It feels so good to be back teaching.
After a long winter doing administrative work to get Primitive Arts Collective off the ground I am finally seeing the fruits of my labor.
It started with an amazing memorial day weekend at the MAPS meet in Maryland. It was great to teach throwing arts, stalking, and camo. One group of kids did amazingly well with their camo. It reminded me how important it is to share the primitive arts with kids, as they are going to be the ones to make hard choices in the future. By exposing them to these skills it helps them establish a connection with the world around them. One of the reasons there is so much destruction in our society is that people in general lack a connection to much of anything, therefore it is easy to turn a blind eye to the ills of the planet, nature, and the society around them. By reconnecting kids to nature, we start a process that is likely to carry through to other areas in their lives, helping them to grow in to conscious adults who will not settle for the status quo.
Another thing I really cherish about the MAPS meet is all the new friends. It is a great feeling to meet some new people who share a common goal. As I said in a previous post we all need to come together to reach as many as possible and effect some real change. When groups are scattered and divided we are only working against our common goals. Building community is perhaps one of the most important things that we can do in this age of uncertainty.
I just arrived back in Cincinnati yesterday after teaching a class called Art and Science of Primitive Living in Saratoga Springs, NY. The group was very passionate and eager to learn, and because of this we were able to quickly exhaust the original outline and get a lot of Extra skills into their heads. Every skill we taught was crafted by our students with the utmost of care and thanksgiving, each of them truly creating functional art.
I would like to give thanks to Catherine and Andrew of Black Umbrella for sponsoring the class. I am honored to have the both of you as friends and colleagues and I know that wonderful things are in store because of the relationship between Black umbrella and Primitive Arts Collective.
It was also a blessing to have such wonderful help for the week. I owe many thanks to Brian Schuch for coming to help me teach this class. Brian, you are truly an inspiration. Your level of passion and hunger for the primitive arts is astounding. You are a shining example of how we should immerse ourselves in life. I could not have pulled off such an amazing class without your help!!
Last but not definitely not least I need to thank Brad Salon and Sarah Corrigan from Roots vt.(www.rootsvt.com) I have known Brad and Sarah since they were interns at Tracker School years ago. After leaving Tracker they threw themselves head first into learning these artforms and now have a school in Vermont where they share there knowledge and experience of Primitive skills and wilderness survival. The last two days of class they taught Hide working, flint knapping, and edible plants. It was truly a highlight of the week. I could think of no better way to wrap up an amazing class! Thank you both!
In a day I am off to Washburn, Illinois to teach at Art and Science in the Woods. This is an annual event put together by the Sun Foundation where I will be teaching primitive skills and wilderness survival to kids. I am really looking forward to the class, as well as seeing some old friends.
On June 24, I will be giving a lecture at Art in the Age in Philadelphia, Pa. I hope to see some you there. Keep an eye on my website www.primitiveac.com for more details.
You can also find more info on my schedule by checking out Primitive Arts Collective FB page by clicking the banner to the right.
Hope to see you all soon.
Give thanks!!!
