When I was 18 years old, I met a girl named Maia Albers.
We were on the same cheerleading team. We had some of the same friends. We didn’t spend an extraordinary amount of time together, but to date, she’s probably one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. One night, I remember we were out at a college dance, and Maia and I decided to perform one of our choreographed dances. It was to Missy Elliot, we were out of sync, and it resulted in an amazing photo of me laughing, and Maia rolling around on the ground.
(I don’t know if she remembers that, though. And the photo seems lost forever.)
It’s been years since we’ve talked, but of course, we’re Facebook friends. When I got the idea to reach out to creative, ambitious people, she was one of the first people I thought of.
Now, Maia lives in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. When I asked her what that was like, she replied with:
“You have to love snow, and a lot of it- to live here.”
“Preferably playing in, on, or around it,” she added.
Maia dabbles in a variety of jobs in Jackson. “Jobs tend to be a cycle, and most people have 2-3,” she tells me.
Aside from being a graphic designer, Maia is also the US rep for the IGUANEYE shoe company (she’ll be selling shoes to boutiques across the US in the next year), and works at her friends’ Indian restaurant four days a week.
“I am also a voiceover artist, so i have been able to dabble in a bit of that here as well.”
“I love busy work.” she admits.
Maia seems to have perfected the art of a full life. Aside from being a full-time resident of Jackson, she’s also well traveled, having lived in a ton of interesting places, including Westchester county, Oxford, England, and Savannah, Georgia.
“The weather is the exact opposite of what it is here,” she says of Savannah. “I was at least 5-8 pounds heavier than I am now. I blame the fried pickles.”
She most recently lived in Brooklyn – a place that she also lived a free spirited life, pursuing acting, while working on her voiceover demo and taking acting classes. I ask if she’s ever regretting leaving New York.
“It wasn’t difficult for me to leave New York, because there was no way it wasn’t going to happen. I manifested this trip to Jackson for so long.”
Indeed, her journey to Jackson Hole seems serendipitous.
“I subconsciously wanted to move to Wyoming before I even knew what Wyoming was,” she says. “Celebrities come here (Jackson) to hide from life.”
She describes Jackson Hole as a little hippie, a little richie rich, with a small population, that’s sustainable, quiet, and snowy. She’s also spent a substantial time in Greece – something I’m particularly envious of.
“My mother owns a home on an island in Greece, and it is…everything,” she says. “Another quiet, comfortable, loving place where I can feel the sense of home.”
She describes potentially living there for awhile, spending her days writing and painting, collecting lavender with her mom, drinking wine every night, and learning to speak Greek.
“I haven’t been very good about keeping up with learning Greek, it’s a difficult language for me,” she admits.
She also envisions living in Kashmir (India), learning how to create shawls, and maybe starting a documentary on the incredible Cashmere company that her friend, Asaf Ali is a part of.
“I understand Kashmir to be a very dangerous place, so maybe I would have to wait…” she questions.
Maia is fascinating.
I think my favorite thing about her has always been her courageous, free spirit. It seems that it runs in her family.
“My mother has always been a huge inspiration to me, she is strong willed, smart, talented, and gorgeous. My dad is an incredible artist- sculptor, and painter- and has been for a very long time.”
“Older generations and wisdom tend to inspire me more than anything,” she adds.
I feel kindred to her, especially as she describes how she envisions the next few years of her life. It’s perfect.
“They will be creative, and heartbreaking, and adventurous. I will change my hair at least 3-4 more times, buy $1500 worth of clothing that fits my personality, I’ll look pretty good, but then regret it a year later when I realize I could have bought 3 plane tickets for that amount of money. I will get in trouble, I will laugh myself into piles of powder snow with whiskey and some friends, I will take care of my body, say goodbye to my family dog, sing loudly in the car like I do each day, and be so… excuse me… god damn grateful for the things that I have and will acquire.”
Damn.
The best part of creative souls like Maia is the incredible insight into what’s important. We talk about the advice she’d give other people looking to break out and do something different.
“Trust your heart and your needs and everything else will fall into place for you.”
That part is particularly poignant for me.
“It’s been said, but it’s true as true could be… this is your one life. You have one. Do anything and everything while you can.”
Maia’s Links: