Moab; The Misfit Melting Pot

 *** Many of my patrons have expressed an interest in my life outside of modeling/photography. As some of you know, I am slowly, but steadily, making my transition into the next chapter of my life, which will focus more heavily on writing and academia. As part of that transition, I have taken a job with my local newspaper. 

My boss is actually Victoria Ford, a veteran writer/reporter for The Sand Paper, who also happens to be an incredibly talented artist in my local community. I pose for her often, when I'm home. She wrote a spread about my life as an art model a couple of years ago. (See above).

I was able to start writing for the newspaper this month, despite being on tour in Utah and the west coast. Because I have never written for news/entertainment reporting before, I began my position by writing up a mock editorial about Moab, Utah, to be critiqued by Victoria. I thought you might find it to be a fun read, too. Enjoy!

*Photography by Eva Luna (of me) in Moab, during The Desert Adventure. 

Moab; The Misfit Melting Pot

Spring time marks the return of the sun. In the high desert of Utah, the spring time sun is, for all living beings, a serious phenomenon not to go unheralded or unheeded.

Just when you have second guessed your sanity for spending the day outside in the ruthless heat, the sun begins to duck beyond the canyon rim. The sky becomes a dance of watercolor, setting the entire landscape aglow in rich hues of orange and purple majesty. Seconds later, you’re running for your down jacket. The stark tenacity of this environment is both intimidating and inspiring.

It is Easter in the desert, and you wonder just what kind of delusional rabbit delivers eggs to children in this weather? The answer is, probably a jack rabbit; That beautiful, enormous bunny, with ears only a mother could love. You might have thought you dreamed him, being that you only saw this mythical looking creature for a fraction of a second, before he disappeared into a funkadelic scene of arches and towers.

However, returning to town, it becomes apparent that you are not dreaming. The mystique of Moab is very real, and it has become a redeeming sanctuary for strange and wonderful creatures, young and old, from all across the globe 

What brings eccentric, non traditional folks to a state dominated largely by the ideology of Mormonism? Without puzzling for an answer, it almost makes sense that Mormonism should thrive in Utah, being that every where else, Mormons are the outcasts of Christianity.

Religious zeal aside, there is something noteworthy about the energy of Utah that welcomes the strange. Those who flock here are thrill seekers, or otherwise, do not mind the harshness of the elements. This is a very ‘adapt or die’ environment, which would repel the average and sane human being. As for the rest of us, we refused to adapt anywhere else, and so found ourselves here, where it takes that resilience and resistance to survive. Our physical bodies adapt, and our individuality survives.

Whether you are an artist or an athlete, you will find your muse here. Whatever your medium, find a red rock perch and get out your instrument, your pencil, your paint palate, your camera, and transcribe the spirit of the desert into a work of art. 

Alternatively, if challenge is what you seek, you might head deeper into the canyon and meet a hiker or a climber to share in the experience of team building, as you test your physical and mental boundaries at new heights. Maybe you’d like to kick up the speed and face some vertical obstacles on a mountain bike. If stamina is your venture, try your hand (or your feet, rather) at a mountain marathon. Need a little more turbulence? Grab a kayak and hit the river. 

Perhaps you aren’t quite inspired by the diesel fumes of Easter Jeep Safari, a nine day long guided event (sponsored by Red Rock 4-Wheelers, with proceeds going towards trail preservation) by which the trails are flooded with hundreds of four wheel drive vehicles, but you might just be inspired by the camaraderie that transpires there.

If you are into more classic automobiles, just wait a week, and join the thousands who line the main drag in downtown Moab for the April Action Car Show, and witness an extraordinary parade of automobiles that begins downtown and ends at Dead Horse Point. The show features classic beauties and custom build-outs for the traditional and quirky auto-enthusiasts alike. The car show is sponsored by the Moab Rotary Club, and the majority of proceeds go to support the Moab Free Health Clinic. 

In Moab, there is community in the solitude which transcends the political and religious dogma, which have lately been so polarizing in our communities via social media. Every human here, whether it be on the trail or the highway, in the river, or atop a mountain, has a genuine benevolence, open mindedness, and willingness to lend a helping hand. The moral of the story? Maybe the cure to what ails you would be, simply, to get lost. Once you’ve found yourself in nature, return to town to integrate with the progressive community of misfits which welcomes you, exactly as you are.

-MMD