It was only a couple of weekends into the Arizona RenFest when Covid shut down the world, which included my little annual adventure out in the East Valley desert. Much like the Black Death or Bubonic Plague of the olden times for which we Renaissance Festive types strive for, a pandemic had struck and halted the lives of all things.
To welcome back the AZ RenFest after such a prolonged absence, I decided to finally dress up for this years festivities. This is very out of custom for me. I’m usually more of an observer at these events.
Memories from when I was a child came surfacing back as I found new costumes and set pieces I wanted. I remember times after school of pretending for hours upon end in the woods and fields around my childhood home. Pretending to be someone else, somewhere else, anywhere else…
Freedom came as I created new characters to go to the Festival as, a freedom I’ve not experienced before. During the Covid lockdown, I found myself getting deeper into Comic Book and fantasy lore in general. I’ve replaced the previous constant travel life with one filled by going back to places in my mind, sometimes in my dreams (when I occasionally have one). The lore of worlds unknown.
So in 2022 I let go of fear and inhibitions previously stored inside, and started writing a new story for myself. One of wonder and strangeness, of creativity and the freedom one can experience by unleashing your own mind.
