My friend Tammy Strobel over Rowdy Kittens was featured in a New York Times article over the weekend for simplifying her life and getting rid of most of her stuff.

Tammy simplified her life down to less than 100 possessions, sold her cars and the rest of the unnecessary stuff, and found she was much happier. I shared some of Tammy’s story earlier here on the blog and you can check out her book simply car free on this earlier post. She has been working as a writer and web designer on her own since making all these changes.

The question I’m asked most often by readers is how do people make a living when living in these unconventional ways. They don’t know how to design websites, or don’t think they can write for a living like Tammy. They ask about the ads that I have on this blog, and if I am making a living from them. This is a small blog and I don’t make much money from the affiliate links that I place on the site as I reference on my disclosure page. Most of the ads here just help the blog pay for itself, covering hosting costs and such. But they aren’t just random Google ads. They are affiliate ads for products I chose and like.

Most webpages on the Internet today that you see selling products are sold through affiliate programs. From tiny single page websites selling a single product, to large “compare and find the best travel deals” websites, many of these are set up to refer people to buy products that companies sell. These companies have affiliate programs set up for those people to make a commission on each referral they send. Amazon has had one since the mid 90′s, and it is a very common way for companies to bring in sales.

Many of the sites that you see are affiliate sites, and the people who own the websites are making commissions off of any products that you end up purchasing, when clicking on those links.

Tomorrow on August 10, another friend, Corbett Barr is launching his Affiliate Marketing for Beginners program at a discounted rate for the first 48hrs. In the course, he teaches a complete step-by-step course for beginners how to build your own affiliate sites from the ground up.

Affiliate marketing is probably the simplest and least expensive way to get into earning some extra money on your own using the Internet (that is legal, ethical and not a scam), and this course teaches you step-by-step how to do it. I was surprised how much information he included in the lesson plan. Even though I have done affiliate marketing, I have found a wealth of information and steps in there that I wasn’t quite doing as well as I could be. It has already helped me out quite a bit.

Since so many people ask me about this stuff, and I like Corbett and the program he has created, I’ll have more information up here on it tomorrow when he officially launches at 8am PST, so keep an eye on this space. Of course you can subscribe to our feed by RSS or email to be notified whenever there is new info here on the site.

Making a Living While Living Unconventional Lives is a post from: Live Collar Free

Colin Wright, Andi Norris and Ashley Ambirge are Way Below the Status Quo

Entrepreneurs are now more able to do work from the road with today’s technologies than in any other time in history. The internet and mobile devices allow people to submit their work and run businesses from pretty much anywhere. While some people live on the road full time, it also makes for some fun extended road trips.

Way Below Status Quo is a free online networking site organized by city, to help people get together and collaborate or get help with projects. To kick it off, a road trip is taking place now through mid-August, with the founders criss-crossing the United States. Actually, they are making more of a giant “W” across the country from the East coast to Seattle, stopping major cities along the way.

I was able to meet up with them for a short time last night while they were passing through. The famous WordPress Developer and Web Designer Andrew Norcross was also there to meet up with the group. I suppose we collaborated a bit, but it was mostly just fun times meeting for the first time in the real world instead of “knowing” each other online. And trying not to get thrown out of a local coffee shop and restaurant.

If they are going to be anywhere near your town, and you want to meet some people who are out living life, creating businesses, and helping others do the same, you really should make it a point to go hang out with them. They arrived in New Orleans this morning (July 15, 2010) for a meetup with Carl Nelson and some other people there. The rest of their itinerary can be found on the Way Below Status Quo website.

These founders and Nomadic Entrepreneurs can be found at WBSQ, as well as their own websites.

Ashley Ambirge

Ash inspires people with her thought-provoking writing over at The Middle Finger Project. Originally from Philadelphia, she spends most of her time traveling and is looking for a good place to live. See if you can convince her that your city is where she should live when the road trip is over or until she goes back to Costa Rica.

