Burn Out?

dav725 · Post by **dav725** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 1:10 pm

This was my 7th consecutive year at BRC and I finally am feeling signs of burn out. Everything that felt extra-ordinary and magical seemed nice and cool, but not as amazing as they had seemed in the past. The art just didn't seem that great to me this year. I don't know how to explain it, but even though I'm glad that all of the things I do every year are still there..there doesn't seem to be enough new things, new events. Even the burn seemed smaller and not as thrilling.

I'm not bitching and moaning...I still love this place. And of course, maybe I need to try and experience some totally new things at BRC. I've swtiched up my situation where I am now a co-organizer of a theme camp...and I brought lots of virgins there...which made me feel more like a host and less of a participant. I guess the year felt like a Greatest Hits.

Is this kind of burn out normal? How have people gotten over this?

oneeyeddick · Post by **oneeyeddick** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 1:14 pm

It happens, it took me 9 years to get that feeling you know have.

Build an Mutant Vehicle next year.

Join a different themecamp(this one worked for me)

Volunteer

Do different things, there are plenty of them, make a list of things to do and try to follow through with it.

Good luck !!!

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 1:38 pm

Take a year off, hippy. We will still be here when you get back.

oleg8888 · Post by **oleg8888** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 3:24 pm

dav725 wrote: ...............
I need to try and experience some totally new things at BRC.
.............

I think you answered your own question.

Building a Mutant is a great experience, but you better start NOW!

Volunteering could be rewarding!!!!

If none of that is an option, look at what you've done for the past 7 years and do EVERYTHING differently.

Token · Post by **Token** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 4:19 pm

I hear that a trip to Hawaii costs less than the average burn cost ...

Post by **AntiM** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 4:58 pm

Token wrote:I hear that a trip to Hawaii costs less than the average burn cost ...

Nope. I can guarantee we spend less going to Big Island than we do going to the burn. But we have a place to stay in Hawaii and know how to shop like locals for food. I don't have an art project for Hawaii.

BitterDan · Post by **BitterDan** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 5:25 pm

Went to Hawaii 2 years ago, cost me ~$1000 whereas Burning Man costs me at LEAST $1500 a year. Which do I get more personal satisfaction from? I'll let you guess.

Snowah Zark · Post by **Snowah Zark** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 5:51 pm

next year, TAKE the brown acid.

ygmir · Post by **ygmir** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 9:46 pm

I did.....look what it did for me...........

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 10:44 pm

Ugly Dougly wrote:Take a year off, hippy. We will still be here when you get back.

Yeah, take a year off! But come out for 4th of juplaya! Guns, fireworks, no BLM! Just a little... but you might like it! It has nothing to do with burning man....

dav725 · Post by **dav725** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 9:23 pm

Thanks for the advice. Funny, but I got together with some of my friends who went this year and we looked at everyone's pics...and there it was....I got the warm fuzzy again. This place is really deceptive....with a bit of distance now I think this might have been my best trip yet. But I still think the art sucked.

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 10:31 pm

dav725 wrote:Thanks for the advice. Funny, but I got together with some of my friends who went this year and we looked at everyone's pics...and there it was....I got the warm fuzzy again. This place is really deceptive....with a bit of distance now I think this might have been my best trip yet. But I still think the art sucked.

I'm not saying you do it..but a lot of burners seem to expect each burn to be like their first. Thus a lot of annoying ex-burners on craigslist during the event. Fuck em! I like the challenge of making the next year more comfortable. Being with a theme camp didn't help...but oh well. Sorry for the rant. Hope you make it back.

Mosin · Post by **Mosin** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:01 am

This was my third burn and I must admit I had a similar set of feelings on the first few days... sort of tripping out on myself that I was not having the same over-the-top reaction/s to things that were so stellar the first and second years. (eg. riding by Roller Disco and thinking "Cool, there's the Roller Disco" rather than "OMFG!! ROller Disco out HERE!!! HOLY CRAP how epic is that?!!!!). This includes reactions/interactions while doing our second annual 1000 Otter Pop giveaway from our Mexican ice cream/paletas pushcart (Deliciosos Helados Frida) debuted last year. I told my wife about this, um, *phenomenon* and we ponderd it together...figuring eventually that iit was like experiences in any great city/community one first visits or lives in...and how those shift over time naturally with experience/familiarity. Like, the things I/we did for entertainment and socializing and community building when we first moved to the Bay Area evolved over the years as we grew/changed, and as we discovered new layers and nuances...such that the things we got off on in 1990 were in many ways different than our experiencres/interests/focus 10 years later....as they continue to evolve now. It made me think of all the things I have not yet seen or participated in (or volunteered for) in BRC... the multitude of possibilities/trajectories, and how exciting it's going to be to step up our own game next year (considering different theme camp ideas/options, gifting ideas etc) and to volunteer... perhaps at the airport, which I have still never even SEEN!

