The Tiny Jade DragonHey There!
Lauren here. I have been obsessed for years watching the various tiny home & tiny home on wheels (THOW) build & design shows. I never thought that I would actually join the tiny home trend and build one myself. Too late now to dwell on that - It's happening! I drafted this journal site in January to track how one tackles a project waaaaay outside the comfort zone. No prior construction experience, but confident in perseverance, I have been finishing out the interior through snow, sleet, rain, high heat, and now back to the chill of Fall. Yes, the plan was to be on the road by now but I took a few breaks. Added a professional certificate (CPLP) to my credentials AND a Summer vacation on the Cape.
After years of sitting on the fence and finally fed up playing landlord roulette, I made the LEAP! I had done the research, attended a TH workshop to make sure that I wasn't completely out of my mind, and now it was time to take the plunge and see what I was really made of. I set up camp at the start of what was supposed to be (thank you Farmers Almanac) a “mild” Southeast winter. No snow expected until at least end January/ February 2018. SOOOOO Not true. See November's snow covered tent.
Now, the pics are finally published!! For all you friends asking (& asking), what in the hell are you doing. WaHoo! Here you go, check out the Progress Gallery!
Site Motivation
The insanity of what can happen on a build site - can surprisingly leave folks in stitches. The power tool near-misses, catapulting falls (almost!), talking (swearing?) out loud to yourself unchecked (hey, no one's around), unbelievable bad weather slogs- what better way to master ones personal performance and personal motivation pressure points? Hysterical laughter, inspirational feedback and sincere questions from people privy to this tiny home build project is what got this site up & out. Folks around here thought there might be other folks, other women out there inspired to start their own challenging projects. That would be awesome!
Anyone familiar with the Tiny House Movement knows there are some pretty incredible life movement, build experts and very inspired topic enthusiasts out there. Since they are far more eloquent than I, many of their links are found on the Resources page.
Bottom line? I was due for a huge life change and we all know that saying, "the only way out - is through!" Hope to See you on the other side.
P.S. A BIG Thanks so much to all the Power Tool "You Tubers" - You ROCK!
Time for Change
So many cool people & groups have great "design" projects going out there. Design your Life! Minimize your planetary footprint! Minimize your wardrobe! Sustainable building designs all over the globe engage incredible architectural feats AND serve the children of the future. As the Blog page gets up and running this Winter, the plan is to build out that section based on the inspirations below.
- Minimalism - Living with Less. How to determine what to let go?
- Sustainability - Is it too late to make a planetary difference? Is living off-grid achievable? HOW do I get this solar equipment up on the roof??
- Humor - Smiles. Focus on the Laughter. Overcome perceived personal "limits". Get on stage with it and make others LAUGH!!
- Patience & Perseverance - Explore methodologies to learn faster, better. Refine power tool, project management, materials expertise learning processes. KEEP all 10 fingers no matter what time it is! Move your project forward, DESPITE THE so called ODDS.
- Debt Reduction - How Low Can you Go? Taking financial stress down a notch or two or three. Planning for uncertainty - Enforce yourself!
