The Rainstrom & The River Are My Brothers.

Rachel Dutton and Rob Olds are an excellent example of going to the extreme. Some people hug trees, wear tye-dye & braid hemp to show their environmental side, but this couple  sold/destroyed  essentially everything they owned and immersed themselves into the wild. Pure, raw nature. What a pair of little champions. 

I think what they did was courageous to say the least. It takes serious dedication to abandon your your belongings, one of which was their refrigerator. (I personally love cheese and ice cream, Im never leaving my baby fridge). But just because I refuse to leave my fridge does not mean I don’t agree with the ideas they expressed; my personal favorite was that the world needs to heal itself. Because as humans, with out toxic lifestyles and egos have put our environment on a fast track to a full blown apocalypse. Ops. 

Anyways, Rachel & Rob were simply trying to make lifestyle changes and go back to the basics; to stop separating themselves from separation and connect with the real world. They found that art was an isolator, and as artists they were living for their art and not living life as an art form. This is a very beautiful idea to me. Its put life into perspective, that we shouldn’t be waiting for those oh so ‘special’ moments in life, but instead realize that they are all special. (heart warming, isn’t it?)

From an ecological stand point, if the human race died off the world wouldn’t change that much, it would probably repair itself and start over. This proves that we are not the center; it’s not all about us. We are just some small part in a giant machine. Rob & Rachel decided to take radical steps in decentering themselves and  started focusing and immersing themselves into the current world around them. They gained a new point of view on life as well as empathy for the world, just like Pocahontas! Treat alert! Moral of the story, be like Pocahontas. K, see ya later... Kidding.

Eco-Artist Colin Ives came to speak to us on Tuesday. He was very interesting guy... He seemed to be practicing art ‘for a cause’ in a much more reasonable/practical way. Although, I did not find his work practically captivating, I thought the ideas were very innovative and have a high potential in bringing awareness to the general public about “urban wildlife” and other environmental issues.

I think we need more people like Colin Ives, in the way that he is trying to help. He is bringing knowledge and awareness by putting himself in the middle of conflict, instead of removing himself entirely. Rob & Rachel may be having the time of their lives, but it isn’t helping anyone here in the real world.