For me one of the biggest challenges of going to Burningman has been trying to explain it to everyone upon my return. Some of the biggest impressions were very simple things, like the idea that no one is on the phone. No one. People are in the present. They smile and look at you and say hi. Most people really don’t have a time schedule. If you feel like doing something, you can just do it whenever you want. You can really be on your own time in Black Rock City. And, if you are on your way to something (for there are scheduled events afterall), you might cross paths with someone yelling “vodka sno cones!”… and then you have to reconnect with that part of yourself that evaluates what you “should” be doing versus what you could or want to be doing, that spontaneous part of you that you’ve lost touch with, that part that hesitates and wants to think things through, the part that wonders what other people will think… and to answer your questions, hell, yes, I stopped for a vodka sno cone! I mean, how many times is that gonna happen in my life?… who cares that it’s only 1pm? It’s over 100 degrees and it just sounds perfect. So I banged a u-turn on my bike and promptly forgot where I was going and decided to be in the now and experience what was there in front of me.
This is also why I didn’t take any pictures at Burningman. Ok, I took 3 photos because I doubt I’ll see my 6’5” boyfriend wearing pink panties and a purple tutu again, and one never knows when blackmail may be in order. I opted to be in the moment by being an active participant rather than a documentarian or an outsider capturing images. But, man, the photos people take are stunning. The landscape, culture, people, art, structures… everything is a photo opportunity. Photos would certainly help to capture stories or at least prompt the remembrance of them. The week does end up being a blur. Several nights I stayed up until 5am because the night is so dramatic there with the brilliant stars, full moon, fire dancers, laser lights, techno dance halls, glow stick costumes, elaborate ensembles. The days are certainly more mellow, but they provide more opportunity for connecting with people one on one. When I go back – and, yes! I really want to – I’ll be able to have a more balanced approach to the visuals I think.
One of the main reasons I want to go back is to be more of an active community member. This year I felt like a citizen of Black Rock City. I brought apples from my garden to share with neighbors and wanderers, gave beers to passersby, and made Ear Buds (floral ear plugs) to give as gifts to various people who helped with costuming, shared a personal story, gave me tea and food, or complemented my rusty dance moves. It would be even more fun to have an activity or attraction or theme camp that brought people over. I don’t want to get too adventurous because going out and exploring is half the fun, but creating a space that attracts and invites others in would just enhance that connected feeling and being more of a community participant while adding to others’ experiences and stories as well.
There are so many great places to learn more about Burningman, especially the main website. I also thought this Time Magazine interview with the founder was great http://bit.ly/tUSl4 as well as this article from The Huffington Post http://bit.ly/2loxTu . Enjoy, and let me know your thoughts!
ps- The photo at the top was taken by my friend Peter (aka Palesun) and shows me (aka Saffron) and Sky (aka Skyzer) after wandering around pretty much lost in a dust storm out in the middle of the playa for at least an hour... that time was all in all one of my absolute favorite memories from the trip! We couldn't see anything except for each other, maybe a 10 foot radius, not even the moon... and yet we could hear all the music and art cars all over the place and every once in a while someone would cross our paths and we were all always so happy to see another soul yet the solitude was profound.
