When my third grade tiger painting made it on to National Geographic Kids, it affirmed three things: I was an exceptional artist, I liked media attention and I was meant to have an adventurous life. Fast forward twenty years and those things essentially remain the same (though the jury is still out on the artist bit).

In lieu of following the rest of my family into the ranching business, I set out in search of the unknown. Art school, ten years in the fashion industry and various batches of wild oats sown, I returned to my humble upbringing with a fresh eye.

Perhaps I’m not quite ready to give up city life and roost in a high desert homestead, but the isolation and stark beauty of the Mountain West are far more exotic than that cocky third grader could have known.