Thinkpieces

Burn, Baby, Burn

infamous Burning Man is what you make of it

JoAnna Haugen |

A hippie fest. A drug-induced, artsy orgy. A psychedelic gathering of like-minded liberals. A celebration of self-reliance. A statement against oppression, conformity, and “the man.”

Chances are you’ve heard something about Burning Man before, but here are the facts: Burning Man is a week-long event that takes place in Black Rock City, a city built in the Nevada desert for a single week to hold approximately 50,000 people, which is then deconstructed after the week is over. Everyone is responsible for providing their own food, water, and shelter, and nobody can leave anything behind, including garbage and gray water.

Beyond this, the definition of Burning Man is created by each person who experiences it. It has been described by so many people as so many things, which is why it is impossible to describe it at all. I was a Burning Man virgin this year, which seems appropriate since the theme was Evolution. Everyone is intensely curious about my experience in Black Rock City since I don’t fit into any of the pre-conceived Burning Man stereotypes, and it’s fair to say I’ve done a crummy job answering the question, “How was Burning Man?”

Returning to the “default” world after a week in Black Rock City, I’ve found the only people who truly understand my difficulty in answering the question are other burners. Though we all shared the same living space for a week, every experience is personal – and for many of us, it is life-changing as well. So while I can’t accurately articulate what happens in that Nevada desert, and I can’t speak for any other burners, I can share five life lessons I learned at Burning Man:

    1. Community is real. Burning Man is probably not sustainable in the long run, but for a single week the true definition of community comes to life. People give and receive with graciousness. They take the time to get to know each other. They help each other. They share bikes, clothing, and food. And many times, these exchanges happen between complete strangers.


    2. Never say never. If it can be done in the harsh environment of Black Rock City, I am convinced it can be done anywhere. Both good and bad (as defined by our society) happens at Burning Man, and I witnessed only a tiny fraction of it. If people believe they can do something and they are set on doing it, it can be done.

  3. Experiences are created from pieces. Burning Man in and of itself did not define my time there. Every element that came together during the week. The people, the conversations, the camaraderie, the challenges, and the opportunities defined my comprehensive Burning Man memory. Likewise, no one thing in the default world can define an experience. A number of elements – the time of day, our surroundings, our emotions, our pre-conceived notions – play a part in every moment. If something isn’t working, I’ve learned to change just one or two things in a given moment and suddenly I’m empowered to control the entire experience.

    4. Ask why not. I’ve gotten so used to asking why I should do something that it never dawned on me to ask “why not?” The default world defines our confines. I’ve come to live within that space, and, at some point in my life, stopped questioning anything beyond that defined area. At Burning Man, instead of looking internally for validation, I gave myself the freedom to do what was comfortable, safe, and right for me. In the process I realized that asking “why not?” opened up many doors I had already mentally closed.

    5. Nothing can define creativity, beauty, or art. Nowhere else have I experienced such a concentration of such spectacular surroundings. Burning Man is an expression of passion. People are real. This isn’t a parade of outrageous costumes; people are decked out in fur, feathers, leather, wings, masks, wigs, lingerie, lace, or nothing at all because they want to and they can … and because they are comfortable doing so. Likewise, the art at Burning Man ranges from fantastic and functional to simple and subtle. When viewed in the context of an environment of open expression, everything is multi-dimensional. Just as –and because – creativity, beauty, and art defy definition, so does Burning Man.