Photographer Michelle G. Gonzales – Talent Michael Washington – Interview by Melania Musci – All Clothes are Usal Project
Looking back on your childhood, what’s the first memory that ties you to nature?
Riding my bike from the cul-de-sac into the woods behind my neighborhood. My friends and I built a rough treehouse back there and spent entire days just existing in it. Looking back, the area was probably tiny, but at the time it felt endless; like we had discovered a forest that belonged only to us. I remember loving that feeling of independence and imagination.
During your 20’s, music was the main tool of expression for your creativity, long before nature took on a healing role in your life. What, from that chapter, continues to influence you now?
Music and nature feel incredibly similar to me. Both offer a kind of escape that doesn’t need explanation. You don’t have to intellectualise why a song moves you, or why a landscape feels powerful. It just does.
Was there a specific moment that made you realise that you needed to step away from the music industry and move toward something more rooted in the outdoor community?
During the Covid-19 pandemic, I was spending a lot of time travelling alone in my camper van while the world felt paused. I started sharing those trips, not thinking much of it, and people began reaching out saying it helped them mentally. Seeing me outside gave them permission or motivation to get out of their own heads and into nature. That was a turning point. I realised how fulfilling it felt to help people reconnect with themselves through the outdoors. Once I felt that, I couldn’t unfeel it.
In 2022 you founded Usal Project, a space where people can learn, explore, and connect with nature without feeling judged. Did you personally experience that sense of intimidation, or exclusion, when you first approached the outdoor world?
Totally. For me, it wasn’t about fear. It was about access and understanding. I didn’t grow up knowing what was around me or what was possible. It took years of living in LA to realise that just outside the city there’s world-class nature, and you don’t need to be an expert to enjoy it. With Usal, I was really building something for a past version of myself. I was the person we were trying to reach.
Usal takes its name from Usal Beach, a place you explored alone. What makes that landscape different from the places you had seen before and Usal those you discovered afterward?
Honestly, it’s not that the place itself is dramatically different. I mean, it’s beautiful, but that’s not the point. It was a time and a place. I was going through a period where a lot of big ideas and life shifts were happening, and that landscape held space for me when I really needed it. I think we all have places like that. Places that show up for us at the right moment. Naming Usal after that felt like a way to honour those moments and the impact they can have.
Beyond Usal, you’re also developing two other projects: the retail and community centre Satellite, and Annex House, which you’ve described as the home for Usal’s events. What prompted you to establish these spaces as extensions of your work with Usal?
I’m always looking for ways to invite people deeper into our world. Storytelling is at the heart of everything we do, and it doesn’t stop at events. It lives in clothing, in objects, in spaces. Satellite and Annex House allow us to tell those stories physically, to create places where people can
gather, slow down, and feel something together. They’re natural extensions of the same idea, just expressed in different forms. I’m really excited to see where they grow over the next year.
What’s been the most significant challenge you’ve encountered along the way?
Learning how to quiet the voice that says there’s always more to do. And reminding myself to acknowledge what we’ve already built. It’s easy to keep chasing the next thing and forget to recognise the progress. Giving myself flowers has been one of the hardest, but most important,
lessons.
Community is at the heart of everything you do. What’s the most meaningful lesson you’ve learnt from it?
That real community only works when you give more than you take. The moment people feel like customers instead of participants, something is lost. Community requires care, patience, and intention. I think it asks something of you, not just from you.
In your view, what role can outdoor communities like Usal play in addressing the growing sense of isolation and disconnection in big cities?
At the very least, we hope to help people realise they have options. That you don’t need to identify as ‘outdoorsy’ to enjoy the outdoors. Our goal is accessibility, emotional, social, and physical. Creating low-pressure ways for people to step outside, connect with others, and feel a
sense of belonging.
Which upcoming events, or workshops, would you highlight for those interested in joining?
Our monthly camp trips. They’re really the heart of what we do.