Burning Man

When I've been telling people for the last few years of my desire to go to Burning Man, it's often led to responses of great surprise, puzzled looks and fear for my safety/sanity.  Why did I want to go?  I've been so curious about all of it - the concept, the art, the people, the music, the vibe and the principles (https://burningman.org/about/10-principles) that guide the community. I’d read that there was nothing like it in the world, and it brought together two things that I value - creativity and connection. After years of trying to score elusive tickets, my son Scotty came through this year with tickets for me and my friend Stephanie. And added bonus…Scotty would be there with a bunch of his Burner friends to help us find our way throughout the week!

And to address the elephant in the room... If you Google Burning Man, you'll no doubt see the outrageous stuff from Burning Man captured on YouTube, and one might assume that it’s all hippies / sex, drugs and rock&roll, right?  OK - yes, there’s some nude people walking around, don’t be shocked.  And yes - recreational drugs are a thing there.  And lots of music! But I’m here to say that the Burning Man experience is in complete control of the person attending.  Do what you want, and don’t do what you don’t want.  It will be exactly what you make it.

And what was it like? Well - first of all, you don’t just show up or go on a whim - there’s a LOT of prior planning involved - starting with being lucky enough to get a ticket.  Everyone there is camping, in a tent, yurt, RV, bus, car, whatever.  We flew into SFO, rented an RV in San Francisco and drove almost 7 hours to Burning Man.  So, just getting there wasn’t easy.  And you must take everything you need like food and water, bikes and all provisions.  You can’t buy things there - money is not used or recognized there - but that’s where gifting comes in - and there’s SO much of that!  For example, on the drive in to Black Rock City, we had stopped to fill up our camper's water reservoir and were going to go ahead and do the recommended task of taping up the windows of our camper to prevent dust coming in.  There was a camper behind us in line and they had already taped their windows. Realizing that we had brought the wrong kind of tape, the guys in the other camper just gave us a roll of their tape. People are very generous sharing food, water, drinks, whatever - and so many acts of kindness. 

And it’s so HOT, and it’s so DUSTY, and it’s noisy and busy 24/7 - so get ready - sleep will be minimal all week. 

BurningMan takes place in a desert-like environment in the middle of nowhere in Nevada, many miles away from civilization. 11 months of the year, it is just a remote, barren, dusty wasteland - thousands of years ago there used to be a huge lake there - now it’s just flat, hot and dust. But a couple of weeks before BurningMan week, an organizing team assembles to build circular-shaped infrastructure of about 1.75 miles, called Black Rock City.  People will camp on the periphery of the circle where you see the lines on the diagram, about 70% of the way around it, but the center as well as the open space around the 30% open periphery is randomly scattered with amazing unique lifesize (and much bigger) art and music.   All this open space is called the Playa. 

But the geographic  and literal focus is on the center of the Playa where a giant “Man” is built.  The Man is unique in design every year. At the end of the BurningMan week, the Man will be burned in a spectacular festival event that all 60,000+ Burners turn out to watch.  We walked through the foundation of the Man our first night there and there was all this beautiful art!  

And for the first time this year the man had a “brain,” and you were invited to write down thoughts to enter into the brain. (I did.)

There’s also a Temple built further out on the Playa every year, a beautiful spiritual-based structure that is created for people to go and find their peace, and remember those who have been lost.  Many leave remembrances or pictures or write messages to/about their loved ones who have passed.  Some people with burdens that they no longer want to carry, leave them in the Temple as a symbolic way to let them go.

The Temple is a powerful and beautiful place to spend time.  It also is burned at the end of the week, providing symbolic closure for whatever was left inside it during the week.

At night the Playa becomes even more magical as everything (the art, the people, the bikes, the Man, the Temple) is illuminated.  It’s beautiful to see.

And what was my experience as a first-time Burner like? Honestly, it was so intense that it’s taken a week or two to process it, but here goes.   

Highlights:

1 - I met so many people and every one of them was so friendly and kind.  So many hugs - and when someone hugged you it struck me how it felt very different and genuine.  Not just a quick social hug as we are all used to, but they really held you. And you felt seen. The environment is such you could walk into any camp and be welcomed. A sharp contrast to the societal feeling of people being politically divided and wary of each other, that’s common today in our country. 

