Landon: The winds of happenstance

Last week, I wrote about how far Aspen’s influence reaches, using the Wind Phone Shrine as an example. This week, I’ve got a cool follow-up story for you.

Soon after my article came out, I got an email from a guy who said he made the Wind Phone. I was blown away! I asked him how he even saw my article. He told me a friend in Aspen read it and sent it to him in Oregon. Oregon! This totally proved my point about Aspen’s long reach. A simple article, printed in our small newspaper, somehow traveled all the way to Oregon and then back to me in Aspen. Was it a lucky coincidence? I don’t think so. 

I had so many questions for him: What made you build the Wind Phone? If you live in Oregon, how did it end up in Aspen? When did you make it? Why did you make it? 

I called the number from the email. I told him I wrote the article and had a bunch of questions. He was happy to talk. Right off the bat, I asked what inspired him to make the Wind Phone. Just like I suspected, it was the many other shrines all over the mountains. He even shared a story about the Marilyn Monroe shrine and how he used the Wind Phone to “call” her.

I asked him, why a Wind Phone? Why not a regular shrine? He explained that he’s been an artist for over twenty years, and he likes using old, leftover materials in his art. From the used wood for the sign to the old rotary phone that is the Wind Phone, it’s all upcycled stuff. He told me his art is usually impermanent, only there for a few moments before it’s gone. The Wind Phone is one of the few pieces he’s made that lasted more than a few moments.

He said that when he decided to make the Wind Phone, he wanted it to stand up to the weather and time. He also wanted it to be interactive. A way for people to interact with the art, not just admire it like the other shrines. 

When I pushed him to explain more about why the Wind Phone, he told me he wanted to make what he called “healing art.” You see, he had used the Wind Phone himself to get closure from a past relationship where he couldn’t talk to that person anymore. The Wind Phone let him say the things he never got to say, and that helped him find peace, much like my dad.

We kept talking about why it’s important for people to be able to interact with the art. How people, like my dad and many others, can find closure by using the Wind Phone, and that it’s not just for calling dead people. You can call anyone. The person he called was still alive.

We talked about the first Wind Phone, made by a guy in Japan who lost someone dear to him and wanted to talk to them again. That’s how he came up with the idea. Soon after, a huge tsunami killed thousands of people in Japan, so the man made his Wind Phone available to everyone. That’s how the idea of the Wind Phone spread. Thousands of people have used Wind Phones since then to find closure, and many more phones have popped up around the world. He even told me there’s one in Carbondale!

When I asked him why Aspen, he told me he spends six months a year here in the valley. That explained how he saw the other shrines and how the Wind Phone ended up in Aspen, even though he lives in Oregon. I asked him when he built it and how he picked the spot. He said he thought of the idea during the pandemic. And he chose that specific spot on the mountain because it felt like going through a portal. There’s a fallen tree you walk under that opens up into a small clearing in the thick woods. As he looked for a spot, he noticed that the fallen tree made a natural “entry way,” and once he went through it, he knew it was the perfect place for the shrine.

After answering all my questions, we were about to hang up when I asked him if he wanted me to give him credit for making the shrine. He said, “Nah, I think it’s cooler if it stays a secret. Leave my name out of the story.” I agreed — that was cooler.

Riding the winds of happenstance, my story left Aspen, went to the Wind Phone shrine’s creator in Oregon, and then came back to me here in Aspen as yet another story! A pretty neat story if you ask me, and one I wanted to share with you, the community. Without you reading, without you sharing, heck, without you period, none of this would have happened. I’m just happy to play my small part. Thanks again for playing yours.

If you ever doubt that Aspen’s influence is worldwide and that you’re helping make a difference, I hope this story helps you believe it. Like I said last time, together we are making a difference — not just here in Aspen but all over the world. I’ve experienced it myself directly, and now I hope you have, too. IT’S NOT NOTHING!

Thanks for reading my stories and paying with your attention.

Landon Hartstein is the founder of AspenDroneCompany.com, a media production company specializing in aerial cinematography. He combines his love for telling stories with his love for cameras. For video services, contact him at Landon@AspenDroneCompany.com. To suggest story ideas or just to say hi, contact him at LandonLikeAPlaneWrites@Gmail.com.