Andi Norris

Andi is taking the really, really long way home back to Seattle, and may be to blame for this road trip. Whether she is there or on the road, she runs the design firm Dezabulous, and blogs about life and causes trouble at Instigationology.

Colin Wright

It’s tough to describe Colin. Owner of no more than 50 things, Author of several books, not Canadian, and moves every 4 months. He doesn’t just move, he lets his readers at Exile Lifestyle pick the next city he’ll go to, and throws himself into the culture there. He went from Los Angeles to Argentina, just returned from New Zealand, and will be going to Thailand next. All while running his design firm at Colinismyname.com, as well as the newly-launched Ebookling.

Way Below Status Quo: Nomadic Entrepreneurs Road Trip is a post from: Live Collar Free

photo credit: Elsie esq.

The first batch of auctions for my book collection ended. The entire library is in stacks on the table in front of me. Books I’ve been carrying around for decades and read only once when new. Even the rare and autographed versions are going.

Books have always been important to me. A lot of effort went into dealing with them, whether moving them or paying to store them. I am not attached to them anymore, though they used to be my most prized possessions. After moving boxes of books over the years, I have come to despise the keeping of any “stuff” I don’t need. With books I havn’t read in 20 years, and have no desire to read again, it just seems silly to have so many here. I know I’ll just have to do something with them again.

The longest period I have ever held the same address is 4 years, and only that long on 2 occasions in 40 years. I have always thought of myself pretty Spartan with my possessions. I have never owned a huge amount of stuff, though each time I move I am amazed at what I have collected in such a short time. Reading blogs for several years from truly minimalist people like Leo Babauta and Tammy Strobel have really opened my eyes up to the realization that I was nowhere near living the spartan life.

Countless times, I have looked at a book, had fond memories of it, and put it back on the shelf. Planning to someday read it again and mine the valuable information out of it that I know is in there. I don’t remember ever reading two books more than once. I realized with some books, I had moved 7 or 8 times since reading them. I had dragged them around from California to Florida. What a waste of energy.

Books should be in a place where they can be used and appreciated, so they will all go. Whether I can sell them or donate them, I’ll be free of them soon. From now on, a book moves along after I read it, so someone else can enjoy it.

I enjoy reading ebooks, both on the laptop and even on my iPod Touch. Laying in bed unable to sleep is an occasional problem. Being able to read with the light out has been fantastic, but not having to store and deal with a pile of books will be even better. There is too much of the world out there to see, and the load needs to be lightened. I still travel out of a home base where I can store things, but I’m working to spend less time here, and book storage is an issue for most Location Independent People.

After starting with tips I found at Organize IT I already digitized my small CD collection. My movie collection is either getting digitized and sold/donated. As soon as I can digitize my old photos, many of those will get recycled or given to interested parties. A few weeks ago, I shredded all old paperwork I had also been dragging around with me for years. I didn’t go as far as Colin Wright with his shred party.

There are a few exceptions for items I’m still attached to or have to keep for records, but most of my stuff is going. I feel lighter already.

What are some of the ways you have dealt with clutter or minimizing your life?

How to Minimize Your Life for Travel: Books is a post from: Live Collar Free

Have you ever wanted to travel the world? Why haven’t you? What has stopped you? Some people do it seemingly with little more than a backpack and a smile. Others live the jet-set life in luxurious places most only know from Bond films. Everyone who wants to travel but hasn’t done so has one of 7 major obstacles or objections. There may be variations on the theme, but it’s always one of the 7 majors.

Anil Polat has been traveling the world since 2006. Where many people wish and hope to “someday” travel, he has actually been out doing it. Like most long-term travelers, he regularly comes into contact with people who tell him they wish they could do what he does, and quickly give him a list of reasons why they can’t do it.

He has gathered the 7 major obstacles he regularly hears on the road and from polling his readers. He intended to just write up a few quick tips on how to overcome these popular travel objections, but the series ended up taking on a life of it’s own. Valuable input came from readers who wanted to share their experiences or attempts to overcome these travel objections, as well as advice from several other world travelers who had already overcome them.