Post by **Sham** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:05 am

What a great thread. This year I felt burnout more than I have ever felt. I was comparing art to previous years and had less ambition to explore new things. I hope as a little more time passes, I will get over it, but I know exactly what everyone is talking about. I keep waffling (mmm, waffles) between making a new art car for the playa and not attending next year. Do I want to crank things up a notch for 2010 or sit the year out?

I am really glad that others are dealing with this too and will use this thread as my therapy group! "Hi, my name is Shambala and I'm a burner burnout"!

TomServo · Post by **TomServo** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:11 am

If you like roller disco, they're out in golden gate parl around 1pm. The same group from burning man.

mars · Post by **mars** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:24 am

The part I relate to is being an organizer of a theme camp...it can take a bit of the fun away...feeling like a host more than a participant...it was good that I still volunteered as a greeter and next year I pledge to go out more by myself for unscripted adventures.

This was year 7 for me and I've tried to mix it up a bit each year and do things differently. I think for next year I need to do something COMPLETELY different...new camp, different side of the city, all new experiences...like starting over.

yellowdog · Post by **yellowdog** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 9:32 am

Boy, does this sound familiar! Both my wife and I have had the same conversation the past few weeks. This was our 6th year of 7 (skipped the Crude Awakening year, just so we could work on other projects thru the summer. How does it take 2 months to prepare for a one week event?). We brought 4 virgins (who TOTALLY got it), had a great camp, several small-scale art/interactive projects that actually worked, and made new friends. It really was a perfect year, we realized after looking at pictures last week. So, why didn't we feel that way on the playa? I figure it's like any relationship. That feeling of being crazy in love, of soaking up everything about someone and craving more, of missing them when they are not right next to you; that only dominates for a while. I think we are wired that way. There's a theory of 'serial monogamy' that we stay emotionally attached roughly long enough to raise a child to survival age (5-7 years), and then move on to reproduce with a new genetic partner. (Of course, not everyone follows that pattern.) Point being, if we are wired that way, it's natural to 'lose that lovin' feeling' after 7 years +/- of a relationship. And Burning Man is a kind of relationship. What to do? 1)Concentrate on the things you love about the event. You have the advantage of knowing what pushes your buttons best, now. 2) do something completely different within the context of the experience. This year, we initiated Solo Night. Next year, we may extend that to 24 hours of staying away from familiarity. 3) skip a year, do something else novel and challenging. We plan to go to Colombia next year and trek in the jungle. 4) if you're like us, Burning Man has changed you in so many ways, that your whole year is different, now. So that week is no longer 180 degrees from usual. Maybe you don't HAVE to go every year.
Yeah, I really miss that OMG, OMG, OMG! feeling, too. But I'm a lot more comfortable there, now. Maybe it's time to push myself out of that comfort zone...

misfit · Post by **misfit** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 10:13 am

possibly the weather the past 4 years had a little to do with losing that loving feeling.?....

RedHeaven · Post by **RedHeaven** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:04 pm

I am having the complete opposite feeling. Year 5 and Im more overwhelmed than ever. I dont kow what to do, so much to do, I just stand there dumbfounded. There are still things I do way wrong (my bike fucking sucked this year, cruiser broke last) and how many fuggin years is it gonna take me to get it at like 95%? SIGH. I now have expectations of previous years that I am trying to shake. Im so down for a different kind of burn each time, but it STILL bites me in the ass. Lots of lessons to learn and more to love every time, I only WISH i had a bit of burnout. !!

Wiht that said, I am not going next year. My husband doesnt burn, and we wanna do something the 2 of us, and Im totally 100% stoked to take the year off and do other things. However, there is still so much to do in BRC.....2011 I need to do some thinking, health prepping, mental and physical, really think out my next year I go, and when I get there let it all go to the WIND !!

Thanks for letting me hijack your thread. I think the key to answer your question is take a year off or just go about the event in a totally new way. Dont just focus on art and politics n stuff, check out the noooks and crannies more.

dav725 · Post by **dav725** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 1:55 pm

I'm really glad that others are responding to this thread because I was feeling really alone with this. It is quite possible that I have changed so much by my trips to BM that nothing there seems that unusual, out of the ordinary or scary. I used to be scared of losing my group out on the playa, being separated from my partner....now its ok because I know the city pretty well. And my partner and I have a system where we just meet back up at camp if we get separated. And I've gotten really good at this trip...I'm the guy who never loses anything, always knows where his water bottle is, has a system down for everything and packs really, really well. I did critical dicks this year for the first time, and that was a stretch for me. Maybe I'll never get that OMFG feeling again with this place...but I feel like I'd be heartbroken to miss it.

Thanks for all the company here in this thread!

Post by **Sham** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 2:34 pm

dav725 wrote:Maybe I'll never get that OMFG feeling again with this place...but I feel like I'd be heartbroken to miss it.

It's still very hard to put my finger on this, but prior to my first trip to BRC, I imagined what it would be like. I know all our expectations may have been different, but we all found what we were seeking. Then we came back to BRC and found it again---and again--and again.
I never imagined I could go naked in public, but after the world naked bike ride, I found that fear was addressed and conquered. The next several rides were fun, but it was just a naked bike ride. There were so many other examples, but I hope this gets the point across.
I came to the event and found what I needed, do I have to come back and find it again?
Yes, I am still on the fence, but it's nice to know that others are dealing with the same thoughts. As January comes along, I'm sure I will be buying that stupid ticket no matter what.

