Being on the road as much as we have been recently brings an interesting state of mind. A nomadic mind frame takes hold that accentuates two main things after a while: the life enhancement aspects of constantly experiencing new things in new places, and the life enhancement aspects of simply staying at home. Although this may seem paradoxical, to us it makes perfect sense. In Swedish, there’s a clever saying: ”Borta bra men hemma bäst.” (Approx: ”Being away is great but being at home is the best”) This sort of amplifies the relationship, doesn’t it? You can only really appreciate one or the other fully while integrating the other.
A long time ago, I wrote a poem for Cotton Ferox that opened with:
If I could travel anywhere
I would travel everywhere
One endless trip
Witch occasional stops
To assemble the documentation
And that’s basically become a mantra or even a way of life now. Although both options can be daunting and tiring at times, the awareness that there is balance just around the corner helps situate the basic human dilemma. Where can we survive the best? Where do we thrive the most? Being an admirer of Asian (specifically Daoist) thought, I would argue that ”it’s all good.” The basic mistake that humans do when they yearn for what they don’t have is that they ”exoticize” way too much. Being frustrated over that you can’t go to the end of the world immediately is an utter waste of energy. Unknown territories are much closer than they appear in the rear view mirror!
We make art of what we experience, and as what we experience is interpreted by us as art, we have come to inhabit a zone that is creatively ultra-conducive to new ideas and experiences. And then we make art of those too. We have enough material to last us many lifetimes, but it’s still not enough. We are always greedy for new experience and new pleasure. Give us more, and we’ll give plenty more back; regardless if we’re at home in our magical library, or in the desert, or in the urban jungle, or at sea, or just plain nowhere. After all, it’s essentially all the same.
Join us for more adventures at: www.patreon.com/vanessa23carl
