May in the mountains

I really mean it when I say it: I am grateful.  

I’ve had six weeks off to be a creature again. To trail run. To read. To reconnect with friends. To feel small. To bake blueberry scones. To sleep in my jeep. To smell juniper in Moab. To witness honey-peach sunrises on snowy mountains. To organize my closet. To walk around without a destination in mind. To be bored.

But now, I’m on to my next adventure. Like many of the humans I admire, I’ve spent a number of years chasing summers around the world. This time, I’m heading up to work in Alaska. The plan is to close my say-do gap, disconnect from screens, and fulfil my desire for dramatic and harsh landscapes.

Here are a few ideas, sounds, and words I’ve been relating to lately. I hope that you can find inspiration in them too:

A photo I took on a scouting trip in the Alaska Range - Fall 2021.

What I’m reading:

• The Molecule of More: This book is pure journalistic sorcery. It’s all about dopamine and the pursuit of never settling. The text discusses the correlation between high dopamine levels and the desire to wander. It talks about grass-is-always-greener types, why some people lose interest the second they start loving someone, and the difference between possessing something versus anticipating it. It also reveals a correlation between dopamine levels and political preferences. Maybe you’ll get it, or maybe it’s just esoteric jam for vagabonds, but I came alive in its pages.

• A Field Guide to Getting Lost: My longtime friend Katy recommended that I check this book out. As Katy put it: “every page is special,” and she was right. Solnit’s writing is spellbinding. In one of her early chapters, Solnit writes that the '“color blue” is “a color of the horizon. A color of solitude and desire, the color of there seen from here; the color of where you are not.” She suggests that humans are always longing for the “blue on the horizon” and “to be there, not here.” Solnit explores the idea of desire and pursuit and suggests that it’s really the chase and the longing that we are after and not the destination or object itself. If you have the time, read this book in tandem with The Molecule of More. YOUR MIND will be all twisted up.

• A letter from Steve Albini to Nirvana: Austin Kleon shared a link to this letter in his weekly newsletter, and I’ve thought about it nearly every day for the past two weeks. In his letter entitled I Would Like to be Paid Like a Plumber, record producer Steve Albini explains his philosophy on recording the Nirvana album In Utero. His words beget cool, and I would’ve hired him too.

• Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism: I waited 4+ weeks to borrow this book from the Boulder Library, and it was worth the wait. Author Amanda Montell talks about how cults (which she posits can be anything from OrangeTheory classes to actual drink-the-Koolaid cults) capitalize on the semantics of language to win over their subscribers. She also discusses how the quest for identity in our socially isolated society is at an all time high, and how we are particularly vulnerable to influence at the moment. For a real life example of this phenomenon, see this masterpiece of an article in Rolling Stone Magazine.

• The Snow Leopard: I read this book three times this year. Always on planes and always with a pen in hand. Even though it was written in the 70s and a lot of the language is no longer PC, I can’t help think about the author’s humbling depiction of his expedition through the Himalaya. When I run, I think about his words - about his honest and imperfect relationship with his dying wife, on missing his family while he travels, and on the calm acceptance that he might not see what he set out to see. It’s just a really honest book. And I appreciate it for that.

• Lost in the Valley of Death: Shortly after spilling my entire chai latte in a “no-drinks-allowed” section of my favorite Steamboat bookstore, I stumbled upon this book. I’m only about a third of the way in, but so far I’m captivated. The book follows the true story of a perpetual wanderer and esteemed traveler named Justin, who vanishes in India - after venturing into the wilderness with a supposedly holy man. Unpacking themes of wanderlust, perpetual adventure seeking, risk taking, and childhood trauma - I look forward to the stories and answers these chapters hold.

• And lastly, this week, I clicked on a link on the New York Times Website called 24 Hours in the Life of an Artist. It’s a beautiful piece - with contributions and advice from writers, painters, musicians, filmmakers, chefs, dancers, etc. In the opening line, Marilyn Minter, an accomplished visual artists, says: “don’t [become an artist] unless you have no other choice.” I feel the same way about working in the tourism industry. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. The rest of the advice is, of course, equally as brilliant.

Alaska September 2021 Scouting Trip - Heli to glacier.

What I’m watching:

• I’m not watching much (or at least not anything that I consider to be really good).

• As Trevor Noah insinuated, when Netflix’s top show is called “Is it Cake?” is there even a point?

