I am no athlete.

I’m not in the best shape of my life. If you see me riding my bike up a mountain, I’m probably wheezing, with a face that’s red, covered in sweat, simply trying to breathe. I always lag behind on long bike rides - if you reach the top first, you’ll most likely have to wait for me before making that fun descent. I don’t charge down the hill at breakneck speed, and, if you were in the back of the pack with me, you’d see me walking my bike down certain scary features.

On the ski slopes, I’m the same. I learned to ski at a late age (at least, for kids who grow up in the mountain towns of the West). When you learn to ski as a young child, you learn how to fall with ease. You respond differently. You challenge yourself while your body and brain are still forming. As a result, your skills improve steadily. Learning any outdoor activity while young and malleable builds the best physical and mental foundations. My journey has been different... As an adult with a beginner-intermediate skill set, I’m keenly aware of a few different factors: I viscerally feel an outsized level of fear. I’m keenly aware of the cost of a doctor visit. I haven’t fallen flat on my face in years - do I even know how to do it?

Since I came to my love of biking and skiing later in life, I have a lot of imposter syndrome while talking about or engaging in these outdoor activities. I often feel I’m not “cool enough” or “brave enough”, I don’t “know enough”, and I’m not “in shape enough” to be there. There’s a certain mystique that comes with some mountain sports. Looking “cool” becomes woven into the process. That fact can be limiting for those of us who have never been “cool” a day in our lives…

My art, so focused on outdoor adventure, leads some of my viewers to think I’m some sort of mountain badass. I sincerely wish that were true! The reality is, I don’t know a lot about any of these sports, but I deeply LOVE these places and experiences.

Using outdoor adventure as a metaphor for life, my art explores the innate desire that ALL of us have to explore, innovate, play, and create. Why do we ski? What is the point of engaging in an activity with no “purpose” or “outcome” really? Why do we enjoy the feeling of speed and our being fully in our body as we bike down a flowy mountain trail? Why do we feel at peace on a paddleboard? What can we learn from looking back at how far we’ve come? What does adversity and the climb have to teach us? Why do any of this at all? THESE are the concepts that I love to explore.

Outdoor sport is a metaphor for it all.

Just as the intimidating “cool factor” of outdoor sports can turn away people who may not feel “good enough”, I believe the “pretention factor” that exists in some art spaces prevents people who would benefit from experiences in art from engaging with it. Some Artists who have an inflated sense of self-importance perpetuate this idea that art is for those who “get it”, and if you don’t understand every aspect of their creation, then you shouldn’t even be in that space. There seems to be a quiet disdain for anyone who doesn’t buy into their genius.

I went to art school, and even I experience this!

That looking down on others prevents the everyday person from engaging with art with a sense of open curiosity. There’s an internal pressure to “get it” that springs up in viewer’s hearts, and they feel they’ll be embarrassed or labeled as “not smart enough” if they don’t see all the nuance. At the end of the day, they decide that art just isn’t for them.

Some of my work in my senior thesis art show, titled “ValU,” which explored the connection between human beings and nature. This cut paper piece is a tree, displayed inverted to draw a parallels to a human lung.

When I was in art school, I noticed that, as a group, we were so insular. Everyone who came to our events already had some exposure to art. They were comfortable in those spaces. Why was this the case? Well…we didn’t talk to anyone outside of our circles. What a detriment to the world! Our art wasn’t reaching anyone who wasn’t already engaging with art. I couldn’t help feeling there were massive audiences our art could reach and impact for the better if only we could make the experience of art more accessible to those who felt that art “wasn’t for them”.

During this time, I developed friendships with a group of people entirely out of my comfort zone. These friends never had any interest in art, nor were they aware the art department had art openings almost every weekend. I started bringing them to a few art shows, and I was delighted to see them engage with art, perhaps for the first time. Their ideas about the work were different. That surprised the Artists - we benefit from hearing different viewpoints!

My guest’s reactions surprised even them. I could see the wheels turning….. “Perhaps I DO like art!” was the feeling.

I couldn’t help but feel like I had opened a door to a flood of new experiences in my friend’s lives. Simply by opening the door, I allowed them to feel comfortable in art spaces in the future. Simply by bringing them along for the ride, I helped them get past that very particular fear of “not getting it”.

I still see this fear, even in the low-stakes environment of outdoor art markets. Viewers of my art often make comments about my work and then look to me with uncertainty and fleeting fear in their eyes, ending their statements with: “Right??” In that moment, I can sense their need for me to confirm their own feelings about a piece of artwork, rather than believing what is true to THEM in THEIR hearts to be valid. They ask me over and over “was that right?” or “was that what you intended?”

In truth, what I intend with any piece of art is IRRELEVANT to your own individual experience of that drawing.

Trust your own inner knowing.

What is this art piece bringing up for YOU? Are you drawn to one color or pattern over others? Does it remind you of something? Is this genre of art intriguing and engaging to you? Do you prefer pictures of elk to high concept sculptures? Do you see a smiley face jumping out from that free flowing pattern of paint in an abstract painting? Do you have questions and want to learn more? Do you want to know how it was made? Is this art making you feel something - happy, sad, angry, something in between? Are you not even sure you can name the experience?

ALL of this is valid.

I firmly believe there are varying, yet equally valid, levels of engagement in both sport and in art. You can be a dedicated marathon runner who competes internationally, and you can just enjoy going for an occasional breathless run in the woods. You can understand the varied nuance of every level of an art piece, knowing exactly how it is made, what event or other art it is referencing, and all the details of the metaphor the artist intended, or you can simply enjoy the pleasing picture of a mountain. I believe BOTH experiences are valid.

Art, like outdoor recreation, should be accessible to everyone, regardless of former exposure, background, or economic status. This belief guides the decisions I make in my art business. For instance, I offer high quality, affordable waterproof stickers of my art just as I offer higher priced original drawings on canvas. Why? Because I believe that, whether you view my art in a white walled gallery or on the water bottle you are drinking from, both experiences are valid.

Art should be accessible to all.

Over time, I’m finding more peace and acceptance around where I’m at in my own journey both in the outdoors and in the art world. I put myself in those spaces to experience the wild without and within. I’m there for the process and the journey and to be fully present where I am, both in my body and in that moment. I’m open to seeing what will happen. I’m open to exploring. I’m open to experiencing something new.

Accepting where I am and what I need in any given moment on the trail directly translates to embracing varied experiences of art. Maybe today is just not the day to ride that challenging trail. That’s okay! Maybe this piece of art just isn’t for me….and that’s okay!

However you engage with life, with sport, with art, is up to you. I’m writing this piece in order to advocate for those who feel that the art world just “isn’t for them”.

IT IS.

Creating, exploring, and experiencing are your inherent rights as a human being. I hereby invite you to engage with new experiences and new places with no expectations and open curiosity.

You never know what you might discover.

Abolishing Cool Factor

Pacing