Emily Endean, a full time photographer based in the UK, has completely transformed her life over the last year. Her inspiring story details a modern-day traveller who traded her conventional life for the freedom of van life.
I chat with Emily about life on the road, the joy of freedom, and the ability to focus on creativity. But also the reality of the cold winter months, finding showers and washing clothes.
We talk about how Emily has explored various income avenues. From shooting weddings and landscapes to teaching workshops.
Emily's Instagram
Emily's links
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Emily Endean, a full time photographer based in the UK, has completely transformed her life over the last year. Her inspiring story details a modern-day traveller who traded her conventional life for the freedom of van life.
I chat with Emily about life on the road, the joy of freedom, and the ability to focus on creativity. But also the reality of the cold winter months, finding showers and washing clothes.
We talk about how Emily has explored various income avenues. From shooting weddings and landscapes to teaching workshops.
Emily's Instagram
Emily's links
Sign up to the next Creative Light Festival here:
https://creative-light.co.uk/
Sign up to my newsletter to hear first about new retreats:
Follow me on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/margaretsoraya/
Join my online Creative Haven community :
https://creative-haven.newzenler.com
It's lovely to speak with Emily and Dean again. She has changed her life since we last talked, so I really wanted to talk to you again, emily, and to just catch up on what's going on in your life and all the exciting things that are happening for you and how that is and how that is and how the process behind it and what's changed and where you are now. So thank you for joining me from your van.
Speaker 2:Yes, hello, Margaret. Thanks for having me today.
Speaker 1:So do you want to tell us, emily, about the journey that you've been on and maybe just give us an overview of what's happened in your life and the time scales over the past few months for you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, of course.
Speaker 2:So when we last spoke, i was shooting photography alongside my day job and I always had the dream of doing photography full-time, but never really being brave enough to take that leap.
Speaker 2:So last year, at the start of the year, myself and my wife we decided to have a major life change and we decided to buy a van and we wanted to travel around the UK and be able to tie that in with my photography as well. So there was two major changes last year a huge leap of faith, going into photography full-time and also giving up our house and selling or giving away about 90% of our belongings, buying a van and moving into it. So we kind of did it all at once, which was a little bit scary but very exciting. So, yeah, last summer we embarked on the journey and we've been traveling around the UK all over. So we got all the way up to Scotland and we've done a lot of the South Coast as well and everything in between. And, yeah, it just means that I can travel with my photography work so I can be wherever I need to be for any potential work. Yeah, it's been an exciting but scary process over the past year or so.
Speaker 1:I keep losing you a little bit there, so I'm just going to wait till you've caught up. I have caught up with you. Now, if that happens with me, just wait and it'll come back. I think the internet's quite slow, so it sounds like a dream for a lot of people. Actually, that sounds like a dream life and I suppose I would like to get into the ins and outs of it a little bit, because I know, having had a van for the past 10-12 years, that it often looks absolutely wonderful, but you can have some really hard times in a van and the reality of it can be very different. but it's also wonderful. So I'm keen to get your take on the hard times versus the brilliant times and the free lifestyle that you're now living.
Speaker 2:Yeah, i think you're right, There's two sides to it, and I think, especially with the whole van life culture, and you look on Instagram and you see all these amazing pictures of oh, i've woken up to this sunrise view across the beach and all these fantastic things and, yeah, you can make that happen. But there is also the more difficult side of it as well. So it's an adventure. It's definitely an adventure having the two sides. So when we first moved into the van, for example, we had a leak from one of our pipes in the bathroom. So we were on our way to a festival and realised we had to do something about it. There's nobody else you can call on, so we had to do something about ourselves. So we ended up at Screw Fix buying the equipment that we needed and the toolkit to try and fix this leak, and we did it, and then we carried on about our way. So it's very educational living in a van.
Speaker 2:I think it is a full-time job in itself, to be honest, of all the fixes and all the chores that you have to do. But yeah, then, on the other hand, you can have the ultimate freedom of being wherever you want to be, wake up wherever you want to wake up. It's not quite as easy in England with all the rules and where you can park. So there are a couple of great apps for that, though for kind of having a look. There's one park for night where you can have a look where you're actually allowed to park, and then obviously in Scotland it's much more flexible. So we found it much easier when we're up in Scotland for places to park for the night. But yeah, so there's definitely two sides to it and I find that that's all part of the adventure and what does make it all really exciting.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, cool, yeah, yeah, but I mean it's like that, don't worry about the pauses, i'll just edit them out with okay. Yeah, i think it's really interesting, isn't it? because I'm just at the end, so we're on sort of like we've had sort of similar experiences. I guess I'm on a different path. I'm just about to give up my van, and well, i was going to sell it a wee while ago and then I realised how useful a van is for moving things in, because I've just bought a house.