Anil gathered this information together for his ebook, Overcoming the 7 Major Obstacles to Traveling the World. The book breaks down each objection to get to the heart of the real issue, and shows how simply anyone can overcome these perceived barriers. Included are numerous useful links to help you realize your travel goals and helpful information and advice from world travel veterans John Bardos, Marina Villatoro, Dan’s Adventure, The Q Family Adventures, Deb and Dave, Akila & Patrick of The Road Forks, and Cody McKibben of Thrilling Heroics.

Purchase of this ebook for $8.00 also includes updates and expanded information as it becomes available. Two lattes worth of money for a book that can help you get out and see the world is a fair trade to me.

If you have fantasies of long-term travel, you can turn them into realities with Overcoming the 7 Major Obstacles to Traveling the World. What’s stopping you from following your travel dreams?

Overcoming the 7 Obstacles to Traveling the World is a post from: Live Collar Free

The popular Chris Farley skit on Saturday Night Live had him play a “motivational speaker” who lived in a van down by the river. It was his way of telling his audience that they would become failures and also end up living in a van down by the river. Most people would probably be surprised to know that there are thousands of people who live in vans all around the world. They do this not because they have failed. They live in vans willingly and are doing well.

We’ve featured interviews with Adventure Photographer and vandweller Trevor Clark here before (Part 1 & Part 2), and we have more features in the queue. Readers have told us they love his 4×4 Sportsmobile Van, as it is one of the best vehicles you can buy for a camper-type van.

Several people have asked us how to live like this. They have told us they would like to do what Trevor and so many others do, but usually follow it with a long list of reasons why they can’t. Why would someone want to live in a van instead of a house? How would they go about doing so? Most of the questions are asked in the “yeah but…” format, as it does seem like such an odd thing to much of the population. A lot of people have a lot of questions.

VanAbode

Jason Odom has spent years on the road, living out of a van. His approach is slightly different, using a nondescript van that blends in anywhere, rather than an RV or trailer. He and his wife have spent years on the road, living wherever they feel like being at any given time. They have gone from coast to coast, exploring the country.

Jason also got constant questions about how to create such a different lifestyle. He wrote a book of his experiences as a how-to for anyone considering living this way, called Vanabode™ – how to happily camp, travel and live forever on $20 a day.  He sent me a copy to read since I was getting so many questions, and he knew it would be of interest to me.

Some of the topics covered include:

• Vehicle choice and outfitting.
• Parking and camping considerations in every type of area.
• Safety and Security (which seems to be the most popular worry among readers).
• Money, savings and budget breakdowns.

The self-published book is 113 pages, and filled with tips and techniques for making the most of your time, money, and enjoyment while living in a van. The book covers a variety of tips and techniques to overcome the most common objections, as well as a tremendous amount of options. Everyone wants something a little different, and it covers a range of ideas for living in a van no matter what your situation.

As Jason says, “Vanaboding is about spending time living a fun life rather than spending money trying to buy a fun life.” They aren’t homeless, they are home wherever they park their vehicle, sleeping in their own bed every night. They aren’t starving, they eat at some of the nicest restaurants in cities all over the country.

They do more, spend less and have more freedom than the average person working too many hours a week to keep up their mortgage and toy payments. Whether you are ready to sell off your house and live full-time in a van or RV, or you just want a way to get more time and money out of family vacations, I think you’ll find Vanabode will answer any lingering questions or doubts.

Go check out his site and grab the book. If you think people living in their vehicles are just down on their luck, you may come to realize that the people living in a van down by the river might very well be living better than the rest of us.

Do you know anyone who lives in their vehicle? Have you ever lived in a van? Would you ever try it? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.

Vanabode: Home is Where the Van is Parked is a post from: Live Collar Free

I’ve said before on this site that LiveCollarFree.com is not exclusive to one “system” or style of Lifestyle Design. There are so many ways to live outside of the default life we learn we should fit into, and they all fascinate me.

