Ben Drexler
Washington, DC US
"I've got great benefits, I've got a great salary-but here's this other thing, and when I'm doing this other thing, I'm not just really happy...I'm extremely happy."
Career Roadmap
Ben's work combines: Non-Profit Organizations, Politics, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Sadly, there is no educational path for poi spinning or the flow arts currently. Those of us who are making a living in it all do so independently by creating the means necessary to do so. In the future, there's a good chance this art will be more integrated into circus schools. Just start practicing!
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
American History (United States)
University of Colorado Boulder
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
In college, saw the film Hotel Rwanda and became an activist; worked to end genocide in Darfur.
2.
Moved to Washington D.C. to work for the Genocide Intervention Network.
3.
Became disillusioned by the internal politics at the organizations he worked for; decided to take his own trip to Kenya.
4.
Had begun poi spinning after discovering it at Burning Man; taught the art of poi/fire dancing on his trip to Africa.
5.
Felt more fulfilled teaching in Kenya for one month than he'd felt in two years working at the Network.
6.
Started teaching poi spinning classes in Washington D.C., posting tutorials online.
7.
Rather than wondering if he was making a difference, he now had people seeking him out to say he'd changed their lives.
8.
Says spinning poi brings him so much joy because it's a form of meditation; there are no worries about immediate gains-you just spin.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
There is no way you can make a living doing this.
How I responded:
At the time, no one was making a living spinning poi. It just wasn't done. It wasn't until I started having people coming up to me at festivals etc. and telling me that everything they know they learned from the videos I was posting, that I realized this is something that I could be doing all the time and not just as a hobby.