Yet again, this blog is making a shift. After a concerted several month effort to turn this blog into a community driven circus arts resource, it became quickly apparent that the community simply does not live within the blog-o-sphere. As well meaning, friendly and communicative as you all may be, that conversation lies elsewhere. And that’s fine.

That said, my own interests have begun to shift. And, as part of a major career change, I have found myself surrounded and enveloped in world consisting largely of hashtags, shortened URL’s, Facebook Insights and Content Calendars. And with less and less time to dedicate to circus arts and in turn this lovely blog, it has fallen into a state of stagnation.

An explanation: I have recently begun working as the Community Manager for Trident Gum. Which is a fantastic opportunity for me in terms of career and getting heavily involved in an industry that is growing and ever-evolving. Essentially I create the content, moderate, and respond to everything on Trident Gum’s Facebook page, Twitter, and most likely future social networks. This also means that my job requires a great deal of my mental energies and creative juices.

So I decided to turn this blog into a more personal expression of my interests rather than a pure resource for the flow arts. Does this mean no more awesome videos or long-winded posts about flow arts philosophy? Not at all! As evidenced by this post, I am as long-winded as ever. This merely allows me to naturally create content based around my everyday interests, regardless of whether or not those coincide with the daily interests of you crazy circus folks.

The question then becomes, who exactly is the blog catering to? I suppose the best answer to that question comes with my own understanding that as our community was birthed out of the social networking revolution, my content should then reflect that spirit and integration. And this blog will offer my own musings and interpretations of all things Social Media in a multitude of ways, including how they may be used or affect the flow arts community. So if you’re a spinner whose looking to use the digital world to further your business, community or personal experience, then this will be a fantastic resource written by one of your own!

Of course I’ll continue to write about flow arts and make videos. And alongside that fabulous content will live Social Media trends, observations, suggestions and predictions. How you integrate that is entirely up to you. And as always feel free to write in with questions, comment, and offer your own suggestions and articles on any topic you feel fits the blog.

I’m still not exactly sure how this will be reflected in the actual look and feel of the site, but expect separate sections dedicated purely to Social Media. And this also means that I’ll be consolidating the twitter accounts and Google + Accounts for this blog, since it’s basically just me writing. So make sure to Follow me personally, @gyrosean for all things GyroPulse.

Thanks again to all those who have contributed in the past (Thom Thumb, Sennyo, Topher, Wesley Bellanca, Joff, Kyrill), as well as the awesome readers who have supported me through post-heavy times, and the times of stagnation!

-Sean

Suffice it to say that this year’s ticket fiasco far exceeded the previous years. Not only that, I actually think it managed to exceed some of our own pessimistic predictions. Let me first start out by saying how much Burning Man does to run and cultivate a successful event. I could not do it better. But unfortunately, their expertise does not extend to the realm of ticketing. And until the event sold out last year, that was never really of great importance (beyond incredibly poor servers). With that said, it’s time to find some fresh, new ways to tackle this problem.

What we need are solutions that go beyond conventional wisdom. If Burning Man truly is a unique event with a unique base of participants, then our ticketing system has to reflect that. We have to abandon old models and look for unconventional ways to get the tickets into the hands of the people that need them. Below is my suggestion, and whether or not Burning Man reads this or takes any of my advice, hopefully my thoughts will inspire those who will be heard.

The Problem

Let’s begin by outlining exactly what the problem is with the ticketing system. While there will always be problems, the attempt here is to find the one’s most detrimental to the event and it’s inhabitants.

1. Scarcity- This is really the 800 pound gorilla in the room. And until the BLM decides to let more people in, or Burning Man finds a new location(s), there is no way to get around this problem.

2. Scalpers- While I’m sure the level of ticket scalping has been greatly over-exaggerated, the fear and panic that this notion instills in people is enough to drive many participants to over-compensate when registering for tickets. If we can come up with a solution that is at least 99% scalper-proof, I would deem that a massive success.

