We're All Equal in Nature

https://base-camp.me/2020/11/24/were-all-equal-in-nature/

The only way to reach Clam Bay – a secluded plot of wild land bordered by salt water and sea grass, over 500 acres shaded by towering live oaks, cypresses and pines – is by boat. Departing from BaseCamp’s boathouse via airboat, the ride is only 20-30 minutes. And yet, for as transformative as the journey is, as unique as the destination is, it can feel to some like shaking loose from Earth’s gravitational pull, charting ahead into the unknown reaches of outer space.

“Clam Bay,” says Brandon C., “is one of those spaces where you can feel a lot of energy in the Nothing. You can feel that Something was there in the marsh. It might still be there. There’s so much energy and history.”

It’s a unique setting for a business meeting, bereft of florescent lights, conference room walls and commercial-grade carpeting. Brandon, BaseCamp’s newest Global Ambassador, finds the natural setting calming. It centers him. Gives him focus and clarity – something he’ll need as he, CEO Brett M. and former company President Joe F., discuss ways to support Brandon along his Global Ambassador journey and his advocacy for the Black community.

“Being there, I felt like we’re all equal,” said Brandon. “We’re all equal in nature. In a boardroom, there’s a clear control factor. There’s a clear factor of you have to be there. There’s a strict time frame. And normally in those settings you get group think. Everybody agrees and you ‘yes’ it along and you turn out a bunch of bad solutions that everybody just ‘yessed’ to get out of the meeting.”

But BaseCamp – and Clam Bay – are different.

“Being at BaseCamp and Clam Bay, there’s an atmosphere that helps to foster your calm,” said Brandon. “There’s quiet, and nature, for you to connect with and ground yourself. So often we get caught up working day to day and moving so fast, trying to keep everything separate in our lives. But BaseCamp is a place where you can go to make all of those parts come together in a way that soothes your mind and soothes your spirit. You know that you feel at ease, you have that support system there – that there are people that are on their journey there that believe in you. They’re passionate in the things they believe in, and everyone is there supporting one another.”

Sitting on a platform in the middle of the woods, a warm breeze carrying the smell of salt air through the pines, the passage of time seems irrelevant. The trio enjoys the picnic spread before them, giving themselves over completely to the task at hand with authenticity, clarity, honest vision and creativity.

“By finding your calm, you allow yourself to have a different perspective. Your eyes change when your mood changes,” said Brandon. “When I’m there I have a clearer lens, a clearer head. I have the ability to cut through the fog and just get away.”