BEST ART IS A COINCIDENCE

I recently came across a video by celebrity photographer Alexi Lubomirski. He was describing how that iconic Harper’s Bazaar cover featuring Angelina Jolie came to life. He had traveled to Namibia, where she was staying in a desert camp. A beautiful, barren landscape. He and his team were thrilled. They had planned out several shots, gathered magazine tear sheets, and other photographs to inspire the overall vibe. The vision was something… safari.

They had a plan.

Initially, he was told he’d have two full days to shoot—but when he arrived, he found out the BBC was filming her for a feature. He only got half a day.

So he rushed in with his team, getting ready as fast as they could. And as a former model, I can tell you—that’s tough. The lighting has to be perfect. The equipment has to be arranged. Not to mention hair and makeup. They started shooting, capturing a variety of shots. All the cool stuff they’d planned. Even Angelina was very happy with the photographs.

Then, just as they were about to start the next setup, three cheetahs showed up. They were camp rescues, raised there since they were cubs—used to humans, but still roaming wild.

“If you want to get this shot, you’ll have to go,” someone said. “They won’t wait around.”

So Alexi abandoned the plan and followed the cheetahs instead. They had to set up fast, because, obviously—wild animal models, with their do-whatever-they-want attitude.

Luckily, the cheetahs wandered curiously near Angelina. And then… the wind caught her hair just right. The cheetahs looked straight into the camera. A split second to capture the moment. Alexi got the shot.

Seven months later, it became the cover.

It made me think. For ten years, I was a high fashion model. I remember those kinds of photoshoots—the ones where you show up to set and the photographer has a sliver of an idea of what they want to shoot… and then completely abandons it because of a coincidence.

I remember one time shooting with my friend Alex Rivera. I met him while bartending at one of the hottest nightclubs in Chicago. I was a college student at the time, Paris and New York runways already behind me. He asked if I’d shoot with him. After seeing his work—stunning, original, full of nostalgic energy—I had to say yes.

So we started shooting. At first, it was just some studio shots. Closeups. Fierce poses. You know… the usual. We got hungry, so Alex ordered pizza. The pizza delivery guy got lost, and we had to go downstairs. So hey, might as well get some outside shots. The makeup artist had just told a personal story that made me cry. I don’t remember the details—something about her father. My mascara was smeared all over. And as we were standing outside, the setting sun hit my face just right. Alex said, “Oh my God, hold it. You look like Marla from Fight Club.” And that was the shot. A complete coincidence. Our cheetah moment.

And the funny thing is—without that shot, I wouldn’t be married to Ashe today. That was my profile picture. The one that made him message me on MySpace.

“Magician,” he commented.

And this is how the best art works. How writing works too.

When Ashe and I were writing Lost in Beirut, we started with an outline—but by chapter two, we completely abandoned it. The backstory was slowing down the pace. It just didn’t work. So we started freestyling. Pantsing, as writers call it.

Some days we’d go back to a chapter because Ashe suddenly remembered something. We’d add a whole new scene. I still remember the day we wrote the final words. We sat down to write. We didn’t know it was going to end yet. But the moment we typed those last lines, we knew.

That was the ending.

And it was even more freeform with Fragments, our latest novel coming out this November. We tried to plan it. We really did.

Because Save the Cat.

Because every serious author seems to outline the shit out of their stories.

But then some days, we’d sit down with a clear plan of where it was going—and a new character would appear. Out of nowhere. Magic happened. So we allowed it.

We know plenty of phenomenal writers who create intricate, thirty-page outlines. Who know exactly what happens in each chapter. Each scene. Who fill the walls of their offices with post-it notes.

We don’t.

Because sometimes, the cheetahs show up.

And you just have to trust them. Follow them. Let them into the shot.

Because the best, most authentic art… happens by accident.

The best art is a coincidence.