3. Virgins vs. Veterans- With scarcity becoming such a large factor, theme camps and artists have found themselves stranded without enough tickets. Certainly the hope remains that via STEP, excess tickets will find their way to all the camps, but what if there are simply many more virgins going? We can’t refuse people on the basis that they haven’t been before. This problem attacks the very core of the Burning Man principle “Radical Inclusion”.

4. Open Sale and The Lottery- As I said before, the ticketing system is broken. The open sale creates a mad-house-free-for-all which will undoubtedly crash the server and cause full-blown chaos. The Lottery, in it’s first year, has proven to be possibly the single most destructive event in Burning Man’s history. The system is broken. So let’s think of something else, something new!

5. Tiered Ticketing- Both a blessing and a curse, the system of tiered ticket prices has caused many grumblings among the event’s lower income participants. But the fact is that almost every burner will try to get the lowest tier possible, and will settle for the higher tiers if nothing else is available. Tiered ticketing simply rewards those lucky enough to either “win” the lottery or not have anything better to do during the open sale (such as having a job). Not only that, when those lower tier tickets are resold even by many well-meaning individuals, the prices often reflect only the highest tier ticket, turning burner against burner.

A Solution

Granted the title above may suggest that this is “the” solution, but I’m sure there are quite a few holes in my idea, and it simply may not be feasible. But this is my rough draft concept, and Burning Man can take what they want from it.

Step 1: Putting Theme Camps and Art Projects First

This will make more sense as my proposal unfolds, but for now bear with me. We must require all Theme Camps and Art Projects to register early, starting at the beginning of the year. An open registration starting in January and continuing until February, so those interested have plenty of time to develop their ideas.

When registering, they must outline their camps concept and space requirements, as they always have, but they must also specify how many people are needed to run their camp. So if, say Kostume Kult deems it necessary to have a minimum of 85 participants to make their camp a reality, then they must submit that number along with everything else. Also those numbers must coincide logically with the amount of space requested by the camps.

We would highly encourage those camps to accurately assess the numbers, but also not to underestimate their need. Once they apply, the number cannot be increased.

Step 2: Re-Imagining Ticket Distribution

In order to combat the problems above, we must first create a system capable to ensuring the tickets find their way to those actually meaning to attend. Not only that, but those meaning to participate as well. As many of us know, Burning Man does not simply exist. It is a labor of love. And as this lottery debacle highlights, if those building Burning Man can’t make it, then there is no Burning Man. What we need is a ticketing system that rewards those who are committed to participating.

I believe that Burning Man should divide ticket sales into 2 categories: Theme Camp and Open Sale

Theme Camp: I propose a flexible ticketing system that allocates tickets based on the requirements of the events participants first. Which means theme camps and art projects will be given priority in terms of the ticketing process. But instead of then sending each camp those tickets, each camp would be given a profile page on Burning Man’s ticketing website.

Those wishing to purchase tickets from the Theme Camp category are investing themselves in the participatory aspect of Burning Man. Potential ticket buyers would find theme camps in their area and would then either schedule a time to meet with the leaders of the camp, or perhaps attend a theme camps social event. At this point it is up to the camp to properly allocate their finite supply of tickets. With each camp their would be one individual, the “camp leader” according the ticketing system who is both responsible and liable for the proper distribution of tickets to any qualified and willing individuals.

What does this mean for potential camp leaders? They must decide whether or not an individual is truly interested in attending Burning Man, not re-selling the tickets. After that they must ensure that each person understands their possible roles as a participating member of the theme camp. While the level of participation needed may vary, they are highly encouraged to make it possible for any willing individual to reasonably attend and participate.

On the flip side, they are also responsible for ensuring that they allocate their tickets based on a first come, first served basis, rather than bias via friendship. If an acceptable individual wishes to join the camp, they must be allowed that option without fearing prejudice for being a “virgin” burner or not knowing those involved prior. Basically, don’t be a dick. And if any camp leader is discovered to be favoring certain ticket buyers over others, he/she will be banned from being a camp leader in future.

