Plants that can thrive in harsh desert environments have my undying respect. I love the idea of some delicate, beautiful force of nature toughing it out in an arena dominated by elements that are big, bold, and inhospitable.

This particular example drew me in as if by some gravitational pull during my 2018 workshop in the Highlands of Iceland. Our rolling creative laboratory moved via “monster trucks” from one ephemeral roadside wonder to the next, directed by the combined sensibilities of the three of us who were co-leading together. I was communicating with my partners Alexandre Deschaumes and Xavier Jamonet via shortwave radio from one truck to the next, and sometimes no communication was necessary. Occasionally, we would simultaneously direct our drivers to pull over, reaching for the radio to communicate what we had seen right before realizing that we were all stopping already. At this stop, the group scattered pretty widely, which is one of the nice benefits of having three different co-leaders…and is one amazing benefit of being in an area where there is something magical around nearly every corner.