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"While
other children may have been raiding their older brothers’
magazine collections of a very different nature, it was his oldest
brother’s subscription to 'Mother Earth News' that Rusty was
helping himself to and hiding under the bed." - Mark L
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(top
left, top right, bottom right)
At home on the range, in
the Pioneer Mountains, central Idaho. Age 10
(bottom left)
Various summer homes &
Playstations of the early years. |
Growing
up on a family-owned sheep ranch, it was not unusual to camp for
weeks at a time in the remote deserts and mountains of Idaho. During
one such time, my brother and I spent an entire summer shepherding
in the mountains, at the ages of 17 and 10... with no adult supervision.
Living in a traditional sheep camp, our luxuries consisted of a
Coleman camp stove and stack of books read by the firelight of a
kerosene lamp. We drank from creeks like wild animals, bathed in
beaver ponds, and passed time by exploring, whittling, and lying
on stream banks trying to land brookies barehanded. Life was simple
and I was in sheer bliss, or as my dad would say, "in the height
of my glory". Those childhood experiences fostered a passion
for the outdoors, and not only set the stage for all my interests
today, they are, as outlined below, the roots to every branch of
Earthen Exposure.
With dads
health waning, I was faced with a monumental choice: Take
over the farm and ranch or continue on with college. Vowing
to return to my roots one day, the ranch land remained in
the family while the sheep and farm were sold. With eclectic
interests ranging from psychology and art to archeology, architectural
design became my pursuit. Midway through school, I began working
as an intern which led to six years in construction, engineering,
and architectural firms. I then started a residential design
practice and worked the spectrum from rustic to contemporaries.
With increasing interest in approaching design from a different
viewpoint, I began focusing on permaculture in 2001, unifying
my backgrounds in agriculture, construction, and architectural
design.
The year
before starting my design practice, I learned to kayak. Despite
a nearly fatal first outing, I learned that kayaking meshed
perfectly with my love for the outdoors. I was wildly hooked.
With a new appreciation for life and a fresh obsession to
feed, I immediately began experimenting with loading my boat
for multi-day excursions. Not only did camping in remote river
canyons provide a nostalgic and comforting familiarity, my
self-support kit and techniques served as a great parallelism
to my philosophy on life, and how it is possible to be light
and simple without sacrificing comfort or overly impacting
the land and its inhabitants... how ever indirect that may
be.
In the early
90’s, I rediscovered whittling, a childhood pastime
I picked up on the range. Within a few years, this hobby had
progressed to tribal-inspired wood sculptures that were finding
their way across the western US and Europe. A couple years
later, I met an unusually talented and multifaceted artist
who replicated prehistoric implements. They were beautiful
and inspired me to take my interest in primitive technology
to the level of being a near daily practitioner... acquiring
skills that not only fit within my personal code of ethics
but those of which help keep ancient traditions alive through
a primitive skills group targeted towards the youth.
Earthen Exposure is the culmination of these backgrounds along
with complementary interests and my devotion to leading a
healthy and simple lifestyle... a lifestyle based not upon
trends but rather a set of genuine convictions set forth long
before "green" became the buzzword du jour. |
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I often reflect on my childhood
years and consider just how lucky I am. Being raised in such
an unorthodox manner was a wonderful learning experience, facilitating
my independence, resourcefulness, and reading habits. Best of
all, the lack of artificial distractions allowed me to develop
a keen sense for my surroundings and in return, a profound appreciation
for the natural world, a world that I find sustenance in and
a grounding that counters the centrifugal forces of modern-day
life. |
| Words can
not convey how much gratitude I have for these two. They raised
me in environments inherent to daily discoveries and adventures
money can not buy. Even the associated adversities were beyond
price. Having served as inlets to a reservoir of valuable
life lessons to be drawn from, I cherish each and every experience.
From the core of my being, thank you, mom and dad!
Mom 2016, Dad
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