warning: i am about to wax poetic. sorry, it's a subject i'm passionate about.

i make no secret about the fact that i am indeed, a burner. i am also highly involved with organizing the (slowly) growing burner community in my hometown of indianapolis, i do volunteer coordination for the great lakes regional burning man event (lakes of fire), i act as a black rock ranger during big burn, AND i organize a small group of folks (15-20) into a theme camp for the big burn.

whew.

i think that's my favorite thing about it...it is DEEPLY immersive, and it's not afraid to suck you in like whoa. it's not just a festival i go to. it's not just an amazing way to discover new, interactive art. it's not just an opportunity for me to push myself mentally, physically and emotionally to survive a week in the desert. it's not just a drug and adrenaline fueled week of dancing and debauchery. it is all of those things, to be sure, but it is also a mindset and a challenge to myself in my daily life.

it has given me the time and space to learn to be true to myself, and to listen in the quiet moments to discover what that truth is. it has inspired me to create, and to enable others to create. it has provided me a community, a family of crazy fucking people who drive me nuts and fill me with love and wonder at the same time. it has introduced me to new people, new places and new skills that were hiding just beyond what i already knew.

since i started going (3 years ago), i've been to dozens of burner events, and each one has engaged me deeply and then left me changed. so i guess that's what it boils down to...

the thing i love most about burning man is that it pulls me in and then changes me. and it lets me decide for myself what that change is going to look like. it's empowering and humbling and incredible.

thanks, witch, for inspiring me to write about this. it's brightened my day more than you know.