• Sometimes, when I need a pick-me-up, I watch this YouTube Video of a spontaneous dance party, which reminds me about the momentum of community and makes me SMILE.

• If you really run out of things to watch, this season of CBS’s Survivor offers the usual amount of entertainment, the Fantastic Fungi and Kiss the Ground docuseries on Netflix continue to delight and educate, Pixar’s Onward was better than I thought (but not as good as Coco or Soul), and the movie Almost Famous from the 2000s might make you feel groovy again.

What I’m listening to:

• I’ve been doing a lot of driving lately (to/from the mountains, to/from Moab, to/from Santa Fe) and have been collecting my favorite songs along the way. Here is my latest driving playlist – it’s a compilation of Australian Neo-Psych rock. Two questions for you: 1) Why is all the good music coming from Australia lately? And 2) How do I find more? Please send me your finds. I’m also on a big bluegrass kick after attending Winter Wondergrass in Steamboat.

• The Nolan Potter’s Nightmare Band 2021 Album Music is Dead is absolutely incredible. Listen here.

• The Dirtbag’s Guide to Life – I’m not sure how I ended up listening to the Art of Manliness Podcast, nor do I care, but the episode on dirtbagging resonated with me. On the pod, author Tim Mathis asks listeners to question whether the responsibilities in their lives are true responsibilities or merely social expectations and talks about how being a responsible adult does not necessarily mean owning a house, having kids, pursuing a typical career, etc. so long as you live with morals. PREACH.

• National Parks After Dark - the Denali Episode. This podcast shares adventure mysteries and morbid mishaps from our National Parks. If you’re a dark and twisted soul like me - look no further than this well-researched and intriguing podcast. I tuned into the Denali episode this week - because - welp, I’ll be up there soon.

• Artistry and Generosity in Modern Relationships: Two of my favorite podcasters got together and made a juicy podcast on sensuality, love, and healing. NOTE: this one is not for kids or those who can’t handle mature themes. Madelyn’s podcasts are full of magnetizing healing energy and teach the art of channeling feminine and masculine energetics in life. While deep dark, and sensual, and a bit rambly, I enjoy them. They also remind me about the theories in the book Attached, which has now gone mainstream among my girlfriends - but which should be required reading for every human.

• Enormocast: Don’t ask me why I listen to climbing podcasts, but I do. Climbers are awesome, funny, and awkward people with whom I share a kinship. I listen to quite a few of them. On this episode of Enormocast, Bradly Carter discusses the art of chasing summers, counter-culture, and the siren song that beckons the community back year after year. He talks about how he’s learned that climbing is important but that it isn’t everything, and how creating music has offered balance, and how the hero’s journey applies to life and sport.

• The Life We Are Looking For: This podcast reminds me of an episode of black mirror. On the pod, the guest discusses how our screens and the apps on our phones provide a sense of control for us to hide behind, prevent us from forming meaningful relationships, and are really just mirrors of our own internalized worlds. Best content at 23 mins.

Other links I like:

• Take this interactive quiz to test how open and flexible you are to new ideas.

• Watch this youtube explanation on addiction (it’s the best one I’ve ever found). Warning this is serious (but important) content.

• Read the story of what happened when an Instagram subscriber claimed to be 146 years old.

• Learn about people who don’t “get” music (hint: it’s all connected and there’s a dopamine link).

• Discover how to do a life audit. I do one every year and save the results in my journal.

• Also, for those who have asked about my designs on Instagram, I ordered a bunch of new masks - which were supposed to be up in my shop weeks ago. But the USPS overlords lost them in the shuffle (or otherwise there are a band of counter culture postmen in the great plains wearing dope alien masks). For now, please head to my Spoonflower Shop if you’d like to order some fabric or wallpaper. And be sure to check out my new Juniper and Banjo designs.

Anyway, I’m off for the summer soon. I’m not sure when I’ll post next. I’ve never had too many rules for this thing.

With gratitude,

Claire

January: Warm the Bones

Heyheyhey everyone!

Sorry it’s taken me so long to get this post out. I’ve been recovering from a femoral neck (hip) stress fracture and trying everything I can (short of drinking ambrosia out of a unicorn horn or sucking back some sweet Elmers glue) to keep my bones together. I’m up and walking again after 8 weeks on crutches and am beginning to walk uphill and bike again. YAHOOO!

