Adventure into
Joshua Tree
Clove & Twine Lookbook 2023
There’s just something about the desert that strips everything back to its truth. When I began concepting the 2023 Clove & Twine Lookbook, I wanted it to feel like the ultimate adventure. I wanted you to taste the sand, feel the earth, and experience nature as if you were there yourself.
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We scouted Joshua Tree. It's raw, it's sunny, and so humblingly beautiful. Like, wow, my jaw was on the ground and never left.
We built the entire production completely from scratch. From location and schedules to wardrobe pulls and prop sourcing. Our four-person crew (myself, photo assistant, project manager/stylist, and one of our own team members turned model) met two local models who brought that untamed desert energy.
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We ventured out early, chasing the morning light. The wind whipped through everything. It was spring and wasn’t the kind of desert heat you imagine. But it gave the photos texture, movement, imperfection, and a sense that nature itself was part of the shoot.
We moved from boulders to open plains, watching the landscape change color by the minute.
By sunset, we were all a little dusty, a little chilled, a little exhausted, and completely in love with what we were creating.
And then...the unimaginable happened!
On day two, I realized that every photo from our first day had been deleted in the transfer. Gone.
I went into overdrive trying to recover the files, scouring forums, downloading retrieval software, bargaining with the creative gods. Nothing.
So I did the only thing left to do...I shifted gears.
We reshot everything. And somehow, it was better. I remembered every moment I loved, everything I would’ve changed, and I rebuilt and refined it. The images were sharper, the story stronger.
And now, something like that has never and WILL NEVER happen again. Haha. Funny not funny.
When we returned to Denver, I dove headfirst into the edit. I could feel how much we’d all grown from it, but especially me. My patience, problem-solving, and my ability to adapt. I realized the true magic of creative work, it’s not about what goes perfectly, but how you transform what doesn’t.
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Every time I look at those pages now, I see not just a lookbook, but a lesson in creative trust and transformation.
And for the record...
Our stylist, Alli, did in fact get a cactus prick in the butt that day. So if you ever need a Professional Cactus Prick Remover, it’s officially on my resume.
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