An Ego Can’t Build a Temple

Glitter Kitty embraces community and shadow work in her vision for Burning Man 2024’s Temple of Together

Lebanese-bred and Brazil-born Caroline Ghosn learned to place a high value on deep connections from an early life lived in a larger variety of cities than your average childhood. The “activist entrepreneur” became Glitter Kitty in 2015 and has brought to the playa the sculptures Do Not Cross and Disturb My Slumber, paving the way for arguably her greatest feat, Burning Man’s 2024 Temple of Together.

Arash interviews Caroline in April 2024, just as the temple team begins their transition from individual fundraising to the next phase of their efforts. Their conversation explores multi-generational trauma, the spiritual compulsion that is art-making, and multiple geek-outs about Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way.

Chapter One: Highly Sensitive

Chapter Two: When You’re in Hell, Keep Walking

Chapter Three: Tiny Cute little Human Ego

Chapter Four: Why Temple

Chapter Five: The Gardner and the Architect

Chapter Six: Gratitude

Links:

https://www.instagram.com/carolineghosn

https://www.2024temple.com

https://www.glitterkitty.art

https://journal.burningman.org/2024/01/black-rock-city/building-brc/introducing-the-2024-temple/

Recorded at Robot Heart Residency chill space at all The Loom makerspace in Oakland, California, on April 20, 2024. (theloom.net)

https://robotheart.secretparty.io

https://www.robotheart.org

https://www.instagram.com/robotheartfoundation

Additional recording at Dome Asylum in Ramona, CA

hipcamp.com/en-US/land/california-dome-asylum-hippie-homestead

tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32937-d16645997-Reviews-Dome_Asylum-Ramona_California

instagram.com/domeasylumramona

This episode was produced by Kelly Smith (kellysmithcassidy.com)

Executive Producer Patrick Dylan Riley (ra.co/dj/patrickdylan)

About Burner Podcast:

Independently produced by a revolving team of volunteers and hosted by founder ‘Mister Arash’, Burner Podcast is the longest running traditional podcast in the global Burning Man community. Focused on year-round Burner consciousness and topics of intracultural interest, explore a decade’s worth of conversations at burnerpodcast.com/previous-episodes.

DJ sets featured on Burner Podcast can be found here: soundcloud.com/burnerpodcast/sets/burner-podcast-closing-sets

Follow instagram.com/BurnerPodcast and facebook.com/burnerpodcast for wildly irregular updates.

Burner Podcast host Arash Afshar is an Iranian-American SoCal-based(ish) professional photographer, writer and community building addict. Send him love or hate mail directly at mrarash.com/hello and follow his writing on Substack at yesterdayiwasclever.com, where he publishes new pieces on culture, Art and identity every Friday.

For bookings and inquiries, contact Arash’s management at properconcept.us/contact-us

Ten Years: A Burner Podcast Memoire

Arash reflects on a decade of Burning Man, the Burner community and Burner Podcast

Arash recorded the interview portion of the very first episode of Burner Podcast before attending his first Burning Man. With the transformative nature of Burning Man baked into the show, Arash reflects on a decade of growth, adventure and community. Unlike any previous editions of the show, this milestone episode features a solo scripted memoire by the host in six chapters: The Call, The Refusal, The Road, The Abyss, The Change and The Return.

Recorded in Las Vegas, NV, April of 2024

Additional recording at Proper Concept Studio in Long Beach, CA, March 2024

Closing set by Christian Goodell

soundcloud.com/christiangoodell

soundcloud.com/bureauofhindsight

Hear the full set at https://on.soundcloud.com/SPr4s5jrrVXqNB4d7

Recorded at Burning Medellin on 2-9-24 at Heard From in El Poblado, Medellin, Colombia

Executive Producer Patrick Dylan Riley (ra.co/dj/patrickdylan)

Read the compendium to this episode: Sometimes Just [censored] It

About Burner Podcast:

Independently produced by a revolving team of contributing producers and hosted by founder ‘Mister Arash’, Burner Podcast is the longest running traditional podcast in the global Burning Man community. Focused on year-round Burner consciousness and topics of intracultural interest, explore a decade’s worth of conversations at burnerpodcast.com/previous-episodes.

DJ sets featured on Burner Podcast can be found here: soundcloud.com/burnerpodcast/sets/burner-podcast-closing-sets

Follow instagram.com/BurnerPodcast and facebook.com/burnerpodcast for wildly irregular updates.

Burner Podcast host Arash Afshar is an Iranian-American SoCal-based(ish) professional photographer, writer and community building addict. Send him love or hate mail directly at mrarash.com/hello and follow his writing on Substack at yesterdayiwasclever.com.

For bookings and inquiries, contact Arash’s management at properconcept.us/contact-us