Much of what I’ve done with my life has been to downsize. Toys are fun, but the stuff we accumulate takes a toll: moving it, storing it, insuring it, cleaning it, maintaining it, ad nauseum. We learn in the U.S. that we need to own a house and that all adults need a car. We are a car culture, and have been since they came about. Cars are one of the biggest purchases and expenses in most families. But do we really need a car to work and live today?

I have followed Tammy Strobel’s Rowdy Kittens blog for a bit over a year, now. She and her partner Logan decided to downsize their life, cut down their needless belongings, and even go so far as to sell their cars. Now they get around on bicycles almost exclusively and it works better for them. They calculated that their cars cost them nearly $8,000 a year to keep! And they had economy cars! How many hours of work does that total each year just to own a car? It makes me sick to think about how much I’ve spent over the years.

Tammy & Logan have improved their health, saved a tremendous amount of money, and lived a simpler, more fulfilling green lifestyle since their decision to scale down.

Simply Car-Free

Today, Tammy released her first book: Simply Car-Free: How to Pedal Toward Financial Freedom and a Healthier Life. I read an advance copy and can tell you it is a fantastic resource for planning and living in today’s world without the need to own a car.

It seems like such a foreign concept in most areas of modern America, but life without a car is not only quite possible but is very liberating. Tammy lays out a solid plan to make the car-free lifestyle simple to achieve. The Book goes through the process they went through, as well as how to make it even easier (they made their transition slowly and now wonder why they took so long).

She does an excellent job of covering all the “what-if…?” scenarios that come up when we talk about life without a car. Across America or even the world, not everyone’s lifestyle and community allows as simple a transition into a Car-Free life, but there are ways around most objections. Alternatives to going completely car-free are also covered, and how to handle situations that come up that all but require cars, such as long trips or moving.

The section on bicycling is also very in-depth. Whether you are a cyclist or just starting out, there are many valuable resources inside to cover what you need to know about bikes, as well as dealing with everyday issues like weather and getting groceries.

If you already live without a car or have never considered such a thing, Simply Car-Free is a good tool that collects resources from a variety of people already living this way all over the country. I am not just writing this review because I am a blogger buddy of Tammy’s. In March 2008, I got rid of my truck, and haven’t had a car or other vehicle since. I’ll do more about my situation in another post and link it here, but I know this topic very well as I have had probably close to 20 cars in my life (and 16 motorcycles that I can remember).

Simply Car-Free is a great resource for anyone considering life without a motor vehicle.

Simply Car-Free: Living Without a Car is a post from: Live Collar Free

photo credit: Matthew Simantov

One of the many nice things about being based in central Florida is being so close to Kennedy Space Center. Even though I live on the other side of the state, it is only 100 miles or so to the East coast, and with clear skies, I can see the launch from my front patio.

The Shuttle program is ending soon. There are only four remaining daylight launches scheduled. NASA had set the last scheduled night launch of the Space Shuttle (STS-130) for Sunday, February 7, at just after 4 AM EST.

On the Friday night before, we talked about it for all of two minutes before deciding to head out to the Space Coast to watch the launch. We tend to “plan” our trips and adventures at the last minute, and stay flexible on details and trivial nonsense like where we might sleep, if at all.

Not only was this the last scheduled night launch, but we heard that also in the area were at least two different couples I stalk follow through their blog travels and on Twitter. Chris and Cherie from Tales from Technomadia live in a custom Oliver Travel Trailer they had built last year. I knew they were in town visiting family, and I suspected they would be watching the launch. They were already in touch with Louise and Sean, who live in a beautiful German tour bus converted into their rolling luxury home. They write about their adventures at Our Odyssey.

I sent a message off to Chris & Cherie, and we set about getting together Saturday evening. Louise & Sean had already found a perfect viewing site directly across the water from the launch site. By Saturday afternoon, the Technomads had parked Orion next to them, with room for us to park behind when we arrived.

