaches and so many more people come together to make a difference. Each of these stimuli only served to further help people discover their X in an environment that they were most comfortable in, using means and inputs that resonated best.
People May Say I’m Too Old, But…
These are the excuses that we absolutely adore! The excuses for why we should take that leap, the excuse for not wanting to settle- that’s the ‘but’ that’s going to take you very, very far.
“I’m 36 and married. People might say it’s too late to take a step and request you to play safe. I don’t want to be regarded as just another designer or a creator who did what was asked of her to be done. I know I’m a multi-potentialite and this festival helped me realize I’m not wrong. I’m on the most fertile ground to collaborate and grow with some of the best minds in the country” — Divya Reddy, designer by profession who found her X at the soul zone.
Now, that is a creator who discovered her true potential all over again, and how! One of our guides, Durga Gawde, shares a memory from their early childhood of watching their father sit and seemingly do nothing for hours on end before the potential burst out onto elaborate canvasses. At the end of the creative process, he would say, “It wasn’t me.”
Blank spaces, anyone?
Indeed, if the creators can themselves become the media, how does it matter how the story is told? This is an eye-opener for those in traditional creative professions as it allows them to look beyond just their core skill to express themselves fully.
If Creators Are Stars, Let There Be Constellations
“The concept of 250 creative, like-minded people coming together opens up possibilities that one can’t even imagine. And then you have 40 creative leaders who are different from the norm of speakers you see at other festivals and conferences. The idea of hosting it in a place like Jim Corbett where one is forced to come out of their comfort zone is just euphoric. Hence, a big big yes.” — Sandeep Achanta, Entrepreneur by profession who found his X at the Heart zone.
Deepak Ramola, one of the guides at the festival, gathers life lessons from around the world and converts them into workshops and experiences. F of X Founder & Festival Director, Jay Ahya, and Deepak have several things in common, but the thread that binds them together is that of collaboration.
Jay has experienced firsthand the magic of collaborations through projects that The Experience Co. designs and creates. In a candid chat with us on day three, Deepak shared with us that there is no greater joy for him than to see people supporting people.
As creators, we often suffer from the Imposter Syndrome, or the feeling that our work somehow pales in comparison to that of the others, and therefore that we do not belong.
Neil Gaiman has a very famous anecdote to share about the Imposter Syndrome. Don’t we all feel like outsiders sometimes? Well, he did too.
At an important gathering for artists and pioneers around the world, he felt like an outsider who didn’t belong until he bumped into his famous namesake who said, “I just look at all these people, and I think, what the heck am I doing here? They’ve made amazing things. I just went where I was sent.”
That’s the moment it clicked for him- if Neil Armstrong could feel like an imposter, maybe the rest of us can be forgiven for feeling that way too!
At the F of X Festival, no one had to feel like an imposter because everyone could see how unique each person was.
We had artists, activists, painters, writers, brand professionals, startup founders, creative investors, one-man armies, culture shifters, angel investors and above all — people with good hearts and undying intent — in the mix.
What’s more, the workshops were designed to help people step out of their comfort zone to discover what really clicks for them- from mandala-making and acro-yoga to music performances, impromptu jam sessions, open mics, portrait sessions, photo workshops, movement therapy and masterclasses with the leaders -there was space to ‘be’ as much as it was there to accomplish something. For these were sessions filled with wonderment, curiosity, and magic.
From the feedback we’ve received from nearly two hundred people, it is safe to say that people discovered just how different they were from each other, giving them more reasons to feel like they’re part of one big tribe.
F of X was like a big play-ground, a space of endless possibilities, a space where i could just be me, and be welcome. I couldn’t have known the importance of attending a festival like that without actually experiencing it, because that feeling of belonging has remained with me.- Mahi Baid
When’s The Second Edition?
If you were there and got to experience the magic firsthand, you know that it was truly one of a kind.
If you weren’t there, well, you did miss out.
However, fret not because there will be a second edition. And when we do make the announcement, you’ll be the first to know. Sign up here to join our email list and take the first step in the creative journey of a lifetime.
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Here’s a glimpse of the magic that was created — through freedom, courage, thought, action, growth and creativity — at India’s first residential forest festival for creators.
