Tough It Out
Tough It Out
Watercolor, ink, gel pen
12”x18” watercolor paper
April 2026
I often wish that the United States’ symbolic animal was the American bison. This is no knock against the bald eagle, but it's hard to beat our largest native mammal. Not only are they essential to Native American culture, they are also just big, beefy, beautiful animals. I had heard that bison uniquely choose to gallop through oncoming storms in order to surge through inclement weather, shortening the amount of time they spend in the downpour. This tale inspired me with an image of bison charging toward the viewer the moment a lightning bolt strikes and a storm begins.
In therapy, I was told this was because facing a storm head-on would help a person get through it faster, and I, probably missing the point entirely, decided I needed to fact-check before modeling my emotional health strategy off a 2,000-pound bovine. The truth of the matter is even more interesting than what I had been told. There is no real evidence to support the idea that bison intentionally run through storms for the sake of getting through them faster. However, we do know that bison are uniquely equipped to battle their storms head-on. Fur on the front half of bison has two layers. The top layer is longer and moisture-wicking, while the bottom layer is dense, fluffy, and insulating. The fur on their rump and back legs isn’t nearly as well-suited for harsh conditions, so running away from the elements would mean, well, freezing their butts off. Bison are simply turning their toughest parts toward the oncoming danger. They were built for storms in this way. Facing the storm head-on means they get through it alive.
What are my toughest parts? Do I have that same natural instinct to lead with it? Instead of looking at how others are handling their storms, I should probably do some self-evaluation to determine where my weather-resistant parts are. What elements of my personality have some soft, warm padding that can take a hit? The research continues. I’m not quite as intuitive as the bison, but maybe this process is part of it. Maybe my thickest hide is being able to put something from my imagination into the world. Maybe this letter is an example of turning that part of me toward the storm. Maybe the bison and I can go to therapy together and figure it out. On second thought, that’s a bad idea. The bison would maul me to death for sure.
Tough It Out
Watercolor, ink, gel pen
12”x18” watercolor paper
April 2026
I often wish that the United States’ symbolic animal was the American bison. This is no knock against the bald eagle, but it's hard to beat our largest native mammal. Not only are they essential to Native American culture, they are also just big, beefy, beautiful animals. I had heard that bison uniquely choose to gallop through oncoming storms in order to surge through inclement weather, shortening the amount of time they spend in the downpour. This tale inspired me with an image of bison charging toward the viewer the moment a lightning bolt strikes and a storm begins.
