In 2017, we took a giant leap, sold everything, bought an Airstream, and left our careers in fashion to take our [HAS HEART] nonprofit mission across the country. Towards the end of 2021, we opened a preview exhibit featuring the first 12 state projects.

After we wrapped our 50 States: Veterans + Artists United project in Austin where we ate too many (yet not enough) street tacos, we headed as far southwest as we could to Big Bend National Park, one of the least visited, but one of our favorite, National Parks.

While it shouldn’t have taken the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour to get us to New Orleans, we’re certainly grateful it did — even if it did freeze one night that shut down the city and broke our water hose. But, that didn’t stop the music or the beignets.

Even though I had grown up visiting grandparents in Florida for much of my childhood, there were so many parts of it I hadn’t experienced until we had to make our way as far south as we could go to Miami for the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour.

It wasn’t until we made it to beautiful Charleston on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour did we feel that we were in The South. And, as charming of a city as it is, that feeling did include a gut-wrenching awareness of our nation’s greatest sin.

If it were a couple of months earlier and 40-degrees warmer, we would have been in an ideal lakeside campsite. Instead, the trees were barren and the air had tiny white flakes floating down on us, something we thought we left behind in Michigan while on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour.

Delaware was the only state we’ve been unable to find a veteran participant on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour. But, as we’ve continued to be reminded of time after time, everything happens for a reason and it will all work out.

Although most of what we saw in Virginia on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour was what we could visit while staying in the greater D.C. area, we were amazed at all that would include. I may or may not have nerded out at the National Air and Space Museum.

In the matter of a couple of months, we went from clueless rookies to almost-experts when it came to setting up and tearing down our Airstream campsite because we did it so often in such a short window of time. The 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour was the ultimate crash course of sink or swim. We’re swimming now, baby!

Kendra and I have been no strangers to New York over the years with both of us having previously worked in fashion, but not until the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour were we able to bring our home with us and park it just across the Hudson in the Jersey City Marina.

We discovered how mind-boggling old Yale is. It was founded in 1701, which is insane for American history standards. After walking around Connecticut’s version of Hogwarts and its Art Gallery, we felt pretty inspired to create something timeless of our own on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour.

Although we’re constantly around design and creativity while facilitating each collaborative design process on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour, we weren’t able to roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty until we crashed the weekly print club at the Newark Print Shop.

The City of Love wasn’t named for its military naval yard, but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t appreciate the retired fleet of warships now resting peacefully in the sun not too far from where we conducted our 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour project.

The little previous knowledge of Rhode Island I had before the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour did not prepare me to walk along Millionaires Row of mansion after mansion along the scenic rocky coast. I’m pretty certain nowadays it should be renamed to Billionaires Row, SMH.

We were a little anxious heading into our first major city on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour, but the history of the city easily outweighed any concerns of fitting the Airstream through its narrow streets.

After a couple of nights in a holding pattern staying in parking lots in Maine, we packed our truck with the usual road snacks for the next stop on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour. Barely an hour later, we were already in Portsmouth before we even cracked open our trail mix.

While on the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour, we were pleased to confirm that there is nothing more Maine than eating a lobster roll as dense fog and a brisk sea breeze rolls over a rocky coastline overlooked by a lighthouse.

After over a year of planning, visiting State 01 of the 50 States: Veterans + Artists United tour seemed like a figment of our imagination, and there wasn’t a nicer and more kind place to begin our 18-month journey than in Burlington, Vermont.

After over a year of planning, countless emails, pitches, grant applications, conference calls, and meetings, the day to install the final vinyl decals and to hook up the Airstream to hit the road had finally arrived, whether we were ready or not.

Planning and executing a fifty-state tour doesn’t just happen overnight. This concept was brewing for nearly two years and required a handful of life changes in preparation for a dramatic change in lifestyle. And even then, much of it came together in the final minutes with a few minor miracles and a handful of incredible people who made it possible.