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.

* * *

In life, I believe that our greatest asset as individuals is our capacity to create. Being that we are a part of TheRoot42, it goes without saying that we 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 Barry, Ben Guernsey, and Lars Amhoff.

* * *

I’ve only been on TheRoot42 for a little over two years, but in this time, I have watched as it has grown, changed, and matured. At this time, many of us are graduating from college, moving away, taking
jobs, starting new lives, and hopefully, making some friends in the process.

In my own life, I have spent the last year with my head down, blindly barrelling through insane amounts of coursework in order graduate this August. Because I had to stay an extra year in order to finish two degrees instead of just one, most of my closest friends have already gone on to other places. Having no time or energy to spare, and knowing that I was going to leave anyways, I did not make put forth much effort to make new friends.

For me, this contributes to an extreme feeling of disconnect. Ultimately, I feel like my life has become very fragmented. It is really hard to make time for all of the things I want to do, pursue, learn, and accomplish. It is even more difficult to keep in touch and up to date with all of the people I love. It increasingly seems like
everything and everybody I care about are all located in different places; I often feel as if I am living somewhere in between several parallel realities, and that no single person who can exist with me in
all of them.

With these changes in my life, I find that my participation and interaction on TheRoot42 has increased dramatically. Because here, it doesn’t matter where in the world you are or are not. In fact, it would seem that this factor of dislocation directly contributes to the underlying essence that makes TheRoot42 what it is. This world is a much smaller place when you are a part of a creative collective that spans the globe.

Indeed, I have been worried about my upcoming move to NYC – not only because it is a pretty big life change, but also because I will be without that fundamental safety net of people I have here in Austin.
But yet again, TheRoot42 comes through – Eric Mayville lives there, and Dan Savage works only eight blocks away from my office. Andrew Giugno lives less than an hour away. Furthermore, Colin and Casey and Russell and a handful of other Rooters have all said they would make an effort to come visit me at some point or another.

In any case, I just wanted to say that I am so proud to be a part of such an amazing group of people, this creative collective as we know it. I truly feel that this sense of community is rare and valuable – TheRoot42 makes me feel as if no matter where in the world I go, there will be a welcoming committee waiting for me.

TR42<3

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