Unconventional. That’s a word you could use. We’ve never been 9-5ers. In fact, before opening the Yoga Studio, we didn’t really have “jobs” at all. People would ask us all the time what we did and we never knew how to answer that question.
“Do you guys even have jobs?!” “How can you afford to travel so much?!” These are questions we would get often, particularly when we are spotted at the local ski mountain bar in the middle of the afternoon for the 3rd day in a row, or driving from state to state, east coast to west coast with no real plan or purpose other than to explore.
I am a Freelance Artist (which is something I used to be embarrassed to label myself as) and occasionally design logos for friends with small businesses. I created a clothing brand 4 years ago (which is now the Yoga Studio name) and designed and sold silkscreen printed shirts and other things on Etsy and in local markets and festivals. I paint custom paintings for people. I was a part time nanny. Dog sitter. Singer in a band… the list goes on. I found ways to take the things I loved doing and make them into ways to pay my bills. Josh has done the same. He can pretty much build anything. He renovates airstreams. He fixes things. He does fencing. He takes random security contract jobs (3 Months in Puerto Rico) and week-long surveillance work for the government. (He’s a VERY highly qualified and trained vagabond with an intense military background…hehe.)
We would choose our schedule. We chose our location. We traveled for months at a time and would find ways to make money on the road.
It wasn’t always easy. In fact, sometimes it’s REALLY hard. It’s a constant hustle that takes a lot of passion and ambition and sometimes involves us sleeping in a tent for 3 weeks so that we can rent our house out on Airb&b to pay the bills. (Those days are over now…hA!) But we always found a way. We always made it happen because we love this free flowing life of ours. We find inspiration in the unknown and see the struggle as a way to learn and grow.
This life is not for everyone, and can definitely bring with it some serious stress. But at the end of the day, we know that we have the tools, the skills, the drive, the power to create anything we want. To overcome any obstacles and to manifest all of our dreams.
Some people see our lifestyle and it makes them feel uncomfortable because they can’t fit us into any particular “box.” I think society in general can sometimes roll their eyes at the words, “entrepreneur” and “freelancer.” Its not normal. Its not conventional. Its not safe.
And they’re right. Following your dreams is risky. You have to be willing to lose EVERYTHING. You have to be willing to fail and sleep in a tent all summer and lose a lot of things, including people, in your life.
We weren’t handed anything. We weren’t given any money. We’ve worked hard to build the life of our dreams and we built it out of nothing. Everything we’ve created was done exclusively by us, and on an embarrassingly tight (but impressive!) budget. We bought an old airstream and lovingly renovated it into a mobile bar for hire (@thebarstream) which we hope to rent out for events and parties and use as a Juice Bar this summer! We built a Tiny Home on our property (and filmed with HGTV!) which we now rent out on Airb&b (we get to sleep in our house! Yay!) and we opened and renovated an entire Yoga Studio (we’re talking all new flooring, walls, lighting, etc.) in just TWO WEEKS. We never hired a single person. (Thank god for Josh – who I kind of think was just born naturally knowing how to do literally everything!??)
I sometimes feel like I’m lying when I say that I am a Yoga Studio owner. It hasn’t fully set in yet. But damn, it feels good to wake up every morning and get to come here and do what I love and have worked so hard for. Follow your heart. Follow your dreams. Fuck what society thinks. Risk it all. Dive in. It’s worth it – I promise. Dare to live outside of the boxes. Embrace the unconventional.
