The Cowgirl Project-Tesa Klein
Tesa Klein on the Bob Marshall Wilderness trip she took that changed her life and priorities.
@junkinwildflower
www.thendwildflower.com
Lamoure, North Dakota, United States of America
I felt deeply connected to Tesa’s story because it reflects something I’ve come to believe with my whole heart: life takes us on unexpected journeys when we’re willing to say yes.
Tesa said yes to the rodeo life. Yes to long hauls and bright lights. Yes to opening her home, carrying responsibility, stepping up when everything shifted. And later, she said yes again—to leaving, to rebuilding, to choosing a quieter, more aligned future. That willingness to pivot, to surrender what once defined you, and to trust what’s next—that resonates with me.
The initial stages of “This is Love”
Each painting starts with a rough burnt umber under drawing. Then I create an imaginary sky, before starting the ground and main subject.
My own life has unfolded that way.
I’ve said yes to opportunities that stretched me beyond what felt safe or predictable. I’ve travelled the world riding horses. I’ve worked as a private school teacher for a single family. I’ve married. I’ve lived on the Alberta prairies on a multi-generational farming operation. Each season felt, at the time, like the path. And in many ways, it was.
In every one of those chapters, I learned more about who I am. I learned what fuels me and what drains me. What I want to carry forward and what I’m ready to release. I’ve learned that it’s okay to walk in the wrong direction for a while if it leads you to clarity. It’s okay to choose something new. It’s okay to outgrow a version of yourself that once fit perfectly.
22×22” Oil on stretched canvas, unframed
That, too, is cowgirl.
It’s not just about enduring. It’s about evolving.
Tesa’s story isn’t powerful because it stayed the same. It’s powerful because she allowed it to change. And in watching her step boldly into the next season, I’m reminded that saying yes—again and again—has shaped my own life in ways I could never have predicted.
Sometimes the bravest thing we do isn’t hanging on.
It’s choosing the next trail.