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meow 3.jpg

meow wolf

Emily Hart April 18, 2016

While in Santa Fe, I was lucky enough to be able to visit Meow Wolf's House of Eternal Return during it's opening week! A little background on Meow Wolf before the picture/sensory/word awesome overuse overload:

Meow Wolf has existed in Santa Fe since 2008 as a vehicle to promote alternative arts in the area. They have had several art installations around Santa Fe  - deliberately placing them outside of the traditional Santa Fe arts district to bring in a more diverse audience. 

The House of Eternal Return was funded through a Kickstarter and by George RR Martin. 

According to their website: "Meow Wolf is an arts production company that creates immersive, multimedia experiences that transport audiences of all ages into fantastic realms of storytelling. Our work is a combination of jungle gym, haunted house, children’s museum, and immersive art exhibit. This unique fusion of art and entertainment gives audiences fictional worlds to explore.

The Meow Wolf Art Complex is home to Meow Wolf’s first permanent installation, House of Eternal Return. " 

According to me: this is the coolest thing I've ever seen. I can't begin to describe how awesome (told ya) this place is and what a unique experience it is. There is no way my jumbled words and bad iPhone photos can do it justice, but... I will do my best. 

The House of Eternal Return is housed in a converted 80s bowling alley in the industrial district of Santa Fe. There are several large sculptures that greet you in the parking lot. There are even hot pink parking lot stripes - I was in love before I entered the place. 

The building houses The House of Eternal Return, but also a makers studio, and a learning center/home to their educational nonprofit Chimera. An adult ticket to The House of Eternal Return is $18 (senior $16, children $12 and discounts for New Mexico residents.)

You enter through a hallway and watch a short video before entering the front lawn of a large Victorian house. 

It is the home to the Seligs, a family that has gone missing through "a break in the space-time continuum" There is evidence of the family all over that you are encouraged to look through. There were a lot of people looking at the things meticulously to solve the mystery. Every room of the home offers clues.. and portals!

This is what you find after walking through the children bedroom closet:

The refrigerator is a portal to the multiverse. 

Every room has a secret passage to another insane room that I can't possibly describe. I was there for hours but I'm still not convinced I saw it all. I definitely didn't take pictures of it all. 

In the main room there is a magical treehouse, bridges, and an arcade!

I especially liked the neon tree hallway. 

Met a new friend. 

You can play the bones! 

I tried so hard to get a good picture in this room :( 

ahhh

Illuminati confirmed. 

Geodesic Dome!

The inside of the dome was covered in eyeballs that would light up. I stayed in here for a while haha. 

IMG_7677.jpg
IMG_7676.jpg
IMG_7683.jpg

This room was covered in hand painted art. 

Selfies are hard. 

IMG_7657.jpg IMG_7702.jpg

I almost didn't find this room! There is a laser harp that you can play. 

Super excited about all these secret rooms. 

Believe it or not, this doesn't even scratch the surface of the interactive, awesome, visceral experience that is The House of Eternal Return. I can't wait to go back and crawl through the fireplace to find new adventures. So should you! Seriously, go. Now. And invite me to go with you.

 

- Emily 

In Travel, Life, Art Tags art, santa fe, new mexico
← Mt. Rushmore (Earth) DayDebate Bingo Board →
logo emilyventures

Hi! I'm Emily, and I’m on a solo quest to visit every National Park in the United States! So far I’ve visited 44 (and 5 in Canada!). When I’m not on the road (in my converted SUV), I teach math, practice yoga, write long instagram captions, and oil paint. I’d love for you to follow along on my emilyventures!