None of us had met in person prior to that night, but we had a great evening. A documentary crew from Motherboard.tv was out to get footage of the shuttle launch and the viewers. They discovered the story of our Nomadic convergence and shot additional interviews with the nomadic couples during tours of their homes. We ate across the street at El Leoncito and talked there for hours. After dinner Louise & Sean decided to sleep and wake up early, while the rest of us stayed up late in the Oliver to learn about our different projects and to keep Kiki entertained.

The launch ended up being scrubbed at the last minute due to low clouds that moved in during the night. There were many disappointed people leaving that morning after coming out to watch. We were not upset in the least. We had a great time with new friends that were old friends from the internet. We got tours of 2 versions of nomadic homes we’d only seen online, giving us ideas on how we might want to hit the road. We each had old friends come up to watch the launch, as well. We car-camped for a few hours before heading back to the gulf coast Sunday morning.

We had a fantastic time, and the two Nomadic couples were able to stay another night to see the launch Monday morning (they were home already). They each posted about their experiences with accompanying videos: (Technomadia & Our Odyssey).

We were up at 4:14am Monday morning to watch the launch from our front patio. We may not have been there at camp to watch from up close, but we were still there.

Nomadic Serendipity and the Space Shuttle Launch is a post from: Live Collar Free

photo credit: Richo.Fan

It was August 20, 2009. Kristi Coyne was told she would be out of a job as of September 30. Her department of 130 employees would be let go: the county was farming out their mental health services to a private company. It’s a common story these days, but not one that everyone handles the same way.

Kristi had always done everything right. She got good grades in high school, went to college for her Bachelor’s degree, and then went on to get her Master’s in Psychology. She was working for a government-run mental health facility helping the local mental health community instead of pursuing a more lucrative career in private practice. Now she was left with her remaining student loan debt, some letters after her name, and a couple of weeks to figure out what to do — much more than a lot of people get.

The Crossroads

She had an idea that had always been in the back of her mind, but it was not that “right” thing to do. Certainly in this economic downturn going on in America in 2009, it was preposterous. Her work with the mentally ill was rewarding, and she would still be able to practice on the side. But her true passion had always been something else. Like most of us, she was raised being told that such frivolity wasn’t a practical way to make a living. She had always wanted to do something involving fashion. A fan of fabulous clothes of eras past, she had gathered enough of her own to open a store out of her bedroom closet.

Her options were to look for another job, to wait to hear what small percentage of her previous salary this new private company was going to offer to re-hire her, or to make up something else entirely. Messages from her Facebook friends were all encouraging. Her response to it after things had begun to sink in later that day was, “Thanks, guys! Your support has always uplifted me! I’d like to work on creating my own destiny now…”

The Road Unmapped

Two days after she learned that her job was getting outsourced, she looked at retail spaces and found one in an indoor mall in an old train station that she felt would be perfect for a vintage clothing store. The following week, the new company had offered its proposals to some of the laid-off staff. Kristi decided that she could not take the offer, and began a walk down another path.

The sign design was created for Nine Lives Vintage Wears before she even finished her tenure at her old position. She planned to open the doors in the first week of October. This retail store selling vintage clothes, handmade jewelry, and other items made by local artists and craftspeople was opening in a recession. Some people wondered if she was as mentally ill as her prior patients doing something that “crazy” in times like these. Once she convinced them that she was doing it, and at full speed ahead, they got behind her and watched the place take shape quickly. She had been dreaming about this for years, so she had a vision for it already that those people just couldn’t see as clearly.

A New Life

So far the store has done even better than she had hoped, and the people who thought she was doing something frivolous are starting to rethink their own lives. We are often put in situations that test us. Some people choose safety and perceived security, while others feel that would be a form of lifelong torture. The same week she held the grand opening of her store back in October, one of her former co-workers chose a much different path — jumping off of a high bridge to their death.

