THE DROP OUT DROPS BACK IN
Arts Grants: The government was giving Arts Grants to encourage the arts in Australia. I naively thought I might apply and loaded up the car, and headed to Sydney to see if I could qualify.
Of course, my car Karma continued as soon as we hit Sydney, the car gave a last gasp and gave up the ghost.
So there we were in a city, no car, no cash, and just a pile of “hippy posters”. I had no choice but to hit the streets selling the posters, going to hotels, and tourist places. I managed to get some work doing my shonky illustrations for a company that did slides for showing in clubs and theatres featuring upcoming events.
The Spicer Street family graciously again supplied a room where we could camp until we worked out what we could do in this new chapter.
Again, I had no plans, just an "openness" to possibilities.
The organizers at Nimbin heard of our predicament and endorsed me for a job at NSW University as a video ‘laboratory assistant ‘ in the School of Social Work. Again, it was a perfect job for the times. My own studio in a stand-alone 'hut' equipped with remote control cameras and lots of outside recording equipment, while enjoying the privileges of being on staff with nice cups of tea in the staff room, then hanging out smoking joints with the students.
I knew little technically, and often just did a quick bit of study before I was due to show anyone, but was able to inspire the students to take the equipment to explore video as a storytelling medium, and I would help them edit it.
I had plenty of time to myself to play with the equipment, hypnotizing myself by pointing the camera at the screen and creating psychedelic feedback. Occasionally, I was part of the university's film crew and assisted as a sound recordist on some of their films, or a participant in the after-filming pillow fights.
A 'video freak' who had spent a few months in India with his Guru in his Ashram visited and asked for help editing his video to get a film grant. His Guru was about to embark on a world tour, and he wanted to do a film of the Australian leg.
I spent time looking and re-looking at the video, finding the best bits of his talks, of his teachings, and of him being him Self.. I had a basic knowledge of a Guru having been in the meeting with both the Maharishi and Krishnamurti who was actually a "non Guru", I had also seen Guru Maharaji, the 'Teenage Guru, which is another story. I had read quite a few of the Eastern and Western Masters, but I had never witnessed a Guru in his 'home environment', an Ashram where 'students' would go to practice and experience the teachings of the Guru.'
This Guru was certainly charismatic, generated an incredible amount of energy, one moment he seemed to be dynamic, moving at a blindingly fast speed, then the next perfectly still, totally radiating calmness. He also seemed to have a very colorful and strong persona, a great sense of humor, and a limitless knowledge of what the nature of consciousness is.
We did a final edit, and he headed off to apply for his grant.
More synchronicity!
I had made a new friend with a neighbor, he asked what I did, and when I replied worked with video for the University of NSW, his eyes lit up. He was an Art Director in an advertising agency, and they needed someone to cut 'video storyboards ' made from editing together pictures from magazines or cut from existing video sources that gave the client an idea of the television advertisement the agency was presenting.
and said straight away:
"We're looking for someone to run our in-house video department in our agency."
Would you be interested?
Remembering back how the creative department was both fun and stimulating, I was in the agency bright and early the next morning for an interview, and then introduced to the classic advertising deal breaker/maker...a long lunch!
My role seemed to be the 'token tokin' hippie; they seemed pleased to have a long-haired 'funster surfer' flitting along the corridors and disappearing into my cave, often receiving guests who slipped in to share a little toke to help fire up the imagination.
Soon, I was not just cutting video storyboards, but learning as I went, I started to help produce actual shoots.
Hmmmm. I started thinking. Surely I could write ads as good, if not better, as some of these guys!
But could I actually do so?
A run-down dilapidated old mansion, divided into apartments, sitting on top of Bronte Hill, became our new home, and it was easy to slip down for a surf, joyfully interacting with the ocean and nature again.
Discovering a false wall in the kitchen, I pried away a panel to reveal an old staircase leading up to a little lookout on the roof. Perched precariously on the crumbling look-out I enjoyed what was probably the best panoramic view of the ocean and surrounding area.
A perfect setting for both meditation, and a source of great entertainment as electrical storms out to sea put on fabulous natural light shows, lightning danced across the horizon like mega strobe lights highlighting incredible storm clouds while at the same time being doubled in impact by being reflecting on the ocean.
The sunrise shows were never to be missed either.