Solo US major National Park 47! 🤗⁣
⁣
This trip has been a little different. I found out when my red eye landed that the entire road through Shenandoah np was closed after a wind/ice storm came through. So, basically, the whole park I had flown across the country to visit. Bummer for sure. ⁣
⁣
But, of course, I didn’t let that stop me. I came to experience this park, and so that is what I did. I found a section of the Appalachian Trail that goes through the park (and was accessible before the road closure), put on my backpack, and started walking. I walked for miles. My phone and watch all died so I don’t know how far, just that I spent the day. I saw about 3 other people the entire time. I needed to get out of my head and into my body. It was great. ⁣
⁣
Because you can’t control the weather. The roads. We can make plans, but they’re only plans. Wishes. The outcome may not look the way we want it to. But that means it could be even better.
💜 I’ve always loved hearts. I mean, it’s kind of my last name. But it’s much more than that, of course. It’s courage. It’s how I want to live my life. My word of the year is wholehearted — which really just means to be brave. Courageous.⁣
⁣
The root word of courage is cor — of the heart. To be courageous isn’t to do something objectively difficult or scary. It’s doing something with your whole heart. Sincerely and genuinely and authentically. Speaking your truth even when it’s uncomfortable or scary. ⁣
⁣
And it’s a practice. Vulnerability. Asking for what you need. Doing what’s right. Fully and completely committed. ⁣
⁣
And I’m devoting myself to that.
Something I’ve always struggled with in my classroom is the closing. Trying to somehow wrap up the new thing we’ve been learning in a way that provides clarity. Resolve. How do we move on from here? ⁣
⁣
Because I don’t think it’s over. In a classroom or in life. The things we think of as endings are just new information. Leading us somewhere else. It can’t be wrapped up neatly. Life isn’t linear. And it doesn’t have to be. ⁣
⁣
An ending is just a change. Change in direction. Movement into the unknown. So instead of thinking of my endings as a stopping point, I see them as a check in. A reflection point. A transition to a new perspective. A chance to reflect and grow.⁣
⁣
Accept that it’s messy. Accept the unknown. And then continue. It’s not over.
I can see the weekend from here 😎⁣⁣
⁣⁣
This weekend I’m taking it easy and hanging around town. Cooking and cleaning and bookstore-ing. ⁣(and planning a few trips hopefully as beautiful as this 👆🏽)⁣
⁣⁣
What do you have planned??
"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” ⁣⁣
―  Chinese proverb⁣⁣
⁣⁣
🌲🌳🌴⁣
⁣
#ad I don't always feel like hiking. But I still go out. Not because I want the exercise or a cool photo -- but because I want the feeling. I want to smell a hike. I want to feel it. Become surrounded by the forest. Innately we know that nature is therapeutic. And we see the articles and research every day. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
I read on the @arbordayfoundation website that a single large tree can provide a days supply of oxygen for up to four people. But that the US Forest Service has spent much of it's budget fighting forest fires and it has a backlog of more than a million acres of trees to replant. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
That's crazy. So I was super excited when @mytreeplanet offered to plant some trees for me. Because I want to keep smelling these trees. I want future generations to be able to smell them. To feel them. Walk among them. Experience the calming that I do. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
The freedom.
-
Check out my story for more info :)
“You’ve got to be kind to yourself.” I have this saying framed next to my desk at work. Because it’s not easy for me. I don’t think it is for most of us. We are our own worst critics.⁣
⁣
Comparison is the thief of joy. We know it. Feel it. If only I ______. If I could ______. Look or speak or write or have the grace of someone else. Do something else. Have something else. Then I would ______. ⁣
⁣
But I have to remember, I don’t see the whole story. We don’t feel the true intensity of others story. We don’t feel the pain when we know (think at least) that it worked out for them. We don’t often see the middle. ⁣
⁣
So I have to remind myself to be different. To talk to myself in the way I’d talk to a friend. Self-compassion. Kindness. Not because I’m better or more deserving, but because we all are.
When I started teaching nearly 10 years ago, Sunday nights were the worst. I’d stay up either working, or tossing and turning. Not wanting Monday morning to come. ⁣
⁣
I’d get to work before anyone. Go get coffee and wait until the doors were unlocked. Trying to set myself up for the day, the week. Think through all the what if’s. But I didn’t have the answers. I didn’t have the tools to answer those questions. I could stay up all night and get to work in pitch black darkness, but I still didn’t have the answers. ⁣
⁣
