Today’s question: Have you ever lived in a rural environment? If you have, do you think it influenced your Mori-ness? If not, do you think living in a suburban or urban environment influenced your style any?

I have never lived in a rural environment. I grew up mostly in huge cities (New Delhi, Tokyo) and sprawling suburbs in the Washington D.C. area. Technically I live in a small town now, but it’s not really rural. My state has plenty of rural areas, but most of us live in a long, thin series of valleys with a mountain range to the east and various lakes and salt flats to the west. It’s about the ideal amount of Mori for my current life. I have easy access to grocery stores and restaurants, schools close by, a nice library a mile from my house, but my entire town is only about 7 miles wide with a lake on the west and the mountains on the east. I live on the mountain side of town, where the wind blows down through the canyon every morning. Once in a while, deer even wander into our neighborhood.

I think living closer to nature has been a major influence on my Mori-ness. I was dark before I moved out here but I wasn’t woodsy at all. I was into dark makeup and witchy shoes way back in high school, I was into goth and metal and horror movies way back then, but I wasn’t even a little soft or woodsy. And I never wore dresses unless someone made me. I was definitely edgier and more city-oriented even long after I moved out here, thinking “oh, this is a pretty place to visit but I could never really settle down here.”

Now I feel the exact opposite–I enjoy visiting family in big cities like Baltimore or Phoenix, but I can’t picture myself living there. It seems so ugly and loud compared to what I have now. Now I sometimes think about retiring to an even smaller town like Cheyenne, or even a really tiny national park town like Moab or Vernal.

I still can’t picture myself alone in a log cabin or running a farm. I like the convenience a town provides, so I guess I’m not a full forest witch yet. But living out here has shown my a Mori side I never even knew I had. It’s made me a bit softer and more dreamy. It’s unlocked my calmer and more creative side. Some of would probably have happened anywhere as I’ve aged and grown as a person, but I think the more natural, small town life has been a big influence on both my fashion style and my lifestyle.