Speaker 1:So I'm changing, i'm doing the opposite almost, but I've never done anything as brave as you and you know, actually giving everything up and actually living in it. So I only ever did it, kind of, you know, when it was working, and sort of three nights was my limit. I was going like I want to go home to three nights and it was cold, and you know you're in the winter, you know, and it's in the winter and you're cold, and you're like, oh, you're just, you're tired of looking for showers and things like that wet things hanging around the van. So I, hats off to you, hats off to you, really, really brave. So what? tell me, what is it? what what's? yeah, the winter is very different to the summer, isn't it? so how did you find this winter?
Speaker 2:yeah. So we're always obviously starting in the summer. You kind of go into it and everything's lovely and you know it gets dark late at night and you're sat around outside meeting new people and and just enjoying the warmth and then, when winter came, just had this harsh reality of how cold it was actually getting and frost on the inside of the windows when you wake up in the morning. And yeah, i'm not gonna lie, i found that incredibly hard and I've said I'm not sure if I want to do another winter in the van in the UK, whether we should drive to kind of South Portugal or Southern Spain or something, something a bit warmer, maybe chase the sun for the winter. But yeah, that I found that incredibly hard. But then the the amazing experiences in the summer kind of outweigh that and you kind of I'm sure we're going to forget about the hardships of winter over the next few months yeah, i suppose I think that's quite a good idea, because it's a real sort of.
Speaker 1:There's a lot of van people and van people, people who live in Vans in Spain, portugal, and it's quite. It's quite well set up, isn't it? so I can imagine that would be far pleasanter than being in the UK in the winter months. Um, do you have heating in the van then?
Speaker 2:yeah, we have got heating um, it's a gas heater, so we've got those LPG units, so you just need to go into one of those petrol stations and refill um, but it's quite where. There's only three places. I think on the kind of south where we are um some kind of Bournemouth based mostly um and around this area, there's only three petrol stations within a couple of hour radius that have LPGs. We found actually that was quite hard um, especially when they run out over winter because it's in such high demand and it's quite hard to get hold of. I didn't realize that was going to be an issue, wow that's that's.
Speaker 1:Uh, yeah, it's one of the things you don't think of, isn't it? and the other thing that they're always used to strike me is how long it took to do to like to get up in the morning and just to do the basics. You know, at home, it'd just be like well, you get up, you have a shower and you have your breakfast, but in a van, everything takes like an hour, doesn't? by the time you've moved everything around and then put it all back is. Was that just me? or because there's two of you and and animals isn't there?
Speaker 2:yeah, yeah, you're completely right, you're rooted. Your old routine from in the house kind of doesn't apply anymore. So we'll be waking up in the morning and then, oh, because our bed is kind of over the cab so it kind of pulls down. So there's the whole bit of making your bed, pushing it up, you know, and taking all the blinds down, and if it's in the winter and it's like wet or frosty, there's getting rid of all that with the window hoover. Um, yeah, that's all of that before you can even think about putting the kettle on. So, yeah, it can. Can be quite a long process.
Speaker 1:I think it takes like an extra half an hour to get out of bed.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it takes so much longer. But yeah, it's good because in a van we've got a toilet. I know some people in their vans without a proper toilet, so that's one bonus. But we did have a shower, but because we changed the bathroom to be a composting toilet so that we didn't have any nasty chemicals to have to get rid of, it meant that we were building a toilet out of wood, so the shower in there we can't use because it would ruin the wood. So yeah, that's taken away, our showering facilities within the van. But yeah, i guess it's just one of those sacrifices we had to make, because I think as well, if you're having a shower using a lot of water, so there's the whole element of how much water can you actually carry on board. So, yeah, living quite a minimal life really with minimal amounts of water as possible.
Speaker 1:It's a great thing there, isn't it? to live more minimally, as you just said, you know, with keeping everything more simple. Do you feel that then? it's like life has maybe changed. Your outlook on life has changed, Because I certainly know that when I was in the van, in the short period of time that I had, everything was. I was more creative, definitely because I had more space, because there's not the stuff around to distract you, And I also know that I was more grateful. I think there's a lot of.
