Van Life & Creativity: How Art Keeps Me Grounded While Traveling

Being a creative, I find that immersing myself in artistic pursuits significantly reduces my stress. Living on the road as a carer to someone with mental health challenges can be incredibly draining, making self-care essential. For me, that self-care comes in the form of a creative outlet. However, finding time for my creative pursuits can be difficult. If there’s an appointment in the diary, I have to go as well. Even a simple trip to the supermarket can take much longer, and everyday tasks often come with unexpected challenges, making it even harder to dedicate time to my craft.

Having a creative hobby comes with so many benefits beyond stress relief. It provides a sense of purpose, a feeling of accomplishment, and a means of self-expression. Creativity enhances problem-solving skills, improves focus, and fosters resilience. It also allows for a mental escape, a way to detach from worries and immerse oneself in something positive and fulfilling. In my case, it keeps my hands busy, my mind engaged, and my spirit lifted.

While there is endless inspiration to be found when traveling, the challenge is maintaining discipline to carve out time to create. Travel can easily take over, leaving little time for artistic pursuits. Additionally, space constraints make it difficult to store the necessary equipment. This is one of the reasons we chose a large motorhome—it allows me to carry the tools and materials I need for my work.

I now engage in many different creative pursuits, a passion that grew from my studies in textile surface design at university. As a teenager, I was told I couldn’t draw, so I avoided it, opting instead to study CDT and technical drawing. Years later, when I became ill and found myself stuck at home, I taught myself to draw and crochet to combat the boredom. When it became clear that I could not return to the career I had built over 15 years, I decided to embrace something entirely different—something I had no prior experience in. Within a week of enrolling in a design degree, I had thrown myself wholeheartedly into a new world of creativity.

So, what do I create? I draw whenever I get the chance as that is the basis for my embroidery. I also love photography. But most of all, I am an award-winning hand embroiderer. This brings a particular challenge when living in what is essentially the size of the average bathroom. The biggest hurdle was figuring out how to fit my studio into the van—ultimately, it wasn’t possible. When we sold the house and all our possessions, I had no issue letting go of furniture and household items, but parting with my studio equipment was a different story.

I had to decide what to keep and what to sell. My two Bernina sewing machines and overlocker had to go, as did my ergonomically measured leather chair and height-adjustable table. I had thousands of pounds worth of beads, threads, goldwork materials, frames, stands, and daylight magnifying lamps. The process of choosing what to take with me and what to let go of was painful but necessary.

Ultimately, I kept all of my beads and hand embroidery materials, selling the rest of my larger equipment. To adapt to my new lifestyle, I switched out some tools to better suit my space. My large, mains-powered magnifying lamp was replaced with a USB-powered adjustable lamp with a table clamp. These small adjustments have allowed me to continue my craft while embracing the freedom of life on the road.

As mentioned, we chose the size of the van not only for comfort on the road but also to accommodate my creative needs. I have two large boxes filled with threads, beads, frames, and materials stored in the double floor, ensuring their safety in case of an unexpected leak

.

After my degree, I returned to university to complete my master’s, specializing in mixed media hand embroidery. During this time, I explored various techniques such as laser cutting and working with resin, incorporating them into intricate bead embroidery. However, having a laser cutter in the van was simply not feasible—it required too much space and more power than our solar panels and lithium battery could provide. Instead, I found a compromise with a Cricut Maker 3, which allows me to cut over 300 materials. This shift not only kept my creative pursuits alive but also opened new avenues, leading me to explore vinyl decals for the van and van-life-themed accessories, adding another dimension to my creative work.

With the addition of the Cricut, a heat press, and more materials, two more boxes have appeared under the floor, leading to another compromise—we let go of our two paddleboards. To be honest, we hadn’t found the time to use them, so they are now stored in our daughter’s shed. Accessing materials from under the floor can be a challenge; retrieving and packing everything away requires effort and planning.

Before van life, I could leave my projects set up, with my embroidery frame covered to keep dust away and my materials within easy reach. Now, every creative session requires setup and teardown, making it harder to work as often as I’d like. My head is full of ideas, but the logistics sometimes get in the way.

Another challenge is deciding what to do with my finished pieces. I have a large box at my daughter’s home filled with beautifully embroidered brooches and shells which I collected on my travels, transformed into beautifully embellished intricate ornaments. Some are displayed in the van’s cabinet, but I simply can’t keep everything I make. To solve this, I built a shiny new online shop to showcase and sell my work, it’s a work in progress as it takes time to build a shop.

One of the greatest joys of my creative process is the freedom it brings—both emotionally and creatively. There is something incredibly liberating about working outdoors, whether it’s setting up my full embroidery frame on the table outside the van, stitching on a small hoop while sitting on the ground, or capturing inspiration with my camera or sketchbook. No matter the medium, the outcome is the same—a deep sense of satisfaction and a renewed sense of connection to my art and surroundings. I also love sharing my work with others, talking to people about what I do, and spreading the joy that creativity can bring.

Although embroidery is my main passion, I can turn my hand to a variety of creative endeavors. As a textile designer, I learned to draw and paint both by hand and digitally, creating repeat patterns for fabric, curtains, and gift wrap. While I didn’t particularly enjoy digital design at university—preferring traditional techniques like silk screen printing and hand-dyeing fabrics—I’ve recently revisited and refined my digital skills. Now, I enjoy working in Adobe Illustrator and Procreate, possibly because it’s more space-efficient than setting up physical materials. Using my iPad or my laptop and Wacom tablet allows me to create without taking up too much room.

Another unexpected creative pursuit I’ve thoroughly enjoyed is building my website from scratch. The learning curve has been steep, requiring me to constantly research, watch tutorials, and apply new knowledge practically. It has been a rewarding challenge, keeping me engaged and ensuring I’m always learning something new.

Over the last few years, I have been interviewed by international magazines and blogs, lectured at university, and delivered talks across the country about my work. This is something I would love to pursue further as I thoroughly enjoy sharing my passion and inspiring others. However, the logistics of traveling in a 9-metre motorhome make this challenging. Parking outside a small village hall and unloading my work isn’t always practical, so I need to find a way to make it work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbvcRHpfJpI

Creativity is not just an outlet for me—it is a lifeline. It allows me to express myself, stay grounded, and continue growing despite the challenges of life on the road. Whether through embroidery, digital design, photography, or even web development, my creative pursuits provide a sense of stability and fulfillment. Living in a van may require constant adaptation, but it has not limited my creativity—it has simply reshaped it. If anything, this lifestyle has reinforced the importance of making space for the things that bring joy, no matter how unconventional the setup may be.