For the last decade, Chattanooga-based visual artist Genesis the Greykid has made it a mission to take a yearly cross-country trip that is equal parts spiritual cleansing, artistic inspiration and work. He’s gone by train or by car. With each trip, he never has an itinerary or a timetable, though he does have an agenda.
“It’s about the journey,” he said. “It’s very intentional that I take my time and meet people. I love people, and you see the best stuff when you take your time. You come across these discoveries or happenings when you go off the beaten path.”
On one such trip, he kept a journal and made it a point to speak to as many people as he could about what they thought the secret to life was.
“I bet I talked to 1,500 people,” he said. “I talked to everybody and anybody, and about half of the people were homeless people. They just wanted to talk. They just wanted to be acknowledged.”
Genesis said he tried to have lengthy, meaningful conversations with people and “fell asleep on more than one or two benches with people.”