As a seasoned Burner, I’m no stranger to answering a standard set of Playa-related questions. However, there is one topic close to my heart that I find somewhat under-discussed. Burning Man is one chaotic playground. It’s easy to jump to the conclusion that, if you are a quiet and/or shy person, who doesn’t like loud parties or crowded places, Burning Man is not for you. I admit, for someone who cherishes alone time and personal space, enjoys order in both life and relationships, and depends on a degree of predictability in social situations, Burning Man might, at a glance, appear as a total nightmare.

I can also foresee how, — in the vein of Radical Self-Expression (one of the founding principles of Burning Man), — there might be calls for you to ‘come out of your shell’, ’open up and have fun’, and so on. Don’t fret. You don’t have to pretend to be an extrovert to enjoy your time in the desert. It’s important to keep in mind that, as much as Burning Man is often represented by the loud and the extravagant, there is a big population of Black Rock City, who might be less visible on the pictures and videos you would come across online, but their participation is in every way as meaningful and valuable to the community. So I am here to assure you, my dear introvert, that Burning Man is absolutely the place for you. You just need to put a few safeguards in place, in order be able to give yourself fully to this experience. Below is my list.