Kristi chose her path toward happiness and designing the lifestyle she wants. It doesn’t have to be a retail store that makes you happy, but I hope you can find your happy path.

Many people have dealt with layoffs like this. We have mentioned the Lemonade movie before. There are a lot of people out there questioning their worlds right now. Let us know in the comments below if you’ve ever been faced with a decision like this, and how it turned out for you. We’d love to hear your thoughts and story.

Full Disclosure: I don’t get anything if you were to go to Freighthouse Square in Tacoma and shop at Nine Lives Vintage Wears, or become a fan on Facebook, but Kristi’s story is relevant to this blog and my vision for it. It is just a happy coincidence that Kristi is my sister and I am proud of her for being awesome.

Career Outsourcing: Replaced by the Lowest Bidder is a post from: Live Collar Free

In part one of our interview with Adventure Photographer Trevor Clark, we got to know a little bit about how he lives a location independent lifestyle on the road.

This second part will cover some of the tools, gadgets and equipment that make this life on the road possible.

From the obvious tools a photographer needs, to what tools make his lifestyle possible, Trevor tells us how he is able to live this life as a digital nomad. He also goes over some of the advantages and challenges of living this kind of mobile lifestyle.

What tools do you need to get your job done? And which are not really necessary, but make global work easier?

Well, we’ll start with the most obvious which would be camera gear and computer equipment. I use Canon equipment and shoot with the Mark III for fast action and the 5D Mark II for everything else. I do have a full size Mac Pro with a 20” Cinema Display in the van along with a Macbook Pro for taking my work out of the van (coffee shops, planes, traveling, etc.).

I would say that everything I have with me from drysuits to a wireless internet card are absolutely required. I don’t have space for anything that is unnecessary, so I keep it simple and only have what I will use.

That said, the most crucial technological tool for me is my iPhone. My industry is extremely competitive and always on a deadline, so being alerted of an email with a time sensitive issue while in the middle of nowhere or just while driving from A to B makes all the difference in the world. And, the GPS, internet and organizational applications seem like they were made for someone in my position. I truly run my whole life and business through it.

As far as programs, Skype is definitely becoming a very useful tool, in general, and even on my iPhone.

Does your work have to be turned in somewhere immediately or from on site locations? What kind of toys/technology do you need to be able to do your job from a location other than your home office/van?

That all depends on the situation. Like I mentioned earlier, there is always a deadline in my world, but sometimes it is after a trip is finished, sometimes it is the same day, and sometimes it is the same hour an image is shot. It really all depends.

The main thing I need for any deadline is a fast and reliable Internet source. Working away from my van, I just make sure I have a plan and if all else fails, I do the old-fashioned journalistic thing and find Internet, no matter what.

One time I even ended up in a couple’s bedroom (absolute strangers) at midnight, fixing their router so that I could use their internet to upload a set of images that needed to be ready for Italian distribution within the hour.

Technology will always fail when you need it most, so keeping the determination and willingness to think outside the box as an option is key for me.

With that in mind, I am also looking around at some satellite Internet options for the van.

When in another location, these tools allow you to work from anywhere, or do you normally have the office/van set up in each place?

I can do my work from anywhere, provided I have my laptop, camera gear and some hard drives with me, but having the van around makes it a lot easier. More room, more computing power, more editing efficiency. Right now, for example, I am basing myself on my brother’s sailboat in Hawaii and working from the laptop. He has quick Internet service so all is well.

Trevor at Work

How long are you usually away from home? What are some challenges you face when living in other places for long periods of time?

I am in the unique position of always being away from home, and always at home. My biggest challenge is when I move from one region or activity to another. Spending a few months at a time in one area, I grow accustomed to a routine, and even become a part of a community, and I love that.

The trouble is that I am also constantly moving on (because I have to) and starting over. This is all part of the experience for me, and over time I have built a great network of friends around the country that I re-visit, but the transitional periods can be a little tough.

