Anne Hoff

With every passing year I spend in the western desert, I become increasingly seduced by the landscape of this harsh climate. The sheer tenacity that plant forms possess to exist in such an extreme climate draws me ever closer to the conclusion that their physical nature mimics the emotional reality of the human condition.

For any large plant form to exist in the Mojave desert proves that it has endured centuries of adaptation in such harsh conditions of weather. As I have adapted to my new home over the last decade I have found a deeper connection with the living plant forms of the desert. They patiently seek out water in stubborn rock and sand, finding moisture and sustaining themselves over years of relentless sun, wind and cold. Thus it is for human lives. We face extreme emotional conditions that bend, sway and twist our realities, our lives. Those who reach deep, setting emotional roots have the strength and stability to weather the harsh climates that our lives inevitably face. Just as nature has made us, those who dig deep survive and are able to endure.