To Infinity, and Beyond

This must be what it’s like when you come home from Burning Man. I’ve been on an emotional high ever since I came back from my big-fat-love-fest QuiltCon, and for some reason I’ve been thinking a lot about Buzz Lightyear. This feeling of awe and excitement about the world, it reminds me of what children must feel when they are growing up and want to be the President, or win the World Series, or dream of being an astronaut. You feel like anything is possible. Nothing seems out of reach, and why shouldn’t it?

Forget that I’m talking about a quilting conference. What I’m referring to is that universal feeling of purpose, the sense that everything makes sense. That I’m surrounded by my people. That there’s no financial, psychological, or logistical obstacles standing in the way of achieving greatness. That I figured out what I want to do.

Attend conferences, you might ask? Is that what you’ll do now? Gonna keep chasing that high? Cuz that’s not-really-a-job. No, as much as I love spending eight hours a day in dimly lit convention centers, it’s not the actual conference that I want to pursue. It’s what’s within the conference. The community. The spirit. The ART. Someone asked me last week what I want to do in this field, and all I could say was, “I want to do it ALL.” And I’m not even really exaggerating.

Originality, authenticity, tradition. These were all big takeaways for me. Within a community that feels comforting to me because I grew up immersed in it’s warmth, I feel like I’m finding my own place within it. But it will be new, and it might not be what I was expecting. After all, my old pal Buzz keeps telling me not just to go to infinity, but beyond as well.

-Ashley

Need a pick-me-up? Watch Spanish-speaking Buzz again, or for the first time!

Photo: Geometric Rainbow by Nicole Daksiewicz, Chicago IL