THE ROADTRIP
I’m sitting cross-legged in Olympia, WA’s Sylvester Park next to a portable camping grill. There’s a kettle on, bubbling just before boil, a floor table that you might find in a Montessori classroom with several coffee cups on display; above them are corresponding V60 ceramic coffee drippers.
Someone with a gentle face approaches, curious. Curious people are the most interesting, and, he, being particularly precocious, sits down and asks me what I’m doing. I ask him how he takes his coffee. I grind the corresponding beans with a ceramic hand grinder, place the grounds in the filter and pour him a delicious cup of coffee. Then I answer him.
I’m sharing.
There’s more. I have an aeropress, a chemex pot, vacuum brewer, and a French press. There’s also a cooler with a specialty, slow brewed iced coffee. You pick your poison, sit in the grass with me and allow me to record a story you might have. Or answer a question.
I’ve either bought beans from local roasters, or I’ve had enough time to use a hot air popcorn popper to roast some green coffee beans a few days earlier. I tell the friends I meet about this, how easy it is for them to make really good cups of coffee through their own varied means. I don’t charge for the cups, but I accept tips to cover expenses.
I, of course, become a social media whore collecting email addresses, start a facebook fan page, post youtube videos, blog about my adventures. I tweet. I travel around the country, exploring the parts that I want to explore while sharing something that I love with other people. I get to engage with strangers, weirdos, normal types.
I don’t have a proscribed idea of end result, but have a general idea of what I’m doing. I’m looking for something that I’ve been looking for my whole life. Passion. People to share my passions with and people to share their passions with me. Experience. Change and movement are constant in this world, and I’ve found that embracing the current takes you to unforgettable places. Direction. Were I to define the ideas that drive my pursuits in life, I would say that “storytelling,” “community” and “love” fill my head the most. I want these to always be a part of what “I am doing with my life.”
THE FANTASY—starring Mario Bucca and Jeff Hawkinson
What I have described is the base layer of a cake. Were I to add a layer, it would include one of my best friends in the world, Mario Bucca. Since 2002 when I graduated high school, we’ve moved away from each other geographically while individually pursuing different modes of creativity. Mario went to film school, I studied creative writing. Our studies and close friendship bred many a late-night phone conversation about ways to make our creativity collide. So far it hasn’t happened.
Mario would bring his camera and we would add a visual component to the road trip. Where would it lead? Somewhere interesting, no doubt. It would also partially satiate our thirst for shared world travel and domination. We would forma storytelling community of love. And it would be awesome.
THE FUTURE
Fall of 2012 I’m in graduate school at NAU for their interdisciplinary Sustainable Communities program. I’m trying to duct tape a program together that allows me to study the formation of the modern coffee house, its history as a vehicle for community involvement and change. I’m also researching the concepts of “pay-it-forward” and “flash mobs.”
While hitting the books on these subjects, I would ideally create a partnership with a local coffeeshop institution (like Macy’s) in order to explore ways to strengthen community bonds and promote more meaningful, interesting and creative modes community volunteerism. I think my ideal job would be to run a non-profit (with AmeriCorps volunteers) that operated out of a coffeeshop/co-op/community center/art space. Just one of the many fantasies that float around my brain. And when I say “run,” I really mean something like having a title with the word “creative” in it.
Comments on my 3 year plan are encouraged.
I don't like that our section is called the fantasy. that implies doubt as to its existence. Like hobbits and tree gnomes. Not fantasy, but Fantasia!! That means glitter, sorcery, broomsticks, whiskey, high contrast glory. I hear there are lots of good stories at borders. Lets cross them.
ReplyDeleteOH, Jeff, you MUST come stay at our place for a while (this is Carla). I think we fall perfectly in line with each others projects currently. My travel bug has been satiated for the time being, because all of my passions are coalescing in my current location temporarily - we have built/are building a sustainable living community (right now it is made up of four 1 acre properties - all but one adjacent to each other, at the dead end that backs up to a compeletely un-used nature park. Our own private forest. Did I mention it's in the middle of the city of Austin?) We have land mates with all types of talents and skills, mostly we focus on sustainable gardening, ie permaculture and aquaponics, as well as eco-friendly (and pocket friendly) building, native-herbalism, and our newest project is turning one of the spaces into a community art center. Our first show opens in October and then we're booked almost till spring. I feel like I'm writing a proposal for you to consider us as part of your project, or really, just to come be a part of ours for a time. The coffee set up and story gathering really really appeals to me. I love this idea, I hope you follow through with it to the extent of it's potential.
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