There’s something special about our need for a mix connection and alone time. You need to be by yourself to figure out how you work, but you need to be around and with other people to figure out how you work outside of just yourself. How you work for others and with others. Field Trip was a really eye-opening experience for me in 2018, helping me see myself in ways that I would usually keep to myself because sharing things you aspire to be but doubt you’ll be able to is hard. And meeting new people, people you look up to and brand new faces, is honestly terrifying when you’re at a place where you have to show up fully as yourself to really benefit from anything you’re experiencing. This year, I sat myself on cloud 9 for five days, hoping I would be able to leave all of the holds I had put on my self to just take what Marfa had to give me and see what would happen. There were weeks of nerves and tingling hands, knowing time would pass and I would eventually find myself at Field Trip, trying to hold on to what I tell myself I can do in the safety of being just by myself. The in between moments were what worried me the most, because they are the moments where you make your next move. And they build up to decisions that shape your whole experience. Stefan’s talk really reminded me how important it is to take care of those moments. Michael’s talk really reminded me to capitalize on those moments to use them to their full ability. Hailley’s class really reminded me to see the beauty in those moments. And Whitney’s talk showed me the importance of appreciating every one of those moments for what they are. Marfa Trip was better for me this year, because as a person I was able to live more in those moments, and see more in between everything, even on that early run in the cold and the dust and blisters covering my feet. 

*A friend I made in Marfa encouraged me to sit with all of the thoughts from Marfa, put away distractions, take a shot of whiskey (my advice), and write for 30 minutes to see what I came up with. And I’m very thankful for that push.