I recently returned from my annual pilgrimage to the desert for a little event called Burning Man. For those of you not familiar, once a year, tens of thousands of participants gather in Nevada's Black Rock Desert to create Black Rock City, a temporary city dedicated to community, art, self expression and radical self reliance. They depart one week later, having left no trace whatsoever. Burning Man is different things for different people. It can be that wild and hedonistic place you hear stories of, but it can also be a place to connect to something greater and recharge your spirit. For me it is the latter and every year I come back with a little more inspiration and more importantly in this era, faith in humanity. It's a place where love is the currency and acceptance (and encouragement) of all self-expression abounds.
It always astonishes me to think about what it must take to get some of these installations out into the desert and this year was no exception. As an artist, it just blows my mind to see what people come up with, many work all year long to create their art to share with the community, and many times to watch it burn by the end of the event. I love seeing other people's pictures and discovering art and camps that I didn't see while I was there. It is wild that you can spend a week in a city and not see everything!
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| The Man |
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| The Man Burning Saturday night |
There is something very therapeutic about watching something burn and the release of energy that it creates. When the Man burns on Saturday night, it is the biggest party on the playa. However, for many, the climax of the event is when the Temple burns on Sunday. Throughout the week, people visit the temple offering messages, photos and often times physical mementos of something or someone they wish to release; whether it be a loved one that has passed on, the end of a relationship, or even a past version of themselves, so that they can move on to create their fuller potential. When the Temple burns it's as though you can watch all of these intentions float away on the embers. Unlike the previous night, there is a reverence throughout the crowd of tens of thousands and you could hear a pin drop in the silence. It's a very powerful experience and if you go to Burning Man, I highly recommend staying the extra day for it.
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| The Temple of Transition |
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| The Temple burning Sunday night |
So as I move on with my life and my work, I am encouraged to be that better, giving and loving person that comes out freely on the playa. I know that it will reflect in my art and in my relationships and in my connection with Spirit. And I look forward to next year and all that this concept called Burning Man encompasses.
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