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If Willy Wonka and Mad Max had a love child, it would be Burning Man.
That was my first impression when I arrived on the “playa” this year. My cosplay-loving husband and I decided to stretch our curiosity muscles by attending the festival this August.
I wanted a change in pace. I wanted surprise, wonder and awe. I wanted to be surrounded by natural beauty and saturated with art. My work requires me to be innovative and creative, so after years of flat-screen isolation, I needed a creative spark to get my magic mojo back.
Like many, I expected desert-dwelling anarchist hippies and a lot of nudity. What I found was an incredibly organized petri dish for future living. William Gibson said, “The future is here; it’s just not evenly distributed.” Increasingly not so at Burning Man. Professional futurist and data geek that I am, I volunteered to help with the census at the event. I found a surprising number of accountants, conservatives (roughly 10% of attendees!) and prudes alongside the anti-establishment free spirits you’d expect to see.
To get a glimpse of the future, one has to move from everyday life to the edges of society. From the mainstream to the margins. This is where trends start and inventions that drive our future advancement are spawned.
“Tomorrowing” Today
The following are 10 nods to the future I picked up at Burning Man.
1. Radical Resilience: The future will be full of “mistakes.” How people adapt to mistakes and extreme weather disasters is vital. This year’s “mud-ageddon” caused by a massive storm demanded invention and resilience. The future will be volatile and unpredictable; adaptability is critical. The Black Rock Desert’s harsh weather foreshadows our drier, windier and water-scarce futures amid climate change, resembling life on Mars.
2. Pop-Up Mega-Cities: Building and deconstructing an instant city (80,000 people in a week) mirrors urbanization and mega-cities rising overnight in China. Applying Burning Man’s dos and don’ts can help manage mass migration due to climate, war and food/water instability.
3. Post Capitalism: Burning Man experiments with governance, policy and trade (barter and gifting are common). The future is post-capitalistic, with new forms of money beyond crypto. Branding and marketing are forbidden and money exchange is rare. Experiments with new payment forms on the playa hint at future value exchanges.
4. FQ (Focus Quotient): The absence of phones and devices on the playa aligns with Burning Man’s focus on presence and mindfulness. Future living toggles between connected and disconnected. Immediacy, intentionality and noticing are prized. Concentration and focus are future skills that are paramount amidst technology and distraction. IQ and FQ are currencies at Burning Man.
5. Regenerative Sustainability: Upcycling of bikes, outfits, art cars and sculptures supports a sustainable vision. The future must be sustainable. Burning Man centers on “leave no trace,” and solar panels sustained us for nine days. Regenerative thinking and renewable sources proliferate.
The Rolling Stone Culture Council is an invitation-only community for Influencers, Innovators and Creatives. Do I qualify?
6. Inclusive Identities: Gender and species fluidity thrive in the future. Individuals choose their gender identity and some live as animals or fantasy creatures. The diverse identities at Burning Man signal our inclusive future. Radical self-expression — predicted to accelerate by futurists — is encouraged.
7. Communal Living: SciFi envisions communal living in the future (colonies, spaceships, distant planets). Burning Man thrives on shared chores, roles and responsibilities. The future is collaborative, with “communal effort” and “civic responsibility” among Burning Man’s values.
8. End of Death: Burners exemplify future vitality and longer lifespans. Youthful octogenarians abound. Art installations and forums explore life after death, digital death, assisted death, consciousness uploading and defying death in the future.
9. Cultural Tensions: Futurists and cultural strategists explore “cultural tensions” where trends and counter-trends coexist and clash. Innovation arises from debates around opposing views. Burning Man embodies cultural tensions: billionaires vs. beach bums, young vs. old, hi-tech vs. hi-touch, me vs. we, equity vs. exclusivity, expulsive vs. retentive, urban (BRC) vs. rural (the playa).
10. Thinking Like a Criminal: During heavy rains, we sheltered in place and devised workarounds and hacks, seizing opportunities for socialization and levity. Future living will pose challenges with new need states and business opportunities.
What Is Possible and Preferable
Futurists focus on what is “possible” and “probable” and “preferable” — and Burning Man shows what is “possible” and “preferable.” Living sustainably and comfortably in harsh environments, in communal non-capitalistic societies, is possible. It is possible for extreme population density to be harmonious and for new forms of value creation to be discovered. It’s possible to be radically expressive while also respectful. It’s possible to live large while also leaving a small footprint. It is possible to be human-centered and digitally disconnected while remaining innovative and progressive.
To future-proof your business and future-proof your thinking, I recommend attending festivals like Burning Man, How the Light Gets In, Lightning in a Bottle, Wonderfruit, Electric Forest and C2 to dabble in edgy new ideas and meet iconoclasts. Walk on the tightrope of “cultural tensions” that crisscross the Burning Man circus. Play on the playa.
But whether or not a festival is in the cards for you, I invite you to stretch your perspective of what’s possible and preferable in your sphere of influence. Dive into the “choose your own adventure” reality, discovering how your company can become more inclusive, more sustainable or less capitalistic. Corporate executives future-proofing their businesses can get a taste of life in the future at Burning Man. Gibson would agree, the future is even at Burning Man.
