Hey y’all!

Let’s just address the elephant in the room off the bat and then move into some other goodness. This was originally a post to publish 7 days ago. However, the weekend came and went, and each day that subsequently passed, I couldn’t decide on the right “factory” or “work” related song. I spent a part of each day a bit defeated in my writers block. But, I finally decided that I wouldn’t let that shame and fatigue weigh me down. Honestly, when I held my corporate job, those were constant feelings which loomed around my head fairly regularly. Yet, I really want to focus this week not on the factory setting of the corporation I once worked for but what makes a place named “Factory Obscura” so beautiful.

I have long ago heard of an immersive art installation in New Mexico called Meow Wolf, which is part concert venue as well as transformative trail of psychedelic worlds. Participants are encouraged to explore the art at a leisurely pace and experience specific details that appear after thorough inspection. This presents in the emotions that artists are attempting to conjure up inside of you through their use of color, soundtrack, tone, shape, scale and texture.

Factory Obscura: Mixtape is the quirky, 60,000 square foot installation in the middle of otherwise unsuspecting Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The interactive installation is a juxtaposition in its operation which has been open since 2017; both a whimsical and care free space of exploration while also a factory in the sense that the space also sells art from local contributors. Part of Factory Obscura’s beauty is that the space continues to stay collaborative so the experience that you have may be different from what I found. No matter what speaks to you, this is a tapestry of experiences that is destined to make you think.

So, in light of moving from the topic or focus from “factory” or “work” to tapestry, I pulled the song “Beautiful” from Carole King’s 1971 “Tapestry” LP. It is a true classic and I think both speaks to the doldrum of most frustrating jobs that pay the bills as well as honoring the people that make those jobs worth it. That’s really what I hope to honor in this post; the wonderful people that enlighten the workspace. The ones that uplift and support us as we drag out of bed with a smile on our face that may also double as a grimace.

I almost made it to Meow Wolf in New Mexico on a prior road trip, but when Covid hit, that plan was nixed. There was an additional immersive experience that was installed in Las Vegas that sadly I couldn’t make work between my schedule and the pandemic protocols. But, OKC was a great fit into both. I was able to enjoy the art (Pro tip; I highly recommend getting the prism filter before you walk through) and even was able to bring some home as I perused the gift shop.

Give them a shout if in the OKC area and thank me later. This is a unique and definitive experience to enjoy.

I’ll be updating another post this week, probably Wednesday, so be on the lookout for more excellent boombox content! Take care of one another until we meet again!