Burning both ends

This has to end soon. My life has been so subsumed by work, that I have had very little time to prep for my trip. I have been squeezing in PBS documentaries about the history of India after long work days that leave me too tired for hanging out with friends. My friend Hannah came over last weekend for dinner, as she has been to Bangalore before and will be there when I arrive. Her stories about her life in India and her pictures from her last trip helped assuage the anxiety I have been having lately.

I also came across a beautiful book called Ramayana, by Sanjay Patel. Sanjay is an illustrator at Pixar that took a modern pass at the Indian fable. He simplified the story and did all the illustrations in the book. I was very impressed with his graphic style. In some ways it reminds me of Charley Harper's work, but back when Charley was doing his thing, the only medium was pen and paint. Sanjay uses well-composed patterns, differentiated line weights and color to fill the space on the page. It is impressive.

Also impressive is the story. Designers love to call themselves story tellers, and I definitely fit in that category, but Ramayana is different. It is a tale. A fable. A classic mythological story where there is good and evil. Good always prevails, but it is interlaced with temptation, deceit, love and war. The hero must rise above his fated struggle and prove his worth to himself and his supporters. It is the kind of story where you instantly fall in love with the characters, no matter how archetypical they are. I love this stuff, it is so pure and so very entertaining.

Joseph Campbell has written alot about mythology. He has pronounced that the virtues of mythology apply not only to the ancient world, but also to modern times. We are always on a journey, searching for something. We all create situations where there are clear antagonists and protagonists with defined characteristics and struggles to overcome. I find myself creating little worlds around details of my day. I am intrigued by the possibilities. What caused this event to happen? How many different outcomes can one situation have? Which is what is so interesting about this upcoming trip.

I have no idea what I am about to embark on. I am creating my own story about India from all of the available outlets I have. Ramayana has laid a foundation for design and story. I remember the tapestries in my friend Mausumi's house that illustrated other Hindu stories. I am starting to craft a vision of both modern and ancient. Which way will Bangalore lean, to the more modern and new or to the ancient and old world style? Who supports what? What is the value of each?

These are only starting points, not even necessary questions to answer. What is nice is that I now have a hook. I am beginning to dream about the possibilities of this trip. I am starting to transition into the mindset necessary to just let this experience wash over me. Slowly the pieces are starting to align, amongst the chaos of my day to day.