Hashtag Vanlife

I haven’t been posting on social media since November. So… in case you were wondering if I still have Chief Pete, yes! Of course. And he’s great! He’s now got 100w solar, I have the sink pump running local friends’ crystal clear spring and well water, and everything else works, too. Phew! The bed could be a little more comfortable because the upholstery foam has worn thin over the years, but it can wait.

April 18 in the Alabama Hills

I’ve been living out of my van now for three and a half years now, and my friends know it… and so my pen pal of 24 years sent me the recent New Yorker article about “vanlife.” Snail mail! I read it, and gagged. I don’t think I want to be associated with “vanlife.” I’m just not that. I mean I am that and a whole lot more, but the whole idea of living your life for social media and sponsorships is so depressing to me. Every time I meet another van owner, I shy away from the topic of what our media profiles are, and the topic inevitably comes up. It makes me feel like a circus sideshow, like I’m a performer. And it feels competitive. All of us seem to feel pressure to have the raddest vans and go the coolest places, nevermind take the sickest photos. I’m just trying to have fun and stay happy. And I happen to own this van.

I definitely have taken pictures during my adventures with the idea in mind of capturing the essence of what I was doing to share it with my Instagram friends, but I was never approached about sponsorship or posting for a living, and never wanted it*. I can’t whore my life out that way. I’m very proud of of what I’ve scraped together using my own wits since I moved out of the house at 15. I work hard, I meet great people, and that’s how I get by and live the real adventure I enjoy. I’m very happy and it’s definitely not for sale.

In my opinion adventure just isn’t contrived. This seems contrived (“became a lifestyle brand”):

A lifestyle brand???

* The ads that occur on certain places on my website are earmarked to pay for my hosting and are automatically placed by Adsense. I don’t work with advertisers and I definitely don’t allow questionable categories of ads. I’ve made like… $105 in the past three years, haha.