Between Health & Art - Pyramid Lake, Nevada
Bad Unkl Sista
Before I came to Mongolia, just a couple weeks before, I got invited to take part in an adventure with the Bad Unkl Sista crew to an event on the Paiute Reservation at Pyramid Lake, Nevada. Actually the joke for me was how similar (but oodles and oodles smaller) everyone was saying it was to Burning Man, an event I have not been too- oh, also, there was a lake. Honestly, I really wanted to be somewhere like this Pyramid Lake area for the annular eclipse- and until about two weeks before it I didn’t think it would happen. Especially since I had a client scheduled for then… but that person was yanking my chain and cancelled- and honestly the very same day Anastasia Louise called me about going to Symbiosis- so who can deny the universe that request? Not me- Not us- so I just said yes- completely overlooking the fact that I have no idea how to deal with that kind of desert- the dust- the people- the energy- all completely overwhelming. Being with the people I was with though, I was so lucky- I mean, for goodness sakes we had an RV, a chef that cooked gluten free dairy free meals- we had EVERYTHING we possibly could have asked for, and then some.
However, regardless of all that the location can have a tendency to “take over” in a sense- especially during something so astrologically intense as an eclipse and especially in a desert. Essentially I was really happy to be there, but it was also on the challenging side. It was a test for myself- to see what it was like to be in a strange place staying in close quarters with people I don’t know that well.First off food is the most challenging for me- but my host basically has the same food restrictions as I do so that was removed instantly.Sleeping- another “thing” to wonder about in a desert- and well, the RV and some earplugs (the event was a music and arts festival- so yeah, lots of people and lots of loudness). Also I am finding earplugs to be just a generally essential accessory for almost any trip now- unless you are camping with a small group- ie. REAL camping.Environment- each and every place takes some acclimating- especially for me- so I find the first day I see, the second I acclimate and usually the third I can naturally start working creatively. Sometimes you don’t have that kind of luxurious time- but in just knowing what your pattern is, you may be able to put it on fast forward- I have successfully done that – but I’m still working on my own personal fast forward button.Out in the desert- well, actually I’m finding this is more common than just out in the desert- but especially out there- the land, the sky and the energy of it all has a tendency to take hold of me- and getting myself to get away to draw is a certain kind of challenge. You never can tell what will happen- where to sit- what you’ll see, so you’ll have to be prepared to possibly not actually find your “spot” and you will just have to try again. At Symbiosis I never really got myself to do it- but what I did was take some images and video of the things I wanted to draw and then attempt after the fact, which is considerably less satisfying- but it IS better than never taking out my drawing materials in reference to a particular environment. Photographs are wonderful, don’t get me wrong- but drawing and painting are what I really want to do more of!
(these drawings are with ink on primed sketchbook paper)
side note: While I was there I did a little black and white video that I have started editing, stopped because I was unhappy with it, started again at least three times…. I will share that as soon as I can- however I am sharing this now merely as an example that you really do just have to do it again sometimes…All in All, the biggest “test” was one of my anxiety issue- for quite a few years now I have been on a number of herbal medicines for this. Knowing that I would be traveling to Mongolia for almost a month I decided to wean myself off of them over time and find something else to take for support- something common and hopefully easy to find- so that is when I started testing out turmeric. I had done a lot of reading and gotten a lot of personal testimonials and suggestions and turmeric was the thing that stood out best. I started taking it about a week or so before going to Pyramid Lake- and maintained consistency in the desert pretty strictly. Let me tell you- it really works for me! I really have no idea why, I’m sure I’ll figure that part out eventually. I take about a ½ teaspoon in some water once or twice a day (twice when needing to be “strict”). It is better to take it with a “fat” for uptake- but I don’t always do that- actually I rarely do so I am not reaping all the benefits yet, but I am definitely happy with the result!
And finally, I have a point- if you plan on going somewhere unfamiliar in order to do some art- which used to be the common thing for an artist to do, get a good assessment of your health, and what sorts of things effect you- because moments and creative abandon become amplified in the unfamiliar and we all have different ways of dealing with it – you may become surprised at how you do, I am, each and every time.