Speaker 1:I was felt very grateful when it came out of it and went in somewhere where you could just pop a kettle on. It was simple, it was easy, But it's almost like it was worth doing. It's almost like you have to do that. You have to experience that to realise how amazing things are that we have other people take for granted. So if I would sometimes get a night, if it was really damp, I'd take a B&B and you go in like, oh, can just fill up the kettle, you don't have to think about water and pop it on, you don't have to think about the electricity and it just the world seems amazing to you. Do you feel that as well, Or is it just me?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you're completely right, it does you find this new sense of gratitude for all the simple things. And I look back to like when I was living in the house. Yeah, you don't think twice about having a shower, putting the kettle on, running the tap. There's so many things that you just take for granted living in a house And then when you're in the van, you kind of treasure those little moments, like you say. Then, when you do get a night somewhere else, you really, really you know you feel everything and feel a deep gratitude for everything. But I think even just living, living more simply, like you said, it frees up more space for you to be creative, less distractions.
Speaker 2:I remember when we were leaving the house and had so many things, just, yeah, just so many clothes, so many trainers, so many bits around the house that we didn't necessarily use, And you kind of feel like you need those things. But then when you're going through the process of having to get rid of them and and realizing what are you actually attached to and why you're attached to it, yeah, you get this new realization of what you actually need in your life. So, yeah, i've hardly got anything, just my camera gear. I couldn't get rid of any of that.
Speaker 1:So then, if you you've literally got all your belongings in that that band, do you? you don't have any storage or anything.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so we have a suitcase each at my mum's. So there were some things that we just couldn't get rid of but didn't want to bring with us. So we both have one suitcase. Just, you know, just the little things from when you were a child or I don't know. Yeah, just just important things that you can't get rid of But at the same time you don't have the space for. Yes, we've both got something in my mum's loft And, yeah, i think we've done really well with the amount we we we managed to shed. Yeah, it was just a quite long process of we sold a lot of things, but then it came down to the last couple of weeks or whatever was left, and we've just donate quite a lot to charity. or quite often we put a box outside the house free, free stuff. Everyone walking past we come and take a look and just take what they wanted, and it felt quite nice just being able to pass things on.
Speaker 1:That's, that's great. It's really nice to hear that I've been doing the same thing for quite a while, but not necessarily because I have to, because I've gone from one house to I've gone from a big house to a smaller house But I kind of wanted a new, fresh start with with not much, i think things. Things overwhelm me and I'd rather have less, and I always feel a bit freer with less. But it's really difficult, isn't it? So I think it's amazing what you've done And it kind of encourages me on a little bit. I think that the less stuff we have, the more free we are in some ways. So I've not quite moved yet. So I've got. My whole house is packed up into a small shed at the moment, but I do have to say most of it's photography and business stuff. I don't really have much, much else, so I found that quite hard in terms of getting that down to the basics. So I don't know how you're doing in a van. I really, really don't. I've got too many cameras, i think, maybe.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's definitely, definitely a hard process. Yeah, i mean, i would just, for example, with my wardrobe, i do one call and then the next week do another call And then the next week did another one. I found it really hard to just do it all at once. I found it was a slow process for me, but then the more you do, the lighter you feel, i guess, mentally, the less stuff you have around you it does feel like a new sense of freedom.
Speaker 1:That's just brilliant. I think that's amazing. So what do you think it's given you? Has it given you more financial freedom? I suppose would be the thing, because you no longer. you know that the house is no longer there, i suppose, i don't know, it was rented or it was your own, but it's not, not a burden anymore, so that is just the van cost. So has it given you freedom in financial sense or in not having so much stuff or not having to work? I suppose what's the biggest gift it's given you?
Speaker 2:I think that the biggest gift is probably how so both myself and my wife we used to work in insurance, so we both had corporate jobs And I was doing the photography as well, but, like I mentioned, it was never enough to solely rely on really as an income. So I guess the ultimate freedom it's given us is that we can now do what we enjoy doing to make the money that we need to travel with. So I can just do my photography And I can put more effort into that as well. So before I was just doing the few jobs that came to me, but now I can can physically get out there and look for photography work that makes me happy or inspires me, and I also have more time to do my personal projects as well. So, yeah, i can put a lot more time into focusing on photography. So it's kind of.
Speaker 2:I think, by freeing us up financially, it's given us more options as to how we want to spend our days.
Speaker 2:Just for example as well, my wife she makes macrame earrings and coasters and all kinds of things And it's given her that creative outlet now that she has a time to put into this and she can sell a few of her pieces and you know we can both do what we want to do creatively, which I think is the dream coming from sitting in front of a desk working for someone else Monday to Friday night at five, just to have that creative outlet that you can do something you really, really love and make some money out of that as well.
