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