Welcome to “Is It Worth the High?”, where our writers see newly released movies, listen to the latest album drops, and try other experiences while high to determine whether they’re worth your time, money, and most importantly, your cannabis buzz. This week, Dante Jordan meanders through a local art festival to get his cannabis-induced culture on.
Products enjoyed: Two joints of the finest Larry OG
High Experienced (1-10): 8 when I arrived, 5 when I left
As a stoner, I’m always looking for the best things to get high and do, so I recently got stupid lit before hitting the streets in search of a fun activity for my fellow smokers. What did I find? A random art festival that I didn’t even know was happening, that’s what. So I threw in my ear buds, pushed play on my Smoke This, Play Vol. 3 playlist, and walked over to the plethora of tents on the side of the road to find out if art festivals are worth the high.
Art festivals are fun to walk around while just existing in your own head for a few moments. If you need some alone time and there’s one in your area, I fully suggest you stop by and just mosey around for a bit. You’ll not only get to live inside of your bubble, you’ll also see some really dope shit.
I stumbled upon some fire pictures taken from Oregon wildernesses that served as further proof that I need to move there; came across oil paintings of indigenous women that were so good, I had a moment of “Why am I not creating dope art like this?”; and I even came across a peanut sculpture that took my high to the next level, simply because it inspired me to push the boundaries of my creative abilities. If you’re in a creative funk, do some googling and find an art festival around you.
In addition to the creative inspiration you get from simply looking at incredible art, art festivals also give you the chance to network with like-minded individuals. You get to speak directly to artists and pick their brains, an opportunity that you may not have on a regular basis. I watch a lot of interviews and read a lot of stuff from artists to try and find the answers to my creative missions, but there’s nothing like that in-person experience. Just being able to talk to someone who makes a living off things they create with their bare hands and find out what inspires them—how they broke into the work they do, how they survive and stay motivated to evolve—can be a real life-changing experience for many of us.
Art festivals are also worth your time because there’s sooooo much food. I repeat: soooooo much food. Ya boy had some delicious homemade lemonade (and a refill), a bag of cotton candy, two big-ass corndogs, and a bag of honey roasted nuts to make the cypher complete. And those only covered like 25% of the food options available. Shit, to be honest, even if you aren’t into art and creative endeavors, you can still attend an art festival simply for the food and feel like you had a worthwhile experience. Calories make the world go ‘round, nahmean?
Are They Worth the High? Obviously not all festivals are created equal, but generally the answer is yes. Art festivals can provide you with some much-needed alone time, creative inspiration and networking opportunities, and a plethora of food options to stuff inside of your tum tum. If you’re stoned out of your mind and don’t know what to do with yourself, go ahead and catch a Lyft to an art festival near you and feed your inner hippie. You will not be disappointed.
