Going to Burning Man
Well, it’s that time of year, and for the first time in four or five years, I’m headed out to Burning Man. I’m really excited about the opportunity to make the trip again, and I’m looking forward to seeing how the event has changed while I’ve been away, and maybe even getting some perspective on how I have changed in my time away from it. In the time since I last went, I’ve found a new career dream, I applied and completed the graduate program that I just finished. I don’t think that I had even heard of anaplastology or thought of the idea of medical art the last time I was there. I was focusing on anatomy in art around that time in my life, but had no idea the paths that would open for me.
I know that living in Chicago has changed me. Any time you uproot and move, it changes you. I know that my studies have changed me. This program has been a huge challenge, and it has been a part of shaping the me I am today. I look forward to conversations with old friends about the things that I have learned and the new dreams I have for the kind of work and life I want for myself.
A lot of people work very hard every year to create amazing art installations and beautiful things for this event. I don’t have anything like that to bring at this point. Believe me, it’s easy to get to thinking about what one would do with unlimited funds. With the work I’ve done in the last year, the temptation becomes to make all kinds of anatomical art out there for people to interact with and play with in the middle of the desert. But even without being able to do anything like that, I feel like I’m bringing some piece of the outside world with me. I’m glad for the time I’ve taken away from this event, and for the things I’ve learned, and work I’ve done. And now it’s time to go back, and challenge myself with desert living again, and learn a little more about myself outside of the academic environment again.
There is such a spirit of possibility out there. Even just getting such a coveted ticket this year, well the odds were tough, but here I am going. The people helping me get there, and who I will stay with are such ‘anything is possible’ people, that they never cease to inspire me. I had to give some thought to allowing myself to be away from my computer and distracted from the job hunt to go, but I feel like this is the right decision. I hope to return enriched, and ready for the next steps to come. After all, if 50,000 or so people can come together to build a city in the desert for a week and then tear it all down just because they want to, what can’t we do?