Matty Conrad

I flew down to Marfa, a small town in West Texas, this week to be part of Boot Barn’s Spring / Summer campaign. I’ve been sitting with why it mattered to me as much as it did.

I don’t live a blue-collar ranch life every day. I haven’t earned it that way. I work in a barbershop.
But over the past few years I’ve spent real time on ranches, and I’ve felt pulled toward the work—the grit, the discipline, the self-reliance, the respect for craft, and the values that come with it.

What mattered most was being asked to show up as myself.
Not to model.
Not to perform.
Not to play dress-up.

Just to stand shoulder to shoulder with other men who live this culture in their own way, and carry it honestly in their own lives.

There’s a growing idea out there that if you weren’t born into something, you don’t belong in it. I don’t buy that. I’ve learned this life isn’t about the hat. It’s not about politics, pride, or where you come from. It’s about heart. About how you work, how you show up, and how you treat the people around you.

Earning the respect of the wranglers, the cowboys, the horses, and the crew didn’t feel like praise.
It felt like confirmation.
A quiet nod that said I was welcome, and exactly where I was meant to be.

That kind of trust isn’t given.
It’s built.

And I’m pretty damn proud of that.

Can’t wait to show y’all what we made.