Brianne van Reenen: Lubbock - an identity crisis

What defines the spirit of being a Lubbockite to you? Have you ever thought of it? If not, why not?

I have lived in Lubbock for almost 15 years, and I’m guilty of saying phrases like:

There’s nothing to do.

I don’t really fit in.

Just a general *cringe* and desire to be somewhere with a bit more pizzaz.

But if I truly think about it – I said those phrases because I heard them so often that I enveloped them into my mentality. And I continue to hear these phrases out in the community. But continue to perpetuate these phrases are what is keeping Lubbock stunted from becoming the very thing we want it to be.

Culture requires habit and intentionality. Lubbock is teetering in a moment of transition between staying a small-town or stepping into its identity as a city on the Caprock. We as Lubbock-living folk love new, shiny things. New restaurants, new stores, new events. But I’ll be blunt: We’re bad at sustaining them. Alana Edgin, the business reporter for the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, has reported 16 Lubbock businesses have announced closure since the beginning of 2023 alone.

Comings and goings: Lubbock's openings, closings, confirmed rumors from May 2023

Yes, the national average is that 1 in 5 businesses will close within their first year, but I believe the trend of shiny openings and lamented closings are more than a national statistic. I believe the newness prompts Lubbockites to make time to go and check it out, but then it seems we resort back to our small-town mentality of “most convenient." Parking is hard to find. It's on the other side of town. I’ll just order from this app and get it in two days. And then something closes and there is a round of sadness as we shrug our shoulders and dream of moving to a bigger city where we have access to the very things we just saw try to thrive.

I’ll use the example of a larger, growing tradition in Lubbock – the First Friday Art Trail. Do you know of a single Lubbock artist who has sold work during a First Friday Art Trail exhibit? Even still, if you’ve been to the First Friday Art Trail – did you gaze upon even one piece of art? I have spoken with many FFAT artists who haven’t sold work no matter how affordable it may be. I have also heard folks admit they went and didn’t look at a single piece of artwork.

Jethro Compton wrote the play version of “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” – an American Western – and his description of the setting and characters goes like this: “Twotrees is a town where people speak their mind and live their lives at the pace of a bullet…” To Compton, the American West is a “stark landscape” giving rise to “bold characters and bolder convictions.”

Does this sound like a place you know?

I think this description holds true for Lubbock, because it’s the people of Lubbock who color the stark landscape, because we, too, are a people who speak their minds and live at the pace of a bullet as we work to carve our space for ourselves.

We are an emerging city of immense talent that could be a mark on the map worthy of being known in so many industries. There is a reason this land birthed the artistic and visionary talents of Buddy Holly. He was not a fluke. To live in Lubbock, one is required to have the audacity to want to take dirt and grind it into diamonds. Look what we’ve built already! To be a Lubbockite, one must have gumption, spirit, and the wisdom to know the value of having a supportive community in a flat, quite desolate landscape. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have survived as it has for so long – but it’s time to step up and help it grow instead of wither.

So, how do we lean-in and embrace the next phase of Lubbock? Invest in our people. Be intentional. Plug in. Seek community that strengthens who we are as a city – and then brag about it! Keep bragging about it! Yell it out until the world is forced to turn their head. I promise, they’re already looking over their shoulder like we’re talking too loudly and giving away spoilers in a movie theater.

I challenge you to get to know your neighbor – and those who are small business and local talents. I promise, there is more to do each and every weekend than you’ll ever have time for – but you must be intentional about finding it and attending. Plug in. Get involved. Take friends. Make time. Make “Lubbock Made” a golden seal required in your day-to-day, because you are making your community stronger. Drive across town. Attend plays and functions outside your norm. Stretch your wings and allow yourself to be inspired by the courage found here.

Be a part of intentionally pulling Lubbock into becoming not just the Gem of the Caprock – but the true Gem of Texas.

(Brianne van Reenen is a Lubbockite, storyteller and owner of Wild Lark Publishing.)