Because I’d never done it before. Every day was new. It’s true what they say about teaching (and I’m sure most things) there’s no adequate training. Nothing prepared me for an actual class of 30+ tweens or teens with different needs and struggles and home lives and personalities. And I have to teach them math. What. Training just wasn’t the same.⁣
⁣
So yes I was uncomfortable. I was afraid. I had a stomach ache waking up on Monday mornings. But it passed. Now I wake up happy (usually 🤗). Go to sleep relaxed. Because I’ve done it. I’ve learned. Experienced. I didn’t run away. I ran through. ⁣
⁣
I have the tools now. You get them by doing. #happymonday
I live in the mountains. They’re right behind me. My bedroom is cut into one. They’re awe inspiring. Huge. Immovable. ⁣
⁣
I always hear the phrase “moving mountains” — doing something extremely difficult. Seemingly impossible. And of course it is impossible for me to move actual mountains. They’re much greater and larger and more powerful than I am. But I’m not stuck behind one. ⁣
⁣
Because guess what? I don’t need to move mountains — I can move myself. I can climb up them, hike over them, drive across them, even through them. I can fly to the other side, or even go all the way around. There are so many options. ⁣
⁣
The mountain in front of you may seem immovable. Maybe it is. But you don’t need to move it — you just need to move yourself.
I was nervous driving to the kayak rental spot. The weather seemed weird, I was on my own, and I honestly didn’t know what I was doing. I kept telling myself this isn’t a big deal. It’s for fun. Kids do this. But I still felt unprepared. Who am I to be doing this? Why do I think I can do this all alone? ⁣
⁣
But I just kept going. Put one step in front of the other. Stayed in the moment. Rented the kayak. And before I knew it I was out of my own on the water. I immediately felt incredible relief along with exhilaration. I didn’t need to be a pro. I didn’t need any fancy gear. I had everything I needed.⁣
⁣
This selfie was taken from inside a $10 plastic bag with my phone inside of it. It’s not the beautiful professional looking photo I’m used to seeing on Instagram, but it’s what I had. You don’t need to be a pro. ⁣
⁣
I don’t have all the gear. The plan. The experience. But it’s not about what I don’t have — rather what do I have. I have a lot. And it’s everything I need. ⁣
⁣
It’s okay to go alone. To be an amateur. To be scared. (You will be scared sometimes). ⁣
⁣
Just start.
Solo US major National Park 47! 🤗⁣
⁣
This trip has been a little different. I found out when my red eye landed that the entire road through Shenandoah np was closed after a wind/ice storm came through. So, basically, the whole park I had flown across the country to visit. Bummer for sure. ⁣
⁣
But, of course, I didn’t let that stop me. I came to experience this park, and so that is what I did. I found a section of the Appalachian Trail that goes through the park (and was accessible before the road closure), put on my backpack, and started walking. I walked for miles. My phone and watch all died so I don’t know how far, just that I spent the day. I saw about 3 other people the entire time. I needed to get out of my head and into my body. It was great. ⁣
⁣
Because you can’t control the weather. The roads. We can make plans, but they’re only plans. Wishes. The outcome may not look the way we want it to. But that means it could be even better. 💜 I’ve always loved hearts. I mean, it’s kind of my last name. But it’s much more than that, of course. It’s courage. It’s how I want to live my life. My word of the year is wholehearted — which really just means to be brave. Courageous.⁣
⁣
The root word of courage is cor — of the heart. To be courageous isn’t to do something objectively difficult or scary. It’s doing something with your whole heart. Sincerely and genuinely and authentically. Speaking your truth even when it’s uncomfortable or scary. ⁣
⁣
And it’s a practice. Vulnerability. Asking for what you need. Doing what’s right. Fully and completely committed. ⁣
⁣
And I’m devoting myself to that. Something I’ve always struggled with in my classroom is the closing. Trying to somehow wrap up the new thing we’ve been learning in a way that provides clarity. Resolve. How do we move on from here? ⁣
⁣
Because I don’t think it’s over. In a classroom or in life. The things we think of as endings are just new information. Leading us somewhere else. It can’t be wrapped up neatly. Life isn’t linear. And it doesn’t have to be. ⁣
⁣
An ending is just a change. Change in direction. Movement into the unknown. So instead of thinking of my endings as a stopping point, I see them as a check in. A reflection point. A transition to a new perspective. A chance to reflect and grow.⁣
⁣
Accept that it’s messy. Accept the unknown. And then continue. It’s not over. I can see the weekend from here 😎⁣⁣
⁣⁣
This weekend I’m taking it easy and hanging around town. Cooking and cleaning and bookstore-ing. ⁣(and planning a few trips hopefully as beautiful as this 👆🏽)⁣
⁣⁣
