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Last month I was lucky enough to spend a week at Lake Powell, wandering the red rocks and emerald green waters while thunderstorms echoed through the canyons.

I’ve been to Lake Powell once before, for my birthday earlier this year. Then, it was covered in snow and 13 degrees outside. The overcast skies blended seamlessly with the white snow covering deep red rocks. I remember noticing the intense beauty of the landscape, though it appeared like no living creature could survive such harsh conditions.

This time around, the lake welcomed us with ninety degree weather and blue skies dappled in fluffy white clouds. The rocks looked more pink than deep red and the water so many shades of green, from deep forest to a transparent sea foam. I could not take my eyes off our surroundings, and every time we hopped on the boat, I felt inclined to sit at the bow and hang my body over, watching the water cascade in every direction. Thinking back, I’m still mesmerized by the beauty that is Lake Powell.

There’s something about experiencing life completely engulfed in nature that always calms my soul. In honor of this, for the days that we wandered the lake, I made to decision to keep my phone completely off. It’s been years since I’ve spent an extended period of time away from the duties of Wild & Free Jewelry. Since day one, it felt like I was always on my phone, checking e-mails and social media. It’s true what they say about entrepreneurs having a 24/7 job.While it’s extremely rewarding to live a life full of creativity and passion, at times, the constant flow of communication and customer service that bombards my phone can be emotionally and physically draining. Because I’m a workaholic (and a bit of a control freak) I find it really difficult to take breaks away from Wild & Free. Since I knew we would be out of service for most of my time at Lake Powell, I made the executive decision to take a mini break away from work.

I expected to feel liberated and stress free upon turning my phone off. Yet, instead, I discovered that Wild & Free has become so much a part of my life and who I am that even when I take a step back from my phone world, I am still connected. I instantly began to imagine new designs and projects and while I certainly felt at peace in nature, I also had a strong desire to keep working in some form while I was away. As a result I found myself sneaking away from the group and exploring the depths of Lake Powell canyons alone, taking photos and appreciating even the smallest form of beauty (like tiny yellow daisies that speckled the pink sand).

I realized that while work is demanding, it’s also a way to relieve stress, and without it, I feel like I’m not myself. I discovered that I have an endless and insatiable desire to create. This desire stems from an urge to never lose my childhood sense of wonder and to always remember to see the world as magic and dream of a life where each day is full of hope and beauty. Being surrounded by the powerful landscape of Lake Powell brought this to light more than ever and I returned from my trip feeling insanely inspired to continue pursuing the life I’ve created with Wild & Free Jewelry.

 As a tribute to this discovery, I wanted to release a blog post that’s a tiny bit different than usual. These images are some of my favorite landscape scenes from our trip, coupled with a few shots featuring swimwear from one of the first brands who initially believed in and supported the Wild & Free Blog, Arnhem.

I hope these scenes inspire you, as they did for me, and remind you to never stop appreciating the natural world around us.

xx

 WHAT I’M WEARING BY ARNHEM
SURI TOP ASUKA SUNRISE
SURI BUM ASUKA SUNRISE
CHLOE ONE PIECE