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TMoline, mother katrina, illustration pen & ink 2005

When people attempt to imagine the experience of being subjected to a natural disaster…

I tell them, Imagine if I came to your house,
burned it down (with all possessions inside)
& politely forced you, your friends and family to move miles away from each other.

Then,
I began to tell people….really, you should get rid of 75% of your shit because you don’t need it. You think you need it, but when it’s gone, you will not miss it and you will question why you had it in the first place.

Then,
I told people I was gonna start a company where I would come to your house,
burn it down (with all possessions inside)
and tell your friends they may never see you again.
In fact, for the first 2 months…
I wouldn’t even let your extended family know that you’re alive.

This would be a great business model.
Because I’m learning it’s hard to let go of objects that we believe define us.

Then I realized,
What a powerful experience this has been.
It was tragic for many indigenous people.
However, for those who survived and who could afford a new perspective,
it was a wake-up call.

We don’t need things, because in a flash, it can all be gone..

washed away… forever changed.
When this transformation occurs, blinding spotlights are put on one’s self.
You learn what is essential.
You learn who you are when there is nothing to hide behind.

Sometimes it takes someone or something outside of ourselves to separate us from objects we’ve loved.

I’ve been meeting more courageous people who have been brave enough to separate themselves from their belongings.

They have willingly liquidated all possessions and left social networks vacuous.
This act is something I certainly applaud.

My hope for everyone is that you’ll appreciate the beauty of simplicity and travel,
live light, and realize you have more to share than you think.

My New Orleans peeps.
We have culture in our pockets, and if nothing else, those pockets span deep.

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