The original inspiration for this branding identity came from the phrase, “This ainʼt my first rodeo.” To amuse myself I wondered, but what if it was? What if I were to participate in a rodeo without any prior knowledge about what goes on? What could that look like?

I started to imagine this character getting thrown off of a horse. I imagined them not being able to reach the saddle, getting dragged by the little ram that the kids try to ride, and not being able to lasso any cattle. It made me think of myself, knowing very little about the South, but jumping in and trying my best to assimilate after moving here, and failing sometimes. 2023, quite literally, was my first rodeo.

Feeling inspired, I started to dig a little deeper into this phrase. Where did it come from? Is it a regional thing? I found out that the phrase was popularized by the movie ʻMommie Dearest.ʼ Which is a film based on the life of Joan Crawford. I had never seen it, so I looked into her. Born in Texas with parents from Tennessee, she seems pretty technically southern to me. Then with the phrase being popularized by film, it also seemed to fit this fest like a glove.

I started reading more about Joan and her daughter Christina. Their relationship is one that is infamously toxic and filled with abuse. While reading about their story I was heartbroken. As I read more about Christina and the book the movie was based on—thereʼs a lot of criticism about her response to her mother’s abuse later on in life. Criticism about how she spent the later part of the book trashing her mother for not paying her way as an actress. It made me think a lot about legacy, generational trauma, and moving forward.