I took a trip to the Mojave Desert in May of 2025 for a Memorial Day creative retreat.
I wanted to write and record some synthesizer music I'd been experimenting with, and explore the desert.
As a Virginia boy, we have mountains, beaches, swamps, and forests, but we don’t have the desert.
So I booked the cheapest Airbnb I could find in the Mojave, hit the road from LA, and found the richest experience of my year.
I stayed in a trailer on a ranch hosted by an 81 year-old back-the-land organic rancher woman. It’s safe to say it was the polar opposite of my life in LA, and exactly what I needed.
I played my music, wrote, cooked my meals, and hiked around the western Mojave, managing not to perish in heat or get bitten by a rattle snake.
I found myself so inspired by the environment of the desert and the rugged self-sufficiency of the woman, that I began writing a documentary script almost immediately upon my return to LA.
Not being a filmmaker of any experience or note beyond learning the basics of shooting and editing in grad school, I decided this would be my project to teach myself everything I could about it.
Needing a low barrier to entry, I purchased a GoPro Hero12 Black, and a tripod. I went back to the desert throughout the summer and fall, capturing b-roll, and in October, visited the ranch again - filming a sit-down interview with the rancher about her lifestyle, complete with a tour.
Throughout the late fall and first half of 2026, I’ve been editing what will become my first documentary, centered on the woman’s life on the ranch and the desert.
The process as a whole has taught me what's required for one person to write, direct, shoot, capture audio, score, edit and work through every facet of production for an independent film project - and I'm still learning more as I go.
Stay tuned.
I wanted to write and record some synthesizer music I'd been experimenting with, and explore the desert.
As a Virginia boy, we have mountains, beaches, swamps, and forests, but we don’t have the desert.
So I booked the cheapest Airbnb I could find in the Mojave, hit the road from LA, and found the richest experience of my year.
I stayed in a trailer on a ranch hosted by an 81 year-old back-the-land organic rancher woman. It’s safe to say it was the polar opposite of my life in LA, and exactly what I needed.
I played my music, wrote, cooked my meals, and hiked around the western Mojave, managing not to perish in heat or get bitten by a rattle snake.
I found myself so inspired by the environment of the desert and the rugged self-sufficiency of the woman, that I began writing a documentary script almost immediately upon my return to LA.
Not being a filmmaker of any experience or note beyond learning the basics of shooting and editing in grad school, I decided this would be my project to teach myself everything I could about it.
Needing a low barrier to entry, I purchased a GoPro Hero12 Black, and a tripod. I went back to the desert throughout the summer and fall, capturing b-roll, and in October, visited the ranch again - filming a sit-down interview with the rancher about her lifestyle, complete with a tour.
Throughout the late fall and first half of 2026, I’ve been editing what will become my first documentary, centered on the woman’s life on the ranch and the desert.
The process as a whole has taught me what's required for one person to write, direct, shoot, capture audio, score, edit and work through every facet of production for an independent film project - and I'm still learning more as I go.
Stay tuned.