For those individuals joining a theme camp, the theme camp leader would give them a code to put into the ticketing system. From the camp’s profile on the Burning Man website, a person would enter the code, purchase the ticket, and their name would be added to an online database of ticket holders which would be associated with the camp. I’ll get to why that is important later. And the good news here, all the ticket prices are the same.

Open Sale: This is exactly as it sounds. Once again, burning man resorts to an open sale format. But this time there are fewer tickets available because of the newly formed Theme Camp category. While this initially sounds terrible, the Open Sale category has the potential for shrinking every year as the Theme Camps grow, expand, and multiply. Basically, we would promote participation by cannibalizing open sale tickets.

Initially let’s say the sale is split 50/50. There are roughly 25,000 tickets available to Theme Camps/Art Projects, and 25,000 will be available via the open sale. As time goes on, if the Theme Camp section sells out, another 5% of the tickets will be transferred to that section the following year, every year. The maximum number allotted to Theme Camps would stop at 80%, leaving only 20% to Open Sale, but ensuring greater participation.

The key to making all this work is creating “semi-transferrable” tickets. Essentially people are allowed to sell their tickets to individuals, but they must do so through Burning Man or their Theme Camp. For Theme Camp tickets, the camp leader must approve of the transfer, and can change the camps online database of participants to accurately reflect the change. For Open Sale tickets, all tickets are associated with the name of the ticket-holder. In order to change this name, the individual must re-sell their ticket through the organization. Money should never change hands between the seller and buyer, but instead the buyer pays BM, and the seller receives a reimbursement for their initial cost (less a small fee). Hopefully this will deter scalpers to the point of extinction.

Foolproof Concept: In order to make this concept fool-proof (relatively) Burning Man must abandon physical tickets in lieu of the online database and photo-ID’s. More on that later.

Step 3: Re-defining Gate Entry and Ticket Check-Ins

The final step to making this whole process work is to create a seamless integration between the names associated with the tickets and the individuals checking in when arriving to Burning Man. This process can happen with or without physical tickets, but without would be a much cleaner solution.

All volunteers checking tickets at the gate will be equipped with a smart phone or something similar and hand-held. Those devices would communicate over the cloud with the database. People would enter and show their ID and possibly their physical ticket. The ticket-checker would then ask if they registered via Theme Camp or Open Camp. The volunteer would select within the “app” which category. Following that with Open Camp they would search for the name associated with the ID. With Theme Camp they would select the Camp the participant said they were camping with. The list of names for each camp would be shorter, and the volunteer will find the name.

Once found, the volunteer would “check-in” the participant. This would alter the database in real time to account for the individual having already entered. This would ensure that multiple entries via the same name/ID didn’t occur. The info gathered would allow Burning Man to accurately assess the number of Theme Camp participants that actually attended, and alter the following year’s ticket allocations accordingly.

The biggest issue here is obtaining ID’s for children. This can be overcome by selecting “minor” when registering tickets on the website, and sending all minors a physical ticket.

Did I Cover Everything?

1. Scarcity: All we can hope for here is that the people going are participating. Hopefully this system helps ensure that.

2. Scalpers: The “semi-transferrable” ticketing process and Theme Camp category will keep many scalpers out of the system. It may not be perfect, but it’s a start.

3. Virgins vs. Veterans: This system will allow for knowledgeable veterans to held build and participate, and ensure that those camp leaders do not exclude virgins, but instead welcome them as helping hands! The open sale also keeps options open to those who simply cannot contribute via a theme camp or art project.

4. Open Sale and The Lottery: This concept does away with a lottery completely, and creates a more complex open sale with certain rules meant to keep scalpers out.

5. Tiered Ticketing: All tickets in this system are of equal price. This can easily be adjusted if needed, but at least by keeping theme camp participation tickets equal, it will not burden those contributing.

Again, this is just a rough draft, and I’m sure there are plenty of issues. But no matter what system we choose, there will always be some problems. They key is finding a solution that best fits our community and building upon that. Good luck out there, pass it on, and let me know what you think!

Terminology is the structure of language. Language is the vehicle for communication. Communication is the key to spreading our knowledge.

