The Simplest of Means

I've been thinking a lot lately about the idea of living, temporarily or permanently, on the road. Specifically, in a converted bus, most likely a school bus. Even more specifically, with the love of my life, who shares this aspiration. She, like me, feels an inexplicable wanderlust; wherever we may be, we quickly desire to be elsewhere. What better way to fix this than living on the road? As artists and artisans we could set a rotating schedule of shows and events so we're always headed somewhere (and conveniently nowhere near the Mid-West or East Coast during the Winter) and as long as we were successful in selling our craft, we could easily survive that way, arguably at a fraction of the cost of stationary living (no mortgage, no lawn care, no shovelling snow or raking leaves).

There are some drawbacks, of course- the biggest one being the debatable legality of it. Secondly, getting mail would be a serious pain in the ass without a fixed address. As an artisan who gets a lot of his supplies via the internet, that presents a problem. Of course, living in a converted bus is also polarizing. On one hand, the only people you're going to meet are like-minded people; the open, adventurous sort not put off by the idea of living in a bus. On the other, the majority of people are going to look at you like a pariah.

Benefits and drawbacks aside, even if it's just something used for camping and cross-country travel, there is something incredibly magnetic about the idea. Not just converting the bus to be livable, but doing it efficiently, and in an eco-friendly way. Solar panels for power and solar water heating, bio-fuel conversion, composting/incinerating lavatories. The possibilities to be self-sustaining are endless. With a little bit of work most of what it takes to convert a bus can be found instead of bought, too, minimizing the cost. Not to mention most school buses, or even just older coaches, are, unlike modern vehicles, especially motor homes, built to last. With regular maintenance they can carry some serious mileage.

But, until I get a joooooooooob it's all just daydreams. No luck on the job front, several promising leads though. In the meantime I've taken on a mountain of personal projects, most importantly making jewelry, to keep myself busy. Shop will be up in a week or so, until then it's just gogogogogogo!