Over the last couple of years, Tucson has seen a dramatic influx of local influencers. Everything from dedicated foodies who are undeniably loyal to one side of the El Güero Canelo vs. BK's hot dog debate, to eccentric nature lovers who capture the most stunning Tucson sunsets, to art enthusiasts who create and share unique artworks with the community.
But one local couple is taking a piece of all of these elements and combining them in their social media accounts to show the community what makes Tucson one of a kind.
You may have seen them through their Instagram accounts as the @fiftytwonewproject and @thetucsontype, but 28-year-old Tucsonans Lyndsey Edmonds and Tatum Rochin aren't about the big-time social media influencer lifestyle. Instead, they hope to use their social media accounts to inspire others to become invested in their community.
"I think you can care about Tucson a lot and love it a lot, but if you don't tell other people, they don't know how you feel about it," Edmonds said. "And so I think just, like, fostering this culture of being proud of where you live and wanting to be a part of where you live, can change that for someone else."
The two Instagram accounts showcase the best of Tucson's art, food, culture and community.
52 weeks, 52 new adventures.
Edmonds and Rochin have completed 52 new (mostly) local things almost every week for the last three years through the Fifty Two New Project.
In 2021, they finished with 55 new adventures in the books.
Their Instagram account, run by Edmonds, is filled with snapshots of their experiences, including grabbing a bite to eat at Bubbe's Fine Bagels, venturing out east to take a ride on the Sabino Canyon Crawler or completing a metal stamping workshop at Good Things Tucson. Of course, there are so many more adventures to list, but that list could be a whole story in itself.
However, out of their experiences together, a few stand above the rest.
The couple loves exploring Saguaro National Park West and booking a stay at the Arizona Inn. These two places hold a special place in each of their hearts as they held their wedding ceremony at Saguaro National Park last fall, followed by a stay at the Arizona Inn.
The couple met while working at the University of Arizona in the career development field and immediately hit it off over their shared interests, including their love for the city. So, when one of Rochin's best friends suggested the challenge of doing something new every week for an entire year at a New Year's Eve bash to ring in 2019, Edmonds knew she had to jump at the opportunity to see more of Tucson while making memories with Rochin.
"We didn't have an Instagram account or anything. Then, it was just for ourselves. We challenged ourselves to try one new thing a week," Edmonds said. "And I think we kept like a phone note or something (to keep track of the experiences). We did it for the whole year and we took pictures and made a little photo memory book. And then we were like, 'Let's do it again in 2020.'"
So they created an Instagram account to follow their journey, experiencing more adventures in 2020 and again in 2021 and now in 2022.
"People got invested in what we're doing and in my mind, I was like, 'Why would anybody care?' And then that kept happening," Edmonds said. “At markets or workshops, Tatum (Rochin) would post about Fifty Two New just with a hashtag occasionally and then people we didn't know would ask us about it. And I was like, 'OK, hold on, like, maybe people think this is cool or want to be a part of it or can get connected to local businesses or activities that they wouldn't have before.'"
What started as a challenge for Rochin and a way to make memories for Edmonds, the project became so much more — a way to connect community members to the very best of Tucson.
But as the pandemic continued to rage on, the couple turned to "pandemic fads" during peak COVID outbreaks to safely continue trying new things at home. One of Edmonds' favorite at-home activities was taking an online sourdough bread class with Don Guerra from Barrio Bread.
Edmonds, right, helps her wife, Rochin, left, with some The Tucson Type tasks.
"The challenge was just feeling motivated to do things because it was a really hard year and a half to just stay at home," Rochin said. "And so it's like, 'Do I even want to do this anymore?' But then, on the flip side, like actually doing it was really fun. And so that was one of the challenges (during the pandemic) was just being creative and finding things to do at home."
So, what are the secrets to keeping the project going, even through the hardships of the pandemic?
Two things: Not making the adventures feel like a chore and not being afraid to get out of your comfort zone, they agreed.
"Don't put pressure on yourself to do something weekly. Because I think for us that was a learning curve," Edmonds said. "There's not going to be something we want to do every single weekend, or we may not feel up for it. And so if we do two things next weekend, because there are two really cool things going on, that's totally OK, too."
"It's a Tucson thing."
While the Fifty Two New Project is an endeavor the couple tackles together, The Tucson Type art brand is mostly a solo venture for Rochin.
The Tucson Type focuses on Tucson-centric artwork that Rochin creates in hopes of "celebrating Tucson through art and community," she said.
She started the endeavor in January 2020 with the help of Edmonds, who recommended that she change her name from "Designs by Tatum" to "The Tucson Type," since all of her artwork is inspired by the Southwest's most iconic figures: cacti.
Since then, she has created Tucson-inspired prints, stickers and totes, some of which you may have seen at local bookstores like Bookmans East or the University of Arizona Bookstore. But if you don't make an in-person stop to shop, you can find all of her art including the signature "It's a Tucson thing" sticker through her Etsy shop.
"I made the Instagram account and started just sharing some of my art and putting things on, like, stickers and tote bags and prints, just to see if anyone would actually care that I was making these things and it ended up just kind of snowballing from there," Rochin said.
That "snowball" led to Rochin hosting drawing, painting and crafting workshops around the city. The workshops, she said, are her favorite part of the business.
"It's kind of evolved into, like, selling art and then just kind of bringing community members together to celebrate the community (through art)," she said. "If I can just do one thing with The Tucson Type, it's that I want to show people how great Tucson is. I want to bring attention to other artists and other businesses in town. And if my art can do that, if it can bring people together, then like, that's a success."
Tatum Rochin holds one of her hand created "Support Local" and "It's a Tucson Thing" stickers. The stickers are available in The Tucson Type Etsy shop.
The Tucson Type & Fifty Two New Project's list of Tucson must-dos:
Through the Fifty Two New Project and The Tucson Type, the couple aspires to keep building a culture of community and showing locals that Tucson is the best place to be.
"This is a really cool place to live and there are a lot of really fun things to do, if you just take the time to look for them," Edmonds said. "And I'm a big person of like, community over competition. So I'll promote a bunch of different businesses that are all very similar because I think there's value in sharing the diverse community that we have and just encouraging as many people as we can to support local in whatever way that looks like… I hope that we can be a catalyst for encouraging people to become a part of whatever makes them happy and to try new things more often."
With so many adventures completed and so many more on the way, I just had to ask the difficult question of what they recommend locals to check out (at least once). At the time, these were their answers, but if you ask them next week, the answers could be completely different.
Check out the Ignite Sign Art Museum.
Experience the Meet Me @ Maynards and Meet Me Wednesdays local walking groups.
Do a free mural or neon sign tour using the #ThisIsTucson or Preserve Tucson mural or neon sign lists. You can walk, take a bus or drive your own car, whatever is convenient for you!
Spend some time at Bookmans. Rochin said, "I feel like I spent most of my childhood (and a good amount of my time now) there!"
Eat at Barrio Bread.
Visit the Tucson Botanical Gardens and Tohono Chul Gardens.
Take a drive up to Mount Lemmon.