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 3:08 pm

BitterDan wrote:Went to Hawaii 2 years ago, cost me ~$1000 whereas Burning Man costs me at LEAST $1500 a year. Which do I get more personal satisfaction from? I'll let you guess.

You didn't burn shit on the beach on Hawai'i, I'll bet.

C.f.M. · Post by **C.f.M.** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 1:07 pm

It was my first year, and I left feeling burnt out - towards the whole burn scene, in general. Wanted to cancel my theme camp at Alchemy and leave the whole scene behind.

vargaso · Post by **vargaso** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 1:33 pm

I'll add to the pile and say, build a Mutant Vehicle. This was my 3rd burn but first time with a MV and holy shit, it was the BEST catalyst for interacting with people. So many great moments that happened solely because of the vehicle. And also, it was a shitload of work, both off and on the playa, but very satisfying. We're bringing it back next year for sure.

DoctorIknow · Post by **DoctorIknow** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 2:48 pm

I can't really remember feeling burnt out the first time in '98, but I do remember feeling that every year since then, especially when doing the ever so long de-playa-izing of vehicle and stuff, I have my doubts about returning the next year.

As the event became more predictable to me, my "ahh-ha" moments seem further apart, but I know of no other environment where unrealized/undiscovered parts of me can be yanked around, for better and worse (with the "worse" sometimes trumping the "better" in personal growth) but I pay dearly for those moments in dollars and time spent from other pursuits. The impact I may have on others that usually has no feedback other than immediate (close to the legal definition of a gift) can't be part of my ego's need to weigh my personal value of the event.

But then comes January and advance ticket sales (and sitting in front of the computer for 3-4 hours LOL) and I figure that if I don't want to go, I can unload them. But then comes June or July with a Sacramento temp of 100+ degrees, and my body memory overwhelms EVERY thought of not going.

The final nail in the coffin about going or not going is what I think is the possibility (each year) that it could be the last BurningMan and I be mighty sad if I cancelled 2010 and planned for 2011 and 2011 never happened. Anyone who thinks this event (Regionals NOT are not the playa) will continue for their whole life has for sure taken too many drugs! Default world thinking has its place, afterall....

dr.placebo · Post by **dr.placebo** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 4:30 pm

The OMG feeling for just about any activity fades. After 11 years I am not often amazed, although I can still appreciate and love what I see. Instead, what I get when I arrive, or I see something interesting, or I get to hug a friend I have not see for almost a year, is the feeling of "home again." I don't really care if anyone finds it corny or sentimental, because the feeling is there regardless of all the scoffing.

Somewhere along the line I had the realization that I was not there to be entertained, but rather to build something. Art, community, relationship, music, whatever. The event continues to inspire me in that urge to build.

There's another sense of "burn out" that I do struggle with sometimes. That is when I try to do more than I can fit into a week and I become exhausted and discouraged at all that I wanted to do and did not do. I think that this is worth the struggle. Over the years I have learned that a week is not nearly enough to do everything I want to do, but by stretching I can do more than I could do before. Every year I discover more about my limits and my capabilities than I knew the previous year.

So that's my lesson for myself. Don't expect someone else to amaze you. Amaze yourself.

yellowdog · Post by **yellowdog** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 8:30 pm

Somewhere along the line I had the realization that I was not there to be entertained

Bingo! Thank you!

Ugly Dougly · Post by **Ugly Dougly** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 1:28 pm

C.f.M. wrote:It was my first year, and I left feeling burnt out - towards the whole burn scene, in general. Wanted to cancel my theme camp at Alchemy and leave the whole scene behind.

Sorry to hear that, C.f.M.

The incessant dust storms were a great strain on civilized mortals, as I have been told. A good group with a large, stout tent would make waiting out those dust storms a lot more pleasant.

Boijoy · Post by **Boijoy** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 1:56 pm

yeah.. I was kind of " burnt out" this year. mostly because my butt was kicked before I even got there. ( getting ready and all ) Plus I had two flat tires on the way out. I had more than one moment of .. " is all this worth it "??. didn't get over it until I got home.

I was considering taking next year off.. but then my girlfriend says .. you ARE going.. because I'M going..

So, See you guys next year!!

I'm thinking less booze & brownies next year might help..

thisisthatwhichis · Post by **thisisthatwhichis** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 2:28 pm

I can only say that I missed it dearly after taking off in '05......

Yes, de-comp is hard, and I'm always tired after-burn, but that feeling of "missed community" after the year I missed, was really hard.

We spent more time this year getting out, and it was very cool. Cruising the back streets in our artcar was too much fun, and we met many new people....... I guess that's what it comes down to for me....... The people.

Art comes and goes, is strange and kewl, but, the peeps are soooo worth hugging each year.............

Burn Out?

Burn Out?

Re: Burn Out?