I have two conflicting feelings when it comes to terminology and semantics in regards to the flow arts in general. On the one hand, I understand the need for proper categorization when it comes to fully understanding as well as explaining the concepts to one another. On the other hand, I wonder why we’re all sitting here talking about flow when we should just be getting off our asses and doing it. I mean, after all, the flow arts are a kinetic art form and as such should be best explained visually.

After coming to such a conclusion, why do I still feel compelled to assign the “proper” terminology to moves, concepts, ideas and explorations? Am I just an insufferable know-it-all that can’t stand the thought of someone verbally mis-communicating an idea, when the more compelling visual evidence is clear? I am going to make two very contradicting arguments both for and against terminology in the spinning culture.

Fuck Terminology, Just Spin

Now this sounds awesome. I don’t want to get bogged down by words and phrases meant to categorize my style and skills. I just spin, and I look awesome doing it. But in all seriousness, this is a completely relevant way to view the learning process as well. Some people are simply more visual when it comes to understanding flow arts, and throwing words at them simply won’t help. So instead, we express ourselves physically, which can be a more precise way of explaining the intricacies involved when dealing with moves performed by individual spinners.

On top of that, when you get into the realm of Tech Poi, you begin to encounter concepts that do not yet have names, or perhaps lie in the grey area known as “variations”. We all love to talk about the myriad of ways any given move can be performed, but with those infinite possibilities comes the inherent flaw of our inability to verbally communicate an infinite number of variations with any widely accepted terminology. There will always be someone who sees that move differently. So why bother with terminology, just make a video son!

Terminology Implies Understanding

Sure, spinning and visually communicating is a fantastic way to easily pick up on individual moves. But what happens when theres is no video for something you want to learn? What happens when you’re on your own, out at the edge of flow arts knowledge? The fact is that at it’s most basic level, individual terminology implies an understanding of the concepts associated with physical movement. By thinking of movements as words, we can rearrange those words to make different patterns, new concepts, and translate them into new physical movements.

On a grander scale, collective terminology is the key to communicating those concepts with others. Do you know how much time and effort would be wasted if everyone had a different name for the Weaves? Someone’s understanding of a weave may be incomplete, and the terminology associated with his understanding would be incomplete as well. And when teaching the weave, those same flaws and holes would be passed on. Imagine having to untangle such an intellectual quagmire!

Instead, we have cultivated the language of flow arts, not to sound smart, but to better understand and communicate the ideas and concepts we explore. And while there will always be moves that challenge the current terminology, or perhaps fall into the strange realm of “variations”, seeking the words to describe those concepts is more than simply a linguistic exploration. It’s a never-ending journey to understand our artform, to create, and to communicate our ideas with each other.

Holy cow, what a busy past few weeks I’ve had! But I suppose there’s no better way to start a new year than by feeling the high that comes from completing projects and learning new skills. All of which has led me to this pivotal moment. The announcement that I am going to be teaching lessons in NYC! And not just one lesson, but several! That’s right people, I have been hard at work creating an easy to use registration system, learning the basics of Photoshop, and giving the wide world of final cut a go. And I’m really excited about what is shaping up.

First off I’ll be presenting all 4 of my lessons in the form of a Free Demo on Feb. 1 and 2, from 7-10 PM. Which means there’s no reason not to come out and spin with me! The lessons I’ll be demoing are Beginner Poi, Intermediate Poi, Advanced Poi, and Beginner Mini Hoops. The demo’s for each class will be sort of a mixture between a meet and greet and a short lesson of something or other. Basically I want you guys to get to know me, see a bit of my teaching style, and hopefully if you’re interested, sign up for my class! After each demo I’ll be accepting registration and payment via cash, check or even credit card! (oh the magic of technology and a square card reader) Check out the video I put together for more details on the Demo or head over to the Free Demo Classes page.

