Southern Renaissance

A little while back I read a book of Flannery O'Connor's essays.  It's been a while since I've read any of her work or even thought about the grotesque movement in literature, but the coincidental reminder was welcome. 

It was nice to see that the South had once held an esteemed place in the culture of America--it wasn't always seen as a joke.  And though people and situations down there can be crazy, I feel like something is changing.

I've been living in California since leaving Costa Rica in September 2012 and the lesson that keeps coming to mind every time I move to California is that it's a nice place to visit, but not live.  But there's been guilt about wanting to go back to Austin.  I do feel the pressures to live somewhere more "cultured" and "full of opportunities" but the more I hear that from people, the more I realize those opportunities are available in places other than the Great Idea of California. 

Austin is a not only a booming economy, it's also a growing and successful idea-space.  People have more freedom of expression there than I've noticed out here, more exuberance, yet less pretentiousness.  It's growing and will come to lead the way for future growth as a new cultural hotspot.  In all earnestness, I believe that Austin will become the new San Francisco within the decade.

I don't just have high hopes for Austin, either.  New Orleans has inspired me recently, but I am a cautious optimist when it comes to Louisiana. 

Another inspiration for this train of though is the documentary "Beauty is Embarrassing" about Wayne White's work and life.  He's a creative Tennessee boy who succeeded in spreading his ideas and baring himself to the world.  Not only is he inspiring, but the documentary also pointed out a cultural flow from the East Coast to the West Coast that I don't think has reached an end.