Emotionally, it is just a change that I am used to, but logistically, I have to figure out new ways to survive in new places (where to park the van at night, finding athletes to work with, places to go and not to go, shooting locations, accessibility issues, etc…) until I become a part of the new community.

What are some of  the positive things about having this type of job or lifestyle? The good things about what you do?

That is a tough one. For me, there are too many good things about my work to really quantify. Most might think it is the lifestyle, but that is a direct result of my approach on my work.

I think it is the freedom to explore my own curiosities and also think of ways to make that work from a business perspective. I love taking some time to map out some goals and objectives for myself and my business, and then go do it. No questions asked and no huge life changes. Just start driving. There is power and freedom in letting go of what convention has taught us.

That and the fact that kayaking, snowboarding, backpacking, kiteboarding, etc… are all a part of my job description.

Is any of your time in different places spent on being a tourist, or is it usually all work? Do you have much time off to have vacations or personal time or do you even notice such a thing?

I am really never a tourist in the normal sense. Pretty much everywhere I go has a reason and a mission involved, so I don’t spend much time sightseeing or having lazy mornings. The standard idea of a vacation is not really in my plans either, but I am in the fortunate position (I think) to have no weekdays or weekends.

I work many more hours than your typical work-week, but it is by choice and personal drive. And because of this, if it is a beautiful day outside and I have had enough, I can go kayaking, snowboarding, sailing or whatever. I just make sure that whatever goals I had for the day get finished and any obligations I may have are fulfilled.

And shooting outside, though it is physically and mentally taxing, is too rewarding for me to think of as a normal day of going to work. That is the best part of my job.

Favorite place to visit so far? Any place you still want to go?

Another tough one. I love too many mountain towns to describe, and I keep finding more, so I’ll stay away from the favorites for now. And highest on my list of places to go would be Antarctica, Mongolia, Nepal and probably, the Moon. Yeah, it would be cool to go to the Moon.

Any advice to anyone thinking of doing more traveling work or lifestyle?

I would just say that whatever it is, if you are truly passionate about it, you WILL find a way. Go with your heart and forget about everything else. There will always be reasons not to do something; I believe it is the one reason you should that counts.

–

You can find Trevor on his website at www.trevorclarkphoto.com. You can also follow his adventures on Twitter, or on Facebook.

Adventure Photographer Trevor Clark – Part 2 is a post from: Live Collar Free

“What do you do?”

We all get asked that common social question. Rarely does one’s job title paint an complete picture of who that person is as a whole. A more accurate question for Trevor Clark would be, “what don’t you do?”

Trevor is one of those who does what many people only dream about or believe impossible. A self-described Adventure Photographer, Trevor lives and works wherever a story takes him. Whether kayaking, sailing, snowboarding or any other outdoor activity, he is there to capture it and tell a story.

Trevor was kind enough to allow us to interview him. He was in Georgia, parking the custom 4×4 Van he lives and works out of most often, before flying to Hawaii to live aboard a sailboat for a few months.

He gave us so much good information, we decided to post the interview in two parts. We’ll go over his background and get a general idea of his lifestyle first. Part two will cover the tools and equipment that makes this lifestyle possible.

First, tell us a bit about yourself. Your job title or what you do or consider yourself to be.

Well, I would say that I am an adventure photographer. I am on the road 12 months out of the year working from a 4×4 Sportsmobile converted studio/van. My life and work are one in the same. I am a photographer first, but also a whitewater kayaker, sea kayaker, kiteboarder, back-country snowboarder, wakeboarder, sailor and all around outdoor addict. The activities I get into are a tool for getting me into the situations and stories I want to shoot. I am 26 years old, self-employed and mobile.

Can you tell us first a bit about what kind of work you do? Your work/school background? Was any of your education related to what you ended up doing?

