It is slowly starting to sink in just how amazing this past weekend was. It is hard to believe how many incredibly gifted, diverse, and downright nice people have found their way onto one online forum. I feel so fortunate to be a part of this special thing we call the TheRoot42.

As a result of studying abroad for a total of a year and a half in two different very non-vegetarian-friendly countries, I personally get anxious about traveling in large groups of people. But the Seattle crew, and all of the other Rooters for that matter, really looked out for me the entire weekend.

Upon arriving in Seattle, Kyle picked us up from the hotel and took me directly to a vegetarian restaurant to eat. When the group ended up at a Mexican food restaurant, Colin whipped out his iPhone to locate an Italian restaurant nearby, and then walked with me to go find it. Dimitry and Scott routinely let me choose the eating venues, to ensure that I would find something I wanted to eat. At the barbeque at Daniel’s place, they went out of their way to bring a veggie burger, just for me. This may all seem insignificant to you guys, but I can assure you, as someone who was traveled extensively, finding food can be *very* stressful experience – but this weekend, I felt entirely at ease.

As for the meet as a whole, I have to say that the Seattle crew simply blew me away. I just cannot believe how multi-talented and hospitable these people are – they warmly welcomed us all into their city, their homes, and their hearts. This weekend, I was able to spend time with people who I know will be lifelong friends.

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In life, I believe that our greatest asset as individuals is our capacity to create. Being a part of TheRoot42, it goes without saying that its members have already discovered our unique creative forays. We run the gamut – web designers, graphic designers, photographers, typographers, musicians, painters, animators, screen printers, book binders, illustrators, cartoonists, programmers, and the list goes on.

And if as individuals our power lies in the capacity to create, then as human beings, our greatest ability is to organize – to come together, to gather in one place, and in our case, it is this virtual space, this second home we all know and love, TheRoot42. We bring to the table our own perspectives, backgrounds, knowledge, and experiences – to share, to critique, to improve, and to help each other out. We are a group of like-minded, passionate people, who reach out to one another – through our work and our words, we share our worlds.

This spring, I took a course in Chinese literature and poetry. The first half of the semester was dedicated to “bringing us up to speed” – and by this I mean, as Americans reading Chinese works, we are inherently missing the “collective memory” that exists in every different culture. Before we ever began the actual coursework, we extensively studied the meanings of the symbolism, as well as the implications of particular phrases, words, and imagery. In a way, we were slowly learning how to pick up on all of the cultural references and “inside jokes.”

Over this past weekend, I found myself thinking back to this aspect of the class quite often. Here we were, an intensely random group of people – yet we all possessed this vast base of common knowledge and shared experiences. Through our participation on this forum, we are able to develop a fairly keen sense of people’s personalities – we learn about their opinions, observe their viewpoints, come to recognize their artistic style. We become familiar with life events and happenings. We extend sympathy and support when need be. We commune together in this one place, albeit a virtual one.

As all of us began to quickly tire of explaining the fact that we were in town to hang out with our internet friends, a few people began using the phrase “a creative collective” – and this really struck me. It fits. We are a collection of people, creative in our own respective ways, and together we form something that is so much greater than any one of us alone.

Together in real life, also known as Seattle, this phenomenon became very visible. In our time together, there was an underlying, almost tangible sense of community that existed between all of the people. Not only did this become apparent in the depth of the conversations that took place, but it was also evident in physical manifestations – people were carrying wallets made by Kyle, listening to music spun by Scott, and wearing shirts printed by Ben B., Ben G., and Lars.