Every year, a full-blown city rises out of the Nevada desert—then disappears a week later.

It’s dusty. It’s chaotic.

And yet… there’s something about it that keeps pulling people back.

Not just for the parties. But for the experiment.

Burning Man is often dismissed as a privileged playground or dust-covered escapism (and let’s be honest—sometimes it is). But underneath the absurdity, there’s a surprisingly powerful invitation:

What if we designed reality differently?

🏗 A City as Prototype

Burning Man isn’t just a festival. It’s a functioning city—with roads, rituals, infrastructure, and intention.

Everything, from how you navigate space to how you interact with strangers, is designed to provoke one thing: participation. It’s not something you watch—it’s something you join.

And while the glow-in-the-dark art cars steal the spotlight, the real structure is built on values: radical expression, shared responsibility, and the guts to show up exactly as you are.

“Burning Man isn’t about escape, it’s a prototype for how we could live better.”

🌍 Why It Matters (Even If You’re Not There)

Most of us won’t spend our lives in the desert. And that’s kind of the point.

Burning Man isn’t about building an escape pod—it’s about prototyping a different way to live. One where connection is intentional. And systems are designed with people (and joy) in mind.

And you don’t have to be in Black Rock City to apply that.

At Projekt Glitter, we carry those same principles into everything from our glitter bars to our creative process:

• Radical inclusion → Everyone belongs.

• Gifting → Give without expectation (it's how Projekt Glitter started)

• Decommodification → Not everything has to be monetised to matter.

• Self-reliance → Trust your yourself, even when nobody understands.

• Self-expression → Be weird. Be you.

• Communal effort → None of this happens alone.

• Civic responsibility → Your impact matters.

• Leave no trace → Clean up after yourself. In every sense.

• Participation → Don’t just watch—join in.

• Immediacy →  Life is happening NOW. Stop waiting.

🪶 A Note on Origins

Burning Man didn’t invent these ideas.

Indigenous cultures around the world have long gathered in temporary, intentional ways—powwows, seasonal festivals, solstice ceremonies. Designed to reconnect people to each other, to place, to meaning.

Modern festival culture borrows more than it acknowledges.

Sometimes the future isn’t something we need to invent.

It’s something we need to remember.

“A week in the desert isn’t the point. What you build after is.”

💫 The Real Takeaway

So no—I’m not out in the desert this year.

But I’m still building beauty. Still designing experiences. Still asking:

What kind of world are we creating?

Because if a dust-covered, neon-lit pop-up city can leave people feeling more seen, more alive, more themselves—then maybe there’s something in it worth bringing home.

Magic doesn’t just happen.

We make it.

And a week in the desert isn’t the point.

What you build after is.

—

Jeen x

Not in the desert? Doesn’t matter.

You don’t have to be covered in dust to live the principles.

Here are 10 ways to bring the energy home:

1. Gift something unexpected.

Write a note. Leave snacks in the office kitchen. Tell someone they look amazing today. Not to get anything. Just because it feels good to give.

2. Dress for joy, not approval

At festivals, no one cares if your outfit makes sense. Wear what lights you up—just because it does.

3. Build stuff with people who get it.

Stop waiting to be “ready.” Call your friend. Make the thing. Host the thing. Start small and start now.

4. Create something—anything.

Festivals are full of DIY beauty and creativity. Grab a pen. Paint a wall. Rearrange your furniture like it’s an art installation. Doesn’t matter. Just make.

5. Burn the plan once in a while.

Your schedule isn’t sacred. Say yes to something random. Take the scenic route. Wander. Let life interrupt your to-do list (just for one day).

6. Don’t wait for permission to be weird.

Festivals give everyone a free pass to be extra. Keep that energy. Start the weird project. Dance when it’s silent. Pitch the idea that makes you sweat a little. Self-expression is a practice—and a freedom.

7. Make connection a daily habit.

Put your phone down at dinner. Make eye contact. Celebrate strangers like they’re old friends. Sit down and actually listen.

8. Don’t wait for “special” to celebrate.

Pour a drink just because. Light the fancy candle. Wear the thing. Joy isn’t a reward—it’s fuel.

9. Log off—on purpose.

You don’t need to move to the woods (unless you want to). Just try being unreachable for a few hours. The world won’t burn. You might even feel better.

10. Choose presence over productivity.

You don’t need to earn your peace. Slow down. Feel things. Stare at the sky for longer than is “reasonable.”