What do you have planned?? "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” ⁣⁣
―  Chinese proverb⁣⁣
⁣⁣
🌲🌳🌴⁣
⁣
#ad I don't always feel like hiking. But I still go out. Not because I want the exercise or a cool photo -- but because I want the feeling. I want to smell a hike. I want to feel it. Become surrounded by the forest. Innately we know that nature is therapeutic. And we see the articles and research every day. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
I read on the @arbordayfoundation website that a single large tree can provide a days supply of oxygen for up to four people. But that the US Forest Service has spent much of it's budget fighting forest fires and it has a backlog of more than a million acres of trees to replant. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
That's crazy. So I was super excited when @mytreeplanet offered to plant some trees for me. Because I want to keep smelling these trees. I want future generations to be able to smell them. To feel them. Walk among them. Experience the calming that I do. ⁣⁣
⁣⁣
The freedom.
-
Check out my story for more info :) “You’ve got to be kind to yourself.” I have this saying framed next to my desk at work. Because it’s not easy for me. I don’t think it is for most of us. We are our own worst critics.⁣
⁣
Comparison is the thief of joy. We know it. Feel it. If only I ______. If I could ______. Look or speak or write or have the grace of someone else. Do something else. Have something else. Then I would ______. ⁣
⁣
But I have to remember, I don’t see the whole story. We don’t feel the true intensity of others story. We don’t feel the pain when we know (think at least) that it worked out for them. We don’t often see the middle. ⁣
⁣
So I have to remind myself to be different. To talk to myself in the way I’d talk to a friend. Self-compassion. Kindness. Not because I’m better or more deserving, but because we all are. When I started teaching nearly 10 years ago, Sunday nights were the worst. I’d stay up either working, or tossing and turning. Not wanting Monday morning to come. ⁣
⁣
I’d get to work before anyone. Go get coffee and wait until the doors were unlocked. Trying to set myself up for the day, the week. Think through all the what if’s. But I didn’t have the answers. I didn’t have the tools to answer those questions. I could stay up all night and get to work in pitch black darkness, but I still didn’t have the answers. ⁣
⁣
Because I’d never done it before. Every day was new. It’s true what they say about teaching (and I’m sure most things) there’s no adequate training. Nothing prepared me for an actual class of 30+ tweens or teens with different needs and struggles and home lives and personalities. And I have to teach them math. What. Training just wasn’t the same.⁣
⁣
So yes I was uncomfortable. I was afraid. I had a stomach ache waking up on Monday mornings. But it passed. Now I wake up happy (usually 🤗). Go to sleep relaxed. Because I’ve done it. I’ve learned. Experienced. I didn’t run away. I ran through. ⁣
⁣
I have the tools now. You get them by doing. #happymonday I live in the mountains. They’re right behind me. My bedroom is cut into one. They’re awe inspiring. Huge. Immovable. ⁣
⁣
I always hear the phrase “moving mountains” — doing something extremely difficult. Seemingly impossible. And of course it is impossible for me to move actual mountains. They’re much greater and larger and more powerful than I am. But I’m not stuck behind one. ⁣
⁣
Because guess what? I don’t need to move mountains — I can move myself. I can climb up them, hike over them, drive across them, even through them. I can fly to the other side, or even go all the way around. There are so many options. ⁣
⁣
The mountain in front of you may seem immovable. Maybe it is. But you don’t need to move it — you just need to move yourself. I was nervous driving to the kayak rental spot. The weather seemed weird, I was on my own, and I honestly didn’t know what I was doing. I kept telling myself this isn’t a big deal. It’s for fun. Kids do this. But I still felt unprepared. Who am I to be doing this? Why do I think I can do this all alone? ⁣
⁣
But I just kept going. Put one step in front of the other. Stayed in the moment. Rented the kayak. And before I knew it I was out of my own on the water. I immediately felt incredible relief along with exhilaration. I didn’t need to be a pro. I didn’t need any fancy gear. I had everything I needed.⁣
⁣
This selfie was taken from inside a $10 plastic bag with my phone inside of it. It’s not the beautiful professional looking photo I’m used to seeing on Instagram, but it’s what I had. You don’t need to be a pro. ⁣
⁣
I don’t have all the gear. The plan. The experience. But it’s not about what I don’t have — rather what do I have. I have a lot. And it’s everything I need. ⁣
⁣
It’s okay to go alone. To be an amateur. To be scared. (You will be scared sometimes). ⁣
⁣
Just start.
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    • Apr 27, 2016 Mt. Rushmore (Earth) Day Apr 27, 2016
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