By Lena Maude
What if I attempt to change everything I know? To throw myself into the unknown?
Although it’s an impossible task, to render one’s belief system completely inert on pure whimsy, I thought I’d give it a try… in a sort of “Yes Man” way. I wouldn’t say I’m an entirely concrete individual to begin with.
For about a decade I was a seasonal worker based in Michigan bouncing between the water (sea kayaking guide) and the slopes (ski school instructor and/or ski bum). I know many people in the Valley can relate. In my back pocket I held a math degree and a propensity for songwriting and art.
In the winter of 2024-25, I packed up my 2006 Toyota Sienna and left the Keweenaw Peninsula with no plan except to visit some folks I loved and a resting point at my cousin’s place in Carbondale. People asked me what I was up to, I told them I was on the Change Everything You Know Tour. This trip involved unplanned activities such as a Far West Texas canoe trip, getting my first tattoo (which I had been a firm “no” on my whole life) and working the Tucson Gem Show for a month during which I drank alcohol every evening with dinner (also “against”). There were many hot springs and random pitstops, new conversations and camping alone. After two months of wandering I landed in Carbondale.
After a few months in Carbondale, in the spring of 2026, I sold my little Keweenaw house to a friend so I couldn’t go back. Why the harsh severing? Since some time in 2020 I had been duking it out with mental health, which had outward symptoms of insomnia with anxiety around sleeping. I felt like I was turning into a shut-in in that house. I fought it for years. Did people know? Not really. Was it all bad during that time? Not necessarily. The lesson? In a nutshell: Let go, there’s nothing wrong with your body, but there is something up with your spirit. Do what the heart desires even though you are scared. Seems simple, but it can be tricky to execute. For me, being brave enough to travel and live in a new environment helped immensely.
The Roaring Fork Valley caught me and I hear it has similarly cradled others. Sopris and the mountains hold realms of possibility. In a direct way the surface area of the mountains is mind-blowing in comparison to a square mile of midwestern field. Mystery resides in every nook and cranny. There is an air of magic inherent in the scene of a lush river bottom backed by a central mountain, in a river cascading its path of least resistance down a picturesque craggy surface. The landscape holds apt metaphors for navigating life toward beauty and curiosity. This entire area holds an energy of “anything is possible.” For those “wanting more,” there may be resolution here.
As a newcomer, it’s clear to me the Roaring Fork Valley prioritizes music and art, and there are many opportunities for a vagabond singer-songwriter like myself. Being from the tiny midwestern town of Holton, Michigan, it felt like an energetic boost, holy-shit moment to play music on a stage in Aspen. The music scene quickly revealed itself to me through the Mountain Fair songwriting contest at Steve’s Guitars. Open mics pop up everywhere. The community rallies resources and energy to keep the arts robust in the Valley. I also see that there is struggle in the DIY grassroots ability to just be.
I am in this area through the blessing of a place to stay with my cousin and her partner. I see that it can be a daunting prospect to stay here and forge a path without long-term connections and/or family ties, especially if you come from a non-affluent region. This area has the quaintness of a small town and the pressures of high cost of living. It’s a conundrum to ponder. Can one immerse in the opportunities and make it as a musician and artist? Can one get by without grinding? Do the pressures harm the ability of creative types to settle here? Is it possible for me to make it here? I’ve met many people that love this region and work very hard to be here. Kudos to you.
All in all, Carbondale has been a brilliant place to land and discover more of what I am capable of. I have felt shifts while living here on approaching things differently, confronting belief systems and habits and self-confidence. Of course this comes with the apparent chaos of back-and-forth decision making, on-off confusion, yes-no, weird dating and other outcomes of questioning everything in life. While here I have been living a life of saying “yes” more (though it can get you into trouble sometimes) while learning to say “no” in the name of prioritized “yes” — “Yes” to identified dreams, “yes” to the discipline of doing, “yes” to immersion. For me, “yes” to music. Through the lens of the mountains and rivers here, perceived challenges contribute to the beauty, and epicness is an inherent outcome. Epic experiences are available should one decide to accept the challenge.
I’ll be releasing my first produced indie folk album called “JUST IN CASE LOVE” this autumn. Five of the eight songs were written in Carbondale in the past year. I am in the magic place of turning fears into excitements, and I hope you are too.
Immense gratitude to the Valley and all who call the Roaring Fork Watershed home.