"Dude, like, this is the dopest podcast ever" - anonymous douche I've been wondering how to speak without sounding like a douche since before graduating high school. In early August, I attended the Arise Music Festival in Loveland, Colorado and listened to an interactive workshop held by a captivating woman named Bright Hawk. Bright Hawk is a modern day bard, with over 25 years of experience telling stories in accompaniment with her metal hand pan instrument. She tells stories rich for all ages. I was so affected by the workshop that I decided to ask her that burning question about said "douchiness". Her on the spot response blew me away. I hope you lose your socks too. Thanks and stay wild folks! Chuck
The days of summer long Grateful Dead tours might be over, but a similar soup of energy still lives and thrives across the United States - That is, if you can scrape together a few hundred bucks and a free weekend. In the U.S. alone, music festivals provide entertainment for over 32 million people annually. To put that in perspective, throughout 1969, the year of Woodstock, only 2-3 million people made their way to any kind of music festival, and venues weren’t nearly as accessible.
Modern Music Festivals embody this growing, yet familiar cultural phenomenon. Consider this: Whether you attend a music festival to see a favorite band in the flesh, enjoy original and unique foods, or gain knowledge from experienced speakers, one key social component always touches your experience - community. The unification of communication, and all that comes when we open our minds to alternative perspectives. Just as music genres vary, so do festival themes and missions. Certain festivals, such as Arise, in Loveland, Colorado go beyond music, and create interactive environments that promote spiritual growth through artistic expression in all forms.
Of course, stellar musical sets from Slightly Stoopid, Thievery Corporation, and Quicksotica provided the main draw, but Arise Productions also gathered a large variety of talented speakers. In most cases, the speakers were spiritual healers or entrepreneurs representing experience in topics ranging from Musical Storytelling, to CBD Holistic Remedies, to EcoPsychology and Communication Strategies.
Organized groups called, “villages” conducted workshops from dawn till dusk, welcoming any festival attendee with an open mind. I was lucky enough to share a conversation with Bright Hawk, a modern day bard who plays a metal pan drum while sharing eclectic stories, carrying lessons, rich for all generations!
To catch a drift of where she’s coming from, listen to this clip of Bright Hawk explaining how she would title herself.
Her confident, yet warm, style and smooth sense of humor struck me during a morning workshop titled “How to tell Stories”, and it became obvious she would be a great person to answer a nagging question I’ve had since high school; “How can someone speak confidently without sounding like a douche?”
In the U.S., a predominantly capitalist First World country, an excessively competitive attitude often leaks into conversations, usually making them unpleasant for the listener. The personality trait associated with this attitude is often referred to as “douchiness”.
A douche can exist in nearly any environment, especially while telling stories. Listen to Bright Hawk talk about the difference between storytelling in an academic setting v.s. with friends, at a party.
Of course, even after considering your audience, the competitive attitude doesn’t just go away. It lingers in the subconscious; spawned while playing backyard football games and comparing snacks at the middle school lunch table. The green shadow of jealousy feeds off this unnecessary comparison, especially when a new acquaintance can tell funnier, more relevant stories than you. There’s a reason both words share the latin root “comp”.
In this clip, Bright Hawk describes why this jealousy occurs and how you can avoid making other people feel jealous as your storytelling abilities develop.
This competitive attitude is so distracting that people often don’t hear themselves while talking, then, end up using filler words instead of speaking concisely and directly. One word in particular, I reckon, has grown more ubiquitous than any other in the English language, ever.
Like, here’s a hint. If you, like, walk down the street for, like, five minutes, you’ll, like, definitely here it, like, 100 times.
I asked Bright hawk, straight up, how overuse of the word “like” is debilitating to engaging conversation. Listen to her on the spot response in this clip.
People like Bright Hawk live for the connectivity and joy that comes from community events where people can practice expression in a safe environment accompanied by experienced guides. Music and Art Festivals like Arise provide this environment for people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. Google, “music festivals in my state” to find one within range of your home. Once the schedule becomes available, check to see if any workshops will be held besides the musical acts.
To hear more about Bright Hawk and her current projects, check out BrightHawkProductions.com
Also, Thanks to Juanitos for their song Cool Reggae Party