Rocking Out with Rhett Miller

Sometimes, where you create makes all the difference.

Did you set aside your dream to be a novelist? Put your paints in the back of a drawer and forget to open it back up?

There’s an artist inside all of us, and delving into that inner world can take some wild turns. But you have to be ready.

For inspiration, take your cues from singer-songwriter and frequent guest performer of The Resort at Paws Up, Rhett Miller. In addition to playing guitar and touring with his band, Old 97’s, he’s also the host of “Wheels Off,” a podcast that explores the “messy reality behind the creative life.” It turns out, he has a lot to say about generating ideas.

His advice? Take a step outside.

He tells a story about his last visit to Paws Up. “There was one particular spot where I pulled my chair around so I was at the edge of a cliff overlooking a bend in the Blackfoot River. I didn’t have modern noises, I didn’t have streets, I didn’t have cars. There were literally eagles flying around me, a fireplace crackling behind me—and the things my mind was able to do when it was confronted with that kind of freedom felt like they couldn’t happen anywhere else.”

It’s the opposite of what you find at other high-end resorts. “Because Paws Up offers a place where “artifice [is] stripped away,” he says. “You could pay all the money in the world and not get that.”

“The other thing Paws Up does is, it inspires so much gratitude,” Miller explains. “You know, people really fetishize unhappiness and heartbreak when it comes to art and creativity. But I’m a lot more effective at making things when I’m feeling gratitude.”

And there are lots of reasons to be grateful for Miller. His music and visits are always a joy.

Miller’s latest solo album, The Misfit, was released in late 2022. A video of the single “Already There” was shot at Paws Up by Resort Photographer and Filmmaker Stuart Thurlkill.