I’ve been working on a few projects for friends as well as a few secret projects…which I’ll be sharing with you as soon as I’m allowed. In the meantime, here are the things that I thought were worth sharing this month.

612Brew in Minneapolis remodeled their taproom and private event space this fall and used my Hops wallpaper design. I’m drooling over this dreamy space and looking forward to popping up to this Minneapolis brewery soon for a beer.

Podcasts:

• The Shrink Next Door: If you’re looking for a juicy little story, this podcast might just be your jam. The 7-part audio series follows NYTimes sports journalist, Joe Nocera, as he uncovers some startling truths about his psychiatrist neighbor in the Hamptons. I’ve been binging these episodes while cycling at the gym, and this true story is keeping me on my toes.

• Adam Grant, the Man Who Does Everything: Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist and professor. Over the course of this pod, Grant discusses the importance of surrounding yourself with a network of people who will challenge you, call you out on your weaknesses, and push you to improve. Grant also tells listeners that he keeps a resume of his failures and that keeping tabs on his failures is just as important as keeping tabs on his wins. An inspiring listen for sure!

• Adventurepreneur Podcast with Hillary Allen: I seriously wish I could hit the trails with Hillary. On the pod, she discusses recovering from her 150 ft fall, learning to walk again, and why we get a runners high (from a chemical perspective…hint it has to do with your eyeball movement….whaaat?!). This podcast is totally approachable and makes dealing with my stress fracture feel very minor! Highly recommend.

• Long Distance Lovebombs: My roommate turned me on to this feel-good podcast. It’s packed with heart and emotion, and is perfect for battling the Sunday night scaries. The pod brings on special guests (everyone from an Iranian kickboxing champion to a love expert) and offers relationship advice, tips for fighting for your dreams, and warm conversation.

• The Model Health Show: On the episode Cleanse, Nourish, and Restore Your Body with Dr. KellyAnn Petrucci, Dr. Petrucci says that if you want to figure out what you should be doing with your life, you should wander into a bookstore and see what section you naturally gravitate to. Where do you head first? Do you head to the travel section? Do you go read autobiographies about athletes? I’d never thought about where I gravitated towards before, but now every time I head into our neighborhood bookstore, I take a second to reflect.

Doggo friend rocking his Alpine winter bandana :_

Films/Shows:

• Cheer: A few friends recommended that I tune into this Netflix docuseries about Navarro College's competitive cheer squad. At first, I was skeptical, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised. The series paints a careful picture of what it means to belong to a team, to compete, and to sacrifice your body for a common goal. It reveals a mindset of determination and raises questions about how far these young athletes are willing to push themselves and for what purpose. The series comments on drive, obsession, discipline, spirit, and faith under a coaching system that is both beautiful and overbearing. It’s worth a watch!

• Kilian vs. a Basejumper: My friend Mark sent me this video of our trail running hero Kilian racing a basejumper up and down Romsdalshorn in Norway. I’ll let you tune in to find out who wins (but, spoiler alert, it’s pretty epic).

• Fire on the Mountain: The Grateful Dead, snowboard/surf film is now out in it’s full glory! If jam-band compilations aren’t your thing, another Teton Gravity Research Film I enjoyed this month was The Evolution of Dreams. This 27-minute film follows Eva Walkner and Jackie Paaso as they face challenges and tackle new heights in ski mountaineering.

• Greta and George’s film: this 3-minute video by Greta Thunberg is amazing and you’ve probably already seen it. If you haven’t seen it yet, take 3 minutes to watch it and to appreciate what this young woman is doing for the planet. I’m relieved that we have a voice and face advocating for our climate, and urging us to Protect. Restore. Fund.

• Health and Wellness Pick: (NERD ALERT) I enjoyed this talk by Dan Pardi on Health, Sleep, and Neurocircuitry. Conducted by Tom Bilyeu, this brilliant interview discusses how working out in synchronicity with others, increased light exposure, and cold/heat therapy are beneficial to our bodies and minds. Be forewarned it’s sciency.

Ideas and Articles:

• The Washington Post put together a neat little guide to what is trending in 2020. It’s called the “in and out list.” If anyone knows where I can try some of this trendy anaerobic coffee let me know.

• These dreamy A-frame cabins are everything that my soul needs right now.

• I took this NYtimes quiz to see if I could identify more famous faces than the average NYtimes reader. I did ok. Overall, I was was pleasantly surprised by the number of soccer players I could identify and seriously disappointed by my ability to identify top politicians. Ooops!

