There is nothing more liberating than a road trip with the people you love. Getting out of the city and into nature is an essential part of being a creative, and a great way to kickstart a new project or simply just recharge the spirit.
Sometimes, these trips don’t turn out they way we initially planned, but that is the beauty of it. Making due with what you have and celebrating the imperfections for what they are can a make a simple experience that much more enriching. As professionals, it is hard to remember that sometimes, especially when we are so caught up in the way things are supposed to “be” or the way things are supposed to “look”. Going with the flow is always easier said than done, but when we commit to it, the outcome can be surprisingly rewarding.
One of our favorite Brooklyn-based photographers, Katie McCurdy, sent over a series striking images she recently captured on a road trip to Marfa. Katie has an incredible eye and definitely embodies that “in the moment” mentality that is essential when it comes to telling an authentic story. For her, there is a certain feeling of freedom associated with shooting on the road, and at the end of the day, it is what drives her.
“My sister Samm lives in Dallas. In November, my boyfriend and I flew to Texas to visit. The three of us planned on driving to Marfa to camp for a few days. I had the idea of shooting sort of a ‘sister story’ and the two of them wanted to visit the Chinati Foundation.
We knew it might snow – being from the Northeast I thought we would be fine in a ‘Texas snow storm’. It was terrifying – we were driving on ranch roads alone. We couldn’t see anything in front of us and we had to drive 10 mph. Eventually we decided to pull over and stay at the closest hotel until the morning. We had to use a plastic dust pan just to scrape the ice off our windshield – there were no Texas gas stations that sold ice scrapers.
When we finally made it to Marfa, we were informed by the camping grounds that we were unable to stay due to the weather conditions. We were lucky enough to crash at my sister’s friend’s place who happen to be out of town. Then the power in the entire town went out. We had to drive an entire town over just to get Domino’s pizza for dinner. We were so lucky that our apartment had gas heat and candles. I kept thinking my trip was ruined, but actually it made me really appreciate what I have and how lucky I was to be ‘stuck’ with the two people I love the most. It was amazing to capture Marfa in such a rare moment.”
Check out all the images from Katie’s trip in the gallery below and for more info visit her site here.
xx Jeanine