Camp No, Thank You
Camp No, Thank You
In two days I head to Flipside. This will be my 15th year in a row attending. Wonderlounge is having a quincinera and I plan to stop by because girl, I’m a woman now.
Since moving back to Texas I normally do a volunteer role for the organization, but I make sure that role doesn’t actually have any work onsite (minus our camp shift). Four days isn’t really that long, and especially once I moved I use that time to huff my out of town friends. So normally I use those 4 days as the time of the year when I’m not responsible to anyone to do anything. I may do the same thing at Burning Man, but the playa is not relaxing.
Years ago our camp used to be on the field and work at interactivity. We achieved different levels of success with that especially since weren’t local. We moved from full camp interactivity to event interactions-ridiculous breakfasts and ridiculous rampages. And for the past 4 years our camp has been the camp that does nothing in camp. I choose to believe we’re among the funniest people out there, but our giant camp of disparate groups is the retirement village. We have no dues. We have no requirements. We have no official camp infrastructure, because all of those things can bring drama, and that above all is what we don’t want.
But last year I had a moment of inspiration. My friend Steve has a lovely camp called Camp Yes Please! and I was thinking about that when I decided that what Flipside needed was Camp No Thank You. I think I had just had a weird interaction and a been given a bad drink. And while Flipside and Burning Man are filled with wonder and delight, there is a certain amount of shit that comes along with it. This is not a PLUR event. I don’t have to love everyone.
And so out of my grumpiness I created a camp, a camp where I get to say no. The concept is this.
We are open 4 hours a night.
People come into our space and offer us their gift.
Nine times out of 10 we will decide we don’t really want it, and say Camp No Thank You. But just for trying they get their pick of buttons, with funny sayings related to things they don’t want. Ex:
No Thank You. I’ve already been saged. Repeatedly.
No Thank You. I’ve already had my poorly made drink.
No Thank You. I’ve already had my creepy hug.
But 3 times a night each of us gets to say Thank You, and accept the gift. If we do, then there’s a bell and maybe a dance, and they get a fine piece of schwag.
So in the past few months me and mine have worked very hard on this camp. There’s over a hundred buttons, there’s many many necklaces that Russ lasered at tech shop and Sylkia painted. There’s a beautiful sign that Pixie and Peter Fuhry have crafted. There’s lights and bells and more all purchased for this thing. (I’ve spent more on this camp than on a a Burn event since I first had to do things like get a tent, etc.)
And the thing is, I don’t actually know if it will work. If you have a bar camp, you know people will come in and drink your possibly poorly made but free drinks. If you have a dj setup, you at least believe that people will come dance to your tunes. Lounge space? People love to sit. But I’m asking people to pony up for possible/probable rejection. Not sure if people will go for it.
But it doesn’t really matter. I’m building a project knowing that in the end it will burn. It really has been about the cheesy journey. It has been about designing the art with Russ. It has been about that man showing me that when he says he will help he will do it and joyfully. It has been about telling people about the camp and having them provide me with button ideas. It has been about the joy Pixie felt shopping for the perfect bell. It has been about coming home to see how Sylkia managed to paint them and it looks so much better than I thought. It has been about that moment when we put it all together as Team No Thank You in my backyard last weekend and thought, well, even if it doesn’t work and no one participates, we have at least created a well lit place to hang out. And the necklaces are wood so they will burn well and we won’t have to cart them home. By this time next week I will be home. Part of how to have a good burn is to not have expectations. But it’s hard to do when you put so much work in. So let’s see what happens and as of this moment I feel fully at peace with that phrase of whatever happens, happens.
I always say we work very hard for our fun. And this year that is definitely true. But I would so rather be doing this than anything else.
In two days I head to Flipside. This will be my 15th year in a row attending. Wonderlounge is having a quincinera and I plan to stop by because girl, I’m a woman now.
Since moving back to Texas I normally do a volunteer role for the organization, but I make sure that role doesn’t actually have any work onsite (minus our camp shift). Four days isn’t really that long, and especially once I moved I use that time to huff my out of town friends. So normally I use those 4 days as the time of the year when I’m not responsible to anyone to do anything. I may do the same thing at Burning Man, but the playa is not relaxing.
Years ago our camp used to be on the field and work at interactivity. We achieved different levels of success with that especially since weren’t local. We moved from full camp interactivity to event interactions-ridiculous breakfasts and ridiculous rampages. And for the past 4 years our camp has been the camp that does nothing in camp. I choose to believe we’re among the funniest people out there, but our giant camp of disparate groups is the retirement village. We have no dues. We have no requirements. We have no official camp infrastructure, because all of those things can bring drama, and that above all is what we don’t want.
But last year I had a moment of inspiration. My friend Steve has a lovely camp called Camp Yes Please! and I was thinking about that when I decided that what Flipside needed was Camp No Thank You. I think I had just had a weird interaction and a been given a bad drink. And while Flipside and Burning Man are filled with wonder and delight, there is a certain amount of shit that comes along with it. This is not a PLUR event. I don’t have to love everyone.
And so out of my grumpiness I created a camp, a camp where I get to say no. The concept is this.
We are open 4 hours a night.
People come into our space and offer us their gift.
Nine times out of 10 we will decide we don’t really want it, and say Camp No Thank You. But just for trying they get their pick of buttons, with funny sayings related to things they don’t want. Ex:
No Thank You. I’ve already been saged. Repeatedly.
No Thank You. I’ve already had my poorly made drink.
No Thank You. I’ve already had my creepy hug.
But 3 times a night each of us gets to say Thank You, and accept the gift. If we do, then there’s a bell and maybe a dance, and they get a fine piece of schwag.
So in the past few months me and mine have worked very hard on this camp. There’s over a hundred buttons, there’s many many necklaces that Russ lasered at tech shop and Sylkia painted. There’s a beautiful sign that Pixie and Peter Fuhry have crafted. There’s lights and bells and more all purchased for this thing. (I’ve spent more on this camp than on a a Burn event since I first had to do things like get a tent, etc.)
And the thing is, I don’t actually know if it will work. If you have a bar camp, you know people will come in and drink your possibly poorly made but free drinks. If you have a dj setup, you at least believe that people will come dance to your tunes. Lounge space? People love to sit. But I’m asking people to pony up for possible/probable rejection. Not sure if people will go for it.
But it doesn’t really matter. I’m building a project knowing that in the end it will burn. It really has been about the cheesy journey. It has been about designing the art with Russ. It has been about that man showing me that when he says he will help he will do it and joyfully. It has been about telling people about the camp and having them provide me with button ideas. It has been about the joy Pixie felt shopping for the perfect bell. It has been about coming home to see how Sylkia managed to paint them and it looks so much better than I thought. It has been about that moment when we put it all together as Team No Thank You in my backyard last weekend and thought, well, even if it doesn’t work and no one participates, we have at least created a well lit place to hang out. And the necklaces are wood so they will burn well and we won’t have to cart them home. By this time next week I will be home. Part of how to have a good burn is to not have expectations. But it’s hard to do when you put so much work in. So let’s see what happens and as of this moment I feel fully at peace with that phrase of whatever happens, happens.
I always say we work very hard for our fun. And this year that is definitely true. But I would so rather be doing this than anything else.