• Why you Should Always Order Your Coffee in a Medium Cup and 21 other pieces of advice: even though I am not a dude or a father, I succumbed to this clickbait article and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was full of some well-articulated pieces of wisdom. Besides, don’t you want to know why you should always order your coffee in a medium cup?

Food:

• Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Soup: Surprise, surprise, I made another sweet potato meal. This one turned out quite tasty!

That’s all for now! If you’re not already following along on Instagram please do :)

On Lipstick and Chasing Larry King Through the Grocery Store -- November Stories Worth Sharing

I’m obsessed with stories. And words. And the places they can carry us off to. And lately, I’ve been reading and listening to some pretty good ones.

Here are a couple of unpretentious and captivating stories that you should listen to and read this week. These storytellers, artists, and athletes strive to live on their own terms and encourage others to do the same.

1. “Life, business, success . . . it’s just like a nightclub. There are always three ways in...” I tuned in to the Rich Roll Podcast a few weeks ago to listen to an interview with Alex Banayan, an accomplished business author and a Forbes 30 under 30 business leader. The conversation is infectious, and Alex’s story of wild obstacles (chasing Larry King through the grocery story, sneaking into a Warren Buffet Shareholder meeting, and hacking his way onto the Price is Right) is downright inspiring.

2. I’ve been tearing my way through Kate Harris’ book, Lands of Lost Borders. The book is spurring another wave of adventure within my bones, and I’m getting desperate for the road again.

3. I’m SO ready to see the film 3100: Run and Become. It explores the spiritual elements of running and talks about running as the ultimate prayer and meditation form— speaking to mother earth...and showing her that you are capable of putting in the hard work and miles. Sign me up!

4. A surface pattern design friend mentioned that she and her husband stayed at an Eco Village called Finhorn in Scotland, and I’m honestly so intrigued by the 500-person self-supported community.

5. I’m curious what you think of this Walrus Article about the 28-year old New York political candidate, Alexandria Oscasio-Cortez’s, decision to wear red lipstick at her debates. It got me thinking about revolt and femininity and not apologizing for being you.

6. John Fellows designed the Banff Film and Literary Festival T-shirts this year, and I’m swooning over his mountain line work.

7. Spoonflower released their December surface pattern design challenges, and I’m excited for the Nordic/Scandinavian challenge. I’ve been peeping Real Nordic Living and envisioning my entry. I’m especially obsessed with the idea that Nordic spaces are supposed to be comfortable and cozy. They are supposed to be elegant and minimal, while also feeling lived in and soft — meaning that you should not be worried about breaking anything or getting your fingerprints on the glass. Scandinavian design rewards chipped mugs and red wine rings on the table because they make the space feel lived in. I LOVE that.

8. I missed the Fresh Coast film festival in Marquette, MI this year but have a full list of rad outdoor films to catch up on now.

9. Sticking with the Michigan theme, I am also enjoying the Yooper podcast Chat it U.P. Episode nine with Mike Forester, the art director at NMU (and former director at Burton Snowboards) was my favorite.

10. I wrote a piece a few weeks ago for the Storied Hotels Campaign about the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. If you’re wondering about this storied Michigan island (why were there were fake nannies on the island in the 1900s and what exactly is buried beneath the hotel), then you should totally take a browse.

11. I loved Stolen Dance by Milky Chance the first time around, but this week, I’m playing the acoustic cover by Twin Bandit and Josh Hyslop on repeat.

12. I listened to climber, Alex Honnold’s podcast about hard work and following your dreams to the extreme, and am a bit obsessed.

13. I want to draw a map — currently drooling over the Josie Portillio city and street maps.

14. My brother and I listened to Anna Faris’s podcast with Bert “the Machine” Kreischer on our car ride up to Michigan, and I almost couldn’t drive straight because I was laughing so hard at Bert’s retelling of his mafia-studded study abroad experience in Russia.

15. Lastly, I’m really into the idea of Dog Energy that climber Conrad Anker talks about on The Firn Line. Conrad says that we should welcome others with dog energy — the kind of stupid, crazy good, tail-wagging energy your dog gives you when you come home after work. I think about it whenever I see a friend that I haven’t seen in a while and am trying to get better at working dog energy into my every day life. (Conrad talks about it at minute 42 of the podcast if you need to zoom ahead).

Sending love as the cooler weather settles in on our corner of this blue and green rock.