Well, hello there

“My friend Kara is an artist. She is confident, loud, messy, and always wears the freshest, cutest outfits. Thrifting the other day, she found a Stetson cowgirl hat and a pair of see-through 90s-style Merrell soled Doc Martins and wore these paired with a mini skirt she made herself the very next day. Kara is memorable; her earrings nor her socks ever match; she’s flamboyant with the sides of her head shaved and shoulder-length platinum blond hair down the middle. She looks like a modern-day Viking. Kara one time showed up to my house at 8:30 in the evening, lugging in a very large tote bag full of paint brushes, canvas, felt, fabric, stencils, pencils, her journal, and anyone’s guess what else. In her other hand was an $8 bottle of red wine. She plopped her bag on the couch and proceeded to begin rummaging through the bottom of her tote, searching for her toothbrush amongst her paintbrushes and old protein bar wrappers.

Kara and I are opposites in so many ways. She’s chaos trapped in human form; I organize my closet by color and my bookshelves alphabetically. She creates amazing art out of driftwood and old road signs; I write research papers. She’s a raft guide; I practice yoga. She refurbishes old buses and airstreams; I keep houseplants. Her energy is high then low and back like any good artist; mine is grounded. She always has a new project, a new goal, a new medium she’s trying to create. But as opposite as we are, she’s my friend and a damn good one. She is the most supportive person I’ve ever met. When I want to feel good about how I’m looking today or a choice I’ve made, Kara is my ego boost.

She’s fierce and opinionated, not unfriendly but definitely unyielding, whereas I have highly adaptive behaviors. Beyond that, her unfettered opinions and loud demeanor spark my feminist flame and fuel my appetite for exploration and curiosity.”