Gifting movement frees the mind, closet, garage

Jimmy Descant, a.k.a. the Rocketman, holds the skeleton of a keyboard up to the light as the word FREE shines through recycled art that he’ll give away during February’s Second Saturday. “I’m letting go of a lot of stuff,” Descant said about his art, emotional state and financial expectations.

Images, symbols and metaphors of time and money, love and peace, despair, hope and faith fill his workshop, covering the walls and tables, filling drawers and shining  up from the floor.

Descant’s plan is to offer free art that he’ll create on the spot with recycled materials on Sat., Feb. 13, noon to 4 p.m. at cultureclash in downtown Salida. He hopes to engage guests on the economy, where we are as a community and how it feels to give something away.

The word free has many connotations. Exactly how much does it cost to be free?

Since the economic downturn in 2009, Descant said: “I found myself in a capitalist trap, forcing and trying to make something happen. A lot of things were disappointing me. I messed up a couple of situations, business-wise, art relationships.”

Descant said he was “getting too anxious, not seeing the bigger picture and being too intense.”

The strategy for his state of mind is the same as his event – just let it go and give it away. He wants to get people downtown and stimulate business.

Descant will also have a donation jar set up with proceeds divided equally between Chaffee People’s Clinic and Doctors without Borders (Medecins sans Frontieres), reaching out locally and globally.

Descant has warm feelings toward both organizations. As an uninsured artist, he’s used the services of the People’s Clinic. And he understands too well the work and value of Doctors without Borders in Haiti.

Something shifted for Descant while watching images of Haiti ravaged by the January earthquake. Haiti’s history is inextricably linked to New Orleans, Descant’s hometown, both places known for cultural riches rather than wealth. Seeing the devastation in Haiti gave Descant flashbacks about his return to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in August of 2005.

As residents tried to return, they found their city under martial law. Negotiating with military personnel at the checkpoints was “one of the freakiest feelings ever, ” Descant said. And “get out before it gets dark!”

The outpouring of support after Katrina led Descant to where he is now. He received multiple grants and commissions, allowing him to buy tools and get back to work. He settled in Salida and showed his art at a coveted booth at the Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans and the Cherry Creek Arts Festival in Denver.

GETTING TO THE OTHER SIDE

Now that funding has dwindled, Descant’s considering what’s next and how to get to other side. He does have shows lined up this summer, some of them political. During this transitional and dead art-buying time, Descant decided he’s “giving it back and investing in the world instead of trying to fight for a buck.”

He’s also encouraging locals to put unwanted items curbside on Sat., Feb. 13 with a sign saying FREE. It’s the perfect time to get rid of that charming but oversized  lemon-lime chair or pants that look a little too much like your grandmother’s curtains.

SalidaCitizen.com took this idea a step further and asked the city to proclaim this day Give Something Away Day. Because the next City Council meeting is Tues., Feb. 16 the timing didn’t work, but the city did list the day on its website.

Marilyn Laverty is the director of the Small Business Development Center in Salida, which serves seven counties, offering free consulting to help businesses achieve their goals. She likes the idea of residents giving away an item, a poem or an act of service. “It creates a buzz,” Laverty said.

“The momentum starts with what can I give rather than what can I take,” she said. “One is prosperity and the other is scarcity.”

The concept of giving things away piggybacks on grassroots groups such as The Freecycle Network, a nonprofit gifting movement intending to reduce waste, save precious resources and ease the burden on landfills. Locals give and get stuff for free in their own towns. No money can be exchanged and there’s no charge to be a member. Freecycle currently has 6,940,000 members across the globe with its motto “changing the world one gift at a time.”

And giving away previously loved items can be, well, freeing. Yoga philosophy has a lot to say about letting go of material things and negative emotions that do not serve us. The Sanskrit word is aparigraha, translated as non-possessiveness. It’s part of the yogic path toward enlightenment.

TIME TO PAY IT FORWARD

During times of uncertainly, it’s understandable that many of us are soul-searching, questioning our lifestyles, intentions, directions and places in our community and our world. The idea of paying it forward feels appropriate.

History shows that events in our time our cyclical and turn around. New Orleans is a prime example. Lake Pontchartrain flooded most of the city after Katrina. Now there’s a tide of emotion rising as long-suffering, loyal Saints fans see their team en route to the Superbowl. In a city where heartrending Katrina images were shown around the world, many residents are now over the moon and partying – a lot.

Salida resident Louella Pizzuti founded the volunteer-run Stone Soup Cafe, which serves free soup to guests of all ages, from all socioeconomic levels. People who aren’t likely to meet each other are “rubbing elbows and sharing bread,” Pizzuti said. The event is at noon on Mondays at the First Presbyterian Church.

Pizzuti said running the cafe “just makes me feel good.” “I get grumpy but when I focus on helping other people, I forget how grumpy I was and it makes me happy,” she added.

Lucy Whittington, 8, and her sister, Hallie, 11, volunteer at the cafe when they’re off school on Mondays and in the summer. Lucy likes it because “it’s fun.” Hallie said, “A lot of people come we know.”

Descant is pumped about his free art event. “I’m going to do this thing,” he said. “If anyone wants to be involved that’s great. If I didn’t have a venue, I’d do it on the street.”

* Let us know about other free things or events in Salida that inspire you.