10/09/2023
I am always terrible at making post-event introspective/gratitude posts. Sharing my thoughts and feelings on socials seems less appealing all the time. But if I wait much longer to talk about Burning Man, I’ll be planning for next year.
The Burn is always challenging. But this year came with a whole new level of unexpected hurdles to overcome. Which also made this one of the most rewarding Burns. The usual cliches were on full display and amplified: “F**k yer Burn”, “Playa Time” and “You don’t get the Burn you want, you get the Burn you need”.
I know it’s a bad idea to set expectations, which slaps me in the face every year, and this year most of all. From DJ sets and camp sermons that fell through, to all of the art I thought I would get to later in the week which became improbable once the storms hit.
But the community came together Once the initial shock wore off and we learned how to best manage the mud pit, everyone did an amazing job of making the most of the situation we were in. I lost some DJ sets, but gained some epic ones too (more on that soon). I didn’t see nearly as much art as I had hoped and planned, but that’s the case every year.
I got lucky and picked a good year to switch things up. While I’m usually out there solo, and with a soundcamp full of strangers or friends I rarely see, I had a much different experience this time. I got to camp with some of my favorite people on the planet with our of cage. And share an incredible and unique experience with my Dream Creature for our 5 year wedding anniversary (also more on that soon).
There were ups and downs, highest of highs, and difficult lows. At one point I was thinking that I’d never want to experience this kind of situation again. But those sentiments faded, more so as time goes on, and I can look back on one of the best burns I have experienced. Every year will be different, and challenges will arise; both expected and not. But that’s part of the fun. And I’m already dreaming of returning next year!