Arizona, U.S.

 

The sad, loneliness of winter was the inspiration and heart of this adventure. I usually get an itch to see something beautiful when i’m stuck in this depressing rut. I asked my sister, Rachel and my assistant, Brett to join me in finding some mid-winter hope in the desert. We found more peace and beauty than we could have ever asked for. I headed out for my flight on a Saturday from Cincinnati, Rachel and Brett were meeting me in AZ from Chicago. I liked being able to fly alone. I always think it’s a neat feeling to have to rely on myself to get through the hustle of the airport on my own. we got there in the evening and stayed at a hotel in Scottsdale so we could experience the nightlife of the city before we headed to our deserted destinations. We woke up bright and early on sunday and drove 2.5 hours to make a last minute tattoo appointment with an artist I discovered through Instagram/our new friend, Hector. While one of us finished up with our tattoo, the other 2 of us would start getting our hair and makeup done so we could immediately take off to Saguaro NP (of course stopping for some tacos and margaritas via the recommendation of our tattoo artist)  right outside tuscon, AZ. we listened to my desert playlist (yes I am that extra) on our speaker, had outfit changes in our car, and skipped around the biggest cacti i’ve ever seen. It was an unforgettable sight. Every twist & turn made us gasp in awe at how insane the views were of miles on miles of cacti. We danced around and took photos until we could watch the sunset. then we packed up and began our 3 hour drive to our next destination to sleep for the night. Once again- up bright and early to check out some local coffee and thrifting before we got ourselves ready for shoot #2. This 3 hour drive to the Little Painted Desert was my favorite drive. we had to go through some super snowy mountains, drive straight through a blizzard of sorts, then down a loooong hill that plopped us into the desert. Finally amongst peace, quiet, and simplicity. when we arrived at the Little Painted Desert, we were the only ones there. it instantly brought tears to my eyes to just be alone. feeling so small felt so good. I let myself get in my feels for bit then it was time to snap out of it and create some art with my beautiful companions. we shot just up until an hour or so before sunset so we could drive into it to cap off the day. this was our last day, so once we got back to our place we changed, drove to get some burgers and beers, and packed up. one last sleep in the warm, fuzzy state of AZ. I am more than pleased with the art we captured, food we tasted, drives we drove, and vibes we felt. AZ., you treated us well.