Also check out the Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/328077063893522/

I’m really counting on those of you who are interested to sign up early so that I know if there’s any interest or not. Which is why I’m offering a pretty sweet deal in the Early-Bird Special: 25% off Beginner Poi, Intermediate Poi, and Beginner Mini Hoops! So if you know you’d like to go, sign up early, grab some savings, and help me to understand that there is indeed interest. The 25% savings last through Feb. 9.

Now here’s a quick rundown of the offerings:

 All classes are being held at Triskelion Arts in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Studio B. The address is 118 N. 11th Street, 3rd Floor-R, between Berry and Wythe. 

• Wednesdays, 2/29-4/18, 7-8:00 PM: Beginner Poi SOLD OUT
• Wednesdays. 2/29-4/18, 8:00-9 PM: Intermediate Poi
• Thursdays, 3/1-4/19, 7-8:30 PM: Beginner Mini Hoops SOLD OUT

Follow the links for all the detailed info on each class, as well as registration forms.

All those links will get you to the appropriate pages so that way I don’t have to muck up this post will that information. Now I can talk about what I’d like to do in general with these classes. My concept is that if the classes are successful, I’ll be able to purchase a  projector. Why would I need a projector? Because in my opinion, online resources are some the best ways to progress, as well as to get to know the community. I understand not everyone cares to ingrain themselves into the spinning culture, but if you’re interested in learning, it certainly doesn’t hurt to be aware.

Also I’d love for this class to double as a sort of spin culture workshop, where everyone can share their favorite spinners as well as discover new resources. Knowing the community can make for a much richer experience within the learning process. Think of it as immersing yourself into a foreign land, where you must learn to speak the language to survive. It’s a much more potent process.

All in all, I hope these lessons take off, but it’s going to be up to you guys to let me know if there’s any interest. So if you want to take these lessons, then sign up, tell your friends, and come out to the demo!

This nugget of inspiration is itself inspired by the concept of “repetition” in Thom’s Flow Festo, which I very much recommend giving a read. I changed the name because I felt that he was more closely referring to repetition in the form of positive addiction or routines. It’s the repetition of  an activity that you’ve made a conscious commitment to pursue. And in the habits that you form, you find a sense of fulfillment about yourself and the art that you’re exploring, and in that way you have structured play.

Transient Play vs. Structured Play

As Thom mentions in the Flow Festo it can be extremely enticing to view poi as a transient passion, or perhaps a fickle obsession, because habits just seem so icky. Habits have a way of feeling like you’ve gotten yourself stuck in a rut, or that you’re simply repeating the process for lack of any other drive. But this loose collection of concepts and unexplored avenues will actually lead to more habits in your spinning style than habitual practice will. Only understanding half of a concept, when combined with many other half learned concepts, will inevitably lead to a stunted and constricted style, and complete lack of flow.

But structured play is a way of holding yourself accountable for the goals you wish to accomplish with any skill. It’s a commitment you are making to yourself. And with all forms of structure it’s dependent entirely upon your commitment to the learning process and really delving deep to understand the concepts. And in this way a positive addiction or habit can form.

Positive Addiction

There was an article by Philo on Hooping.org entitled “Are You a Hoop Addict?”  which explored this very concept of positive addiction in the hooping community. In the article he references Psychologist Yun Hoi’s thoughts about positive addiction, and the notion that addictions which are not detrimental are actually a fantastic way attain a “Zen-like” state of mind, or perhaps what we might consider a flow state of mind. Here he notes the importance of repetition or habit in achieving that state of mind due in large part to the fact that muscle memory is freeing your mind from many of the concerns associated with the learning process.

Focusing on the Details

Structured Play is simply a way of convincing yourself to practice skills on a regular basis. That’s not to suggest that you should repeat the exact same moves over and over again. By all means, pursue different concepts, but do so in a conscious and concerted manner. If you want to learn the anti-spin wheel plane flower, then make sure that you really spend the time needed to explore the concept, break it down, and implement it. Then learn it backwards. Then put the forwards and the backwards together. It takes time and effort to really learn, and that’s why structured regular play is so important.

