It’s the Fight Club mentality. Ditch your amenities, be uncomfortable, beat yourself up a bit. It’s just a week after all. Many people question this pilgrimage but if you have gone and connected then you understand it too.

We set out once again for this beautiful patch of land in the northern Nevada desert to be immersed in an environment with thousands of other like minded people to see how we can warp our perception of the world we live in.

It is said every year that Burning Man has changed. People who haven’t ever attended come up with an absurd idea that it has become “commercialized”. Of course it has changed. It started off with fifteen guys on a beach in San Francisco, and now 32 years later, over 60,000 people watch a gigantic man burn in the desert 300 miles away. There will always be tourists. I’ve only gone consecutively since 2011 and I can feel a change, but I’d also bet that some veteran burners gave up on the event that same year when I arrived wide eyed and beaming with excitement. It’s the gentrification effect. The change is hard to swallow, but realize we were all new at one point.

I can say with confidence that before my first time in our beautiful city, I was a fairly straight-lined in-the-box thinking person. This festival has changed me for the better and I’ve become a much more creative and colorful person because of it. With every year there is definitely a noticeable increase in newbies, but I believe the core burners and vibe of the event still remain strong and maintain the principles of the gathering. And with all the virgins, the silver lining is that if the same thing can happen to these people as what happened to me, then I believe ultimately this community is still making the world a better place.

Whether you’ve been or not, I hope you enjoy a glimpse into how I chose to spend my time this time around. Welcome home.

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A stormy and very dusty afternoon

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