Resilience Made

Growing up in a household surrounded with framed photos of iconic southwest monuments, it’s no surprise that this aesthetic has become a significant part of my life. For goodness sake I spent my bachelorette in Santa Fe, NM taking photos on my old Canon film camera of chiles and adobe buildings. 

The contrast of colors that you find in this part of the world- the reds, browns, greens and brightly painted walls of buildings- is what really drew me in. It is such a visually appealing place, the aesthetic is unmatched. You get beautiful things like turquoise, cacti, and dried chiles. Styles that include cowboy boots and hats, fringe leather jackets, and gigantic belt buckles while simultaneously incorporating a boho chic hippie vibe from the younger generations.

The style is iconic, much like the monuments that dapple the landscape. You have beauties like Delicate Arch, Canyon de Chelly, and Bryce Canyon. These monoliths are markers for travel and the ultimate inspiration for artists across mediums. 

The contrast of the turquoise stones and the bright orange walls of the canyons are stunning. As someone who loves a good hike I’ve never been drawn to slot canyons- their tight spaces terrify me. But their colors amaze me. The curving lines that you can trace and follow as far as these beasts will allow is something so unique to the southwest, so different from other kinds of adventures like spelunking or hiking. 

Visiting Santa Fe was phenomenal. The old adobe buildings of the gallery district is worth it in and of itself to visit. It felt like stepping into another time. Not all places you visit transport you in such a way as Santa Fe. 

I love the high desert, the meadows, and pines as you wander your way out of town and up into the mountains. Looking down on the small cross of streets that hold such a huge history. 

As an adult I now have a nice pair of (thrifted) cowboy boots, and hat (that I adorned with a bright Barbie pink bow and rhinestones- also thrifted). I’m on my way to collecting every piece of turquoise I can find. I’ve printed photos from my trip to line my walls and provide proof of a place that my heart yearns for. 

This love of the southwest is shared with my parents. As someone who constantly tries to distance themselves from their parents it is incredibly challenging loving something that they love. Loving something that so inspired them to decorate their home with trinkets and artwork that represents that area of the world. How do you handle facing that similarity when you want nothing to be like them? I pride myself on being independent, unique, simply me. Yet, this string exists between us. This cord that I don’t want to sever because it would mean giving up something that I enjoy and appreciate. I refuse.  

In that refusal I choose joy and happiness. I choose to travel to these places, adorn my home with similar trinkets and artwork. This similarity doesn’t define me, instead it connects me to a new community. The adobe buildings, cowboy boots, natural monoliths and all. 

The southwest makes me question what defines me, what communities do I want to belong to, and how do I relate to them. 

It begs the question: 

What defines you and how do you relate that to others? Does it bring you a community or separate you from one (I’ve found it can be both)?