If something is hard, do not simply skim over the details once you “kinda” get it. Focusing on the details is a key aspect to Structured Play. Examining whatever skills you’re pursuing from all angles is the only way to truly understand a concept. Thom even mentions that before Zan and Aurora taught him these skills, his learning process was pretty chaotic. And look at this Zen Master Jedi Flow Artist now!

In the end, it’s all about you and your passions. But no matter what your passion may be, the idea of Structured Play (or practice) is a useful notion in any field. With that said, stop reading and start playing!

In Thom’s Flow Festo, which I highly recommend giving a re-read since he initially came out with it, he speaks of the notion that we can reprogram our minds and our muscle memory in accordance with whatever task we have set out for ourselves. In essence, we as humans have the ability to learn, both from our mistakes and from our successes. Thom goes on to point out that this ability to redesign our neural capabilities is not a natural talent, but instead revolves around our willingness to explore new possibilities. This theory opens up a whole new set of ideas and possibilites surrounding the notion of Talent. And that’s exactly what I’m going to explore today, where our ability to reprogram our subconscious comes into direct defiance of this notion of natural ability.

Drex and “The Talent Trap”

Drex wrote an interesting article entitled The Talent Trap in which he details the various reasons why he believes that Talent is indeed overrated and perhaps suffers greatly from a vague set of definitions and understanding. What we tend to see as Talent is actually a unique set of life experiences prior to attempting that specific skill set which render the artist better equipped than you or I. Barring physical differences, such as height in basketball or weight in Sumo wrestling, we are all born with a similar blank slate. And while some of us approach spinning or flow from backgrounds better suited to kinetic art, it’s only a matter or prioritizing those aspects of our mind and reprogramming what’s important that separates the talented from the muggles.

I think, therefore I am

This popular phrase from Descartes is usually meant as a proof that the notion of self-awareness through thought is proof enough that the thinker, at least in mind, does indeed exist. But while writing this article, the phrase struck me as concept that whatever exists in one’s mind makes the man, so to speak. Essentially I’m suggesting that you are what you think. And in terms of reprogramming one’s mind, that’s an essential point to understand in building confidence that anything is possible. If you begin to think of yourself as a hooper, then you will become a hooper in whatever capacity entices you. But in order to reprogram the mind, there must be a willingness and an openness of thought to allow yourself to be swayed, to allow your mind to be changed. Stubbornness is the enemy of progress when it comes to reprogramming. You must begin by allowing yourself to see yourself as whatever it is you want to be.

Reprogramming also means Restructuring

I feel that most people learn by putting progression into a linear structure. We outline our progress in steps, much like climbing a ladder. And to be honest, perhaps that’s a necessary starting point in the learning process, because it simplifies the object of our obsession into bite sized chunks that we can see ourselves completing. But over time we begin to realize the complexity of our artform in such a way that it becomes overwhelming and indeed impossible to see progress from a linear standpoint. And in order to continue in our development as flow artists we must restructure our understanding of play to incorporate a variety of avenues, but this can be a freeing realization. This allows us as skilled artisans to structure the learning process around our interests instead of our weaknesses.

Language is key

There’s always tons of discussion as to the definitions and names given to a specific move or concept. It’s sometimes useful and also can turn out to be extremely tedious. I feel much of that derives from the community’s ever changing ideas on a certain concept. We can all agree on what spin/anti-spin is as well as the basic foundations of a weave or timing/direction because we as a community are more familiar with it. The language in question today is still being defined by the constant communal reprogramming that’s taking place. And so it’s not only individual reprogramming that’s important but the wealth of knowledge accumulated from an entire community that helps to push the science of our art forward. Notice how quickly many new spinner’s pick up concepts that took us years to master. And it’s all due to a better foundation from which we teach.

I think my brain is about to encounter a syntax error if I keep going, so on that note I’ll call it an article. If you like this musing on Flow, check out Thom’s original article, Flow Festo – A Flow Arts Manifesto, which will also contain links to the follow ups that I’ve done on many of the topics covered. And stay tuned for more topics on his Flow Festo I’ll be covering soon.