My work is focused on documenting adventure sports and telling the stories of the people who truly live by them. Even a rapid can have a story, and I have found it is very rewarding to try to show these stories from an insider’s perspective. I rarely shoot something that I am not intimately involved with myself, and that has been a very conscious decision in my approach.

If there is something that I would like to shoot, but am not an active participant in, then I will do everything I can to get into it or somehow work on an understanding from the perspective of that activity. I focus on adventure sports, but more importantly, it is about the places those activities take us and the experiences we can have just by kayaking or skiing, or whatever the case may be.

I have a BA in Magazine Journalism with an Emphasis on Photography from the University of Georgia. Though in magazines, my photo program was newspaper based, and even though I never thought that was my path, it was a very crucial and necessary step in my development. The newspaper background has absolutely helped shape my approach, my thoughts and my need for a story.

After college, I did some traveling and guiding, then settled in with a newspaper group and worked with another photographer in the Lake Tahoe area to hone in on some skills and really make my big push toward shooting on my own.

What made you decide on this kind of work life? Was this something you always wanted or knew you would do, or something accidental?

I was lucky enough to do a lot of traveling and living abroad as a kid, and I would say that started my interest in people and places. Any time I would see images, I would think about what it must have been like to be in that image, to be there in that spot and in that moment.

I know I started associating feelings and emotions with pictures from an early age, and it also didn’t hurt that my grandmother (who I traveled to Australia to see) had a library of National Geographic Magazines dating back to the early 1900s. That said, I actually didn’t really pick up a camera until I was in college, but that was a very powerful day.

Since then, every ounce of my energy has been directed toward what I am doing right now and what I intend to do down the road.

Do you have a “home base” where you live or have an office? How often do you travel away from home for your job and projects, on average?

My “home base” is currently my 4×4 Sportsmobile converted Ford E-350 studio/van. I am on the road 365 days a year, but I am also always home, and that was the premise behind shifting my life into a vehicle. That said, there are travel circumstances that separate me from El Guapo (the acquired name for my van), but they aren’t all that frequent.

I think this year I will have spent about three to three and a half months away from the van, traveling and working from whatever vehicle, boat or other vessel I end up in.

What countries have you worked or done projects in while doing this type of work?

So far I have been localized to the US, Mexico and Canada in my professional life because that is about as far as I want to drive my office, but I have a few things in the works right now that might land me in South America, Africa or Mongolia in the next year.

Are there any other languages you speak fluently? In the countries you’ve traveled, has language ever been a problem?

I was actually born in Curitiba, Brazil, then moved to Sao Paolo, then Montreal, Quebec before my family finally ended up in Georgia. I grew up speaking English and Portuguese, then I traded out the Portuguese for French. Once we made it to Georgia, Spanish seemed like the next logical thing, so I jumped into that. I also minored in Spanish in college.

Of course, it has been a few years since my formal training ended, and I have not spent much time in any of these places since then, so I am definitely rusty. There is a solid understanding for me behind romance languages in general, so I can get along okay when I do travel abroad. That said, I would love to spend a sizable amount of time in any of those countries and focus on being more conversational.

Do you have an office in a home city besides El Guapo? Is it a priority for you to have an “office” at all for you?

I do not currently have an immobile office, but I am working in that direction. Ideally, I would still be on the road, and not a whole lot would change from a lifestyle perspective, but I would have somewhere to be whenever I feel the need to settle in for a little while.

Being that I still wouldn’t be around all that much, I would also like to have someone handling a few items part-time so that I could focus more on shooting. The toughest part is figuring out where to put down some roots.

If you could change anything about your job, would you? And what would you change?

Yep, I would have two of me, maybe three, just to even out the responsibilities a bit, but that’s it.

Part Two of our interview with Trevor Clark with be posted next week. We will talk more with him about the tools he uses to work and live such a mobile lifestyle.

You can find Trevor on his website at www.trevorclarkphoto.com. You can also follow his adventures on Twitter, or on Facebook.

Adventure Photographer Trevor Clark – Part 1 is a post from: Live Collar Free