Fashion to Tiny Houses
How my Journey evolved …
In my first Blog I gave a brief intro about myself and my background, which had a lot to do with gaining my talents from my mum. Funnily enough, we had similar interests, one in which I had no idea about until I was in year 8!
I was constantly drawing fashion figures wearing clothing I designed from as far back as Kindergarten! I came home after highschool and made an announcement that I wanted to be a Fashion Designer. Mum shared with me that was something she wanted to be once too. Who knew?!
She had also shared a story later on which I have no recollection of… Apparently when I was in Kinder, I painted a girl wearing a dress, but what was unique is that I painted a pocket on her dress. The teacher asked mum if she could keep the painting because of that pocket I had painted. I kinda wished mum had kept it though, would have been a nice little keepsake. I wonder if that teacher still has it, maybe not?
Following mum’s footsteps, I became a young mum and my “dream” of being a Fashion Designer had to wait. Once my son was in Primary School, I decided we’d move to the big smoke so that I could study too.
It took us a while to settle in and I found myself in a relationship so put off those studies to do a shorter course in hairdressing to “ get a job ” to “ contribute “ but little did I know I was about to get a life sentence diagnosis after learning I could not finish the course due to pain in my hands and fingers.
Turned out I was living with Psoriatic Arthritis and so paired back and simply got a job in child care. Back then, I didn’t need a qualification but that changed in the year I was working and had to get qualified with on the job training and some after hours too.
I felt like I was going backward so made the decision to study what I had intended… FASHION! If I was going to study anyway, it may as well be what I choose to study, pain or no pain!
And so I did… for 7 bloody years! Can you believe it?! I studied part time, which doubled the length of the course but because I was struggling with the disease, among other things, every two years they would change the course outline, add new subjects, which I would have to do if I wanted the current qualification, then of course the costs went up due to government funding cuts….
So I never did get the qualification. I actually think that is a good thing since I can choose a different path if I decide to.
I still gained invaluable skills, just not the paper that goes with it. No regrets at all. I had one client and found that it was very labour intensive and not a sustainable career path for me living with PsA after all.
Because I was so young when I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis, it really played havoc with my early work and study life. This meant I was pretty much living in poverty on Centrelink (unemployment benefits) between the odd job here and there.
The cost of living kept increasing, including the high rental prices…. This meant I was struggling to make ends meet and under a lot of financial stress, which isn’t great for someone who’s disease thrives on stress.
My son by now was studying VCE and I knew I couldn’t continue paying rent if I wanted to save money or have some kind of life. I needed to find an affordable option to live. I knew I could never hold a full time job and in turn I had no idea what job I could sustain long term with PsA.
There were days, I could not walk, days I could not sit, days I could not use my hands! I was affected all over and the nature of the disease is so unpredictable when a flare would strike and where in the body it would attack!
I knew I would not be able afford my own home at this rate, especially since I was single again. It was 2012 and I was reading an article in a magazine about a couple who had renovated a vintage caravan, whilst they used it as a holiday home, I saw the potential to live in one full time!
It was a lightbulb moment, the answer I was looking for. I could quite happily live in a caravan, painting my days away! That sounded like heaven to me. I jumped online and did some research on what an old caravan would cost…. It was achievable!
Whilst doing my research I came across these things called “Tiny Houses”. In fact the very first Tiny House I ever saw was the “Shabby Streamside Studio” (see image below). Little did I know the impact these things were going to have on my life in the near future!