2 - Experiencing the hundreds of pieces of art on the playa - and the art cars…yes moving art! - was a huge highlight. A lot of the art was interactive - you could sit on it, climb up it and on it, slide down it, or in the case of art cars - drive them around!  And it was great fun to play on the art, and in camps around.

I wished I could have known the back stories on more of the art pieces, but I did get a few of them. There was the art that was created from street signs from Ukraine and Russia containing bullet holes from the war. They had been arranged to form the words “I’m Fine.” 

And the huge beautiful animated metal butterfly flapping its wings, while classical music played in the background. A couple of girls who had walked by were actually doing ballet dancing under the butterfly.  Scotty told me he actually met that artist on the Playa. 

And the huge animated human heart that was simulating beating - and if you looked closer you could see that it had hundreds of small houses on its surface. My thoughts were that it was representing the collective beating heart of humanity. 

Then there was this piece - you see here one of 4 animal heads crafted from actual money coins to simulate the color and texture of their fur.

And this piece was made of wood to resemble the head of a dog - the inscription was in Spanish and translated to "I love you, Fat Dog." The artist said " This is my ode to all the loved dogs that us humans treasure, and this shrine is something I hope encapsulates the love, playfulness, and healing nature of canines.

Please come by and write a prayer, a song, a eulogy, a thank you note for your puppy whether living or in another sphere."

In all honesty, my work life mostly centered around the logical technology world, and in years past I'll admit that I have undervalued artists. However in the past few years I’ve done a complete turnaround, feeling massive respect for artistic talent and perspective. I’m even trying to tap into my creative side in a couple of ways these days.

3 - Incredible sunsets and sunrises.  The sun coming and going beyond the mountain  at sunset and sunrise was one of the most spectacular, peaceful and beautiful things I’ve ever seen.

4 - Fun costumes.  Leave your buttoned-up persona at home and be somebody different every day if you want to!

5 - Impromptu concerts popping up everywhere at all hours!  The typical genre of music wasn't one I listen to everyday but I really liked it.  And then there was the morning I was listening to music from a deejay at one of the art cars out on the playa and the next song was a remix but very recognizable rendition of “So Happy Together” from the Turtles 1967 hit.  Music has such power to transform one to another place and time - instantly, I was 12 years old, listening to the AM radio in my room.  57 years ago.  So unexpected and so great!

6 - There were a surprising number of older people there!  Granted, most of the Burners were 20- or 30- or maybe 40- somethings.  But gotta say that I saw a surprising number of older people as well - including considerable grey hair!  And be careful about making a snap judgment about BurningMan people being weirdos.  You might be VERY surprised about the "normal people" who you meet out on the Playa. :-)  I say to my 60-something friends...Want a dose of feeling younger?  Burning Man!

7 - It’s such an extreme physical environment, and overwhelming at first. You have to learn how to mentally manage all the stimulation, stay hydrated, not be in the hot sun too much and manage sleep wisely. The first couple of days, I was learning how to pace the days and nights, but then found myself relaxing into feeling present and peaceful, embracing this special experience. And then, before I knew it, the week was over and I was sad for it to end. 

So, there are theme camps all around - this one served free biscuits and gravy every day.  Yes, please!

8 - Getting everywhere on bikes!  People bring bikes to get around - walking everywhere would take a long time because it’s so spread out. And biking everywhere makes it easy to just stop and check out something that interests you. We could do that in everyday life, too, couldn’t we?  Leave the car at home!

Bikes also have to be outfitted with lights, because it's VERY dark on the Playa at night and if you can't see and be seen - you'll likely get run over or run someone else over.  Here's my Walmart-purchased bike.  You do not want to take a fancy or expensive bike to Burning Man - the Playa dust gets into everything including bike components.

Lights on your body and clothing are also required.  Safety first!

9 - Bottom line, I guess my experience can be summarized as spending a week surrounded by joy and love.  It’s an inclusive, playful, loving place - and indeed a wonderland of human creativity and connection.

 I felt very welcomed and I'm so grateful for the time on the Playa with beautiful humans.  I feel like I experienced maybe 1% of it - it’s that huge with so much that I didn’t get to see.  I miss it already and hope I get the chance to go again. But until then, I hope to channel the love and wonder into greater connection and creativity right here in the real world.

And so much love to my son Scotty Schuckies, who not only made my Burning Man week possible, was also there to share it with me - making it all more special! And love to Andrew, Stephanie and all the crew in Scotty's camp who welcomed us with literal open arms.