Speaker 2:And I think, by not having the house, we only rented the house, but you know the costs of renting and all the bills that go with that. You know that was kind of we lived months to months on our paycheck. You kind of knew that a lot of that was being put back into where you live. So, yeah, the expenses for the van are fairly minimal. So as long as I'm earning enough to keep us going and you know between us we've got enough to get by and do what we want to do, then we're happy.
Speaker 1:Yes, that's the ultimate freedom, isn't it? And again, it's parallel and something that's happening with me at the moment as well. I've downsized massively, so it's given me, it's life changing for me. I don't have to be under that massive pressure a bit like you actually, and it was a different pressure because I didn't have a full-time job. It was photography was full-time, but the need to earn was very, very high And that suddenly lifted for me And I've just, i'm just, i'm feeling what you're feeling, that freedom to be creative, and that's just everything I've ever wanted, actually, and looking ahead at the time, gifting the time back to me to do the things that I've always wanted to do So very similar.
Speaker 1:We've just done it a bit differently, but I understand what you're talking about. I understand that and I get it, and I can see how wonderful that is for you to have achieved that, because, coming from a full-time job, it's you know, you're, you're somebody who's who's born to be creative and be in the water, aren't you? And it's a shame if you don't get that, that opportunity to really fully pursue that which you can now, i suppose. So tell me how that's going, i'm sorry, go on.
Speaker 2:No, sorry, i was just going to say I think that because life is so short, isn't it Like life flies past so quickly? And I think if any of us have the chance to do what we want to do, or if you want to live a bit differently, or you want to pursue something but you're scared or you haven't got time or you're worried about things And you know there's so many pressures from society, i think isn't there If you're given an opportunity to to kind of go down a different path and investigate something a little bit different, that might be really exciting or intriguing. You might learn things along the way. I think that's so important And, yeah, i think that's kind of what spurred us on, to be honest, the realization that life is too short to not do what you want to do.
Speaker 1:Yeah, And and yeah, when you touch on that, the society's pressures, you know we don't, we don't have to live like we're supposed to live, and that that definition of what's successful is it's, it's, it's. We can just change that We, we and people like you. It's great to see because you're, you know, you're showing all the people that being successful is is being having the freedom to, to live a lot of life in the way that you want to, And you're just, you're just doing it. It's great. I think it's. I think we need more people sharing that in a real way.
Speaker 1:I think the problem with van life is that sometimes it's a little bit kind of fake, i suppose, and I really don't like that. You mentioned that at the beginning, didn't you? Where you know there's always a girl and a golden Labrador's and then there they're always kind of like it's always sunny, in the park right by the water, like literally in the water, and they've got a cup of hot chocolate in the swirling round. So you know less of less of that and more of more of the reality, because it is an amazing way to live. So I think what you're doing on social media is great And I was actually reading your. You're doing a little blog, aren't you? I think that's lovely. So, yeah, will you be sharing more of that? Is that something that you want to do? Share more of the lifestyle.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely, i really, really enjoy writing and I love it when I can kind of tie that in with photography. And I think what is worth highlighting, when we started doing this adventure last year, we wanted to be able to share our experience and we wanted to show the good stuff, but also the real stuff too. So we launched the YouTube and what we realised after doing two videos is that neither us neither us find it very natural or are any good at it. So I've decided to leave that one to the side where it is, and I thought actually I don't have to be on YouTube showing things. My passions are writing alongside the photography, so actually that's how I'm going to tell the world what I want to tell them or show them.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, i've decided I've got to write a lot of blogs anyway, but I've decided that I want to share more about living in the van and what that looks like.
Speaker 2:And, yes, i've started blogging. So I started one just to say about the introduction to van life, why we chose the van we did and how we did that. So I've kind of been journaling over the last eight months or so And I thought it'd be really cool to take sections off my journal So it's quite personal, but maybe I don't have to share it all. I can choose what I want to share, but I can share sections of it just to show a daily update of how we might live. All the chores you have to find somewhere to do your laundry, find somewhere to shower and all of those bits as well. So, yeah, i am going to put together a blog that's kind of covering maybe the first six months or so. I just choose some of my journal entries just to show how the real side of what that looks like. But yeah, i love writing so I hope to share a lot more in that way.
Speaker 1:That's great. I agree with you about YouTube. It's a certain type of social media, isn't it? I mean, i do a little bit of it, but it takes so much energy, it takes so long, and you do have to question, don't you, why you're doing things and whether you're enjoying them, whether that's your natural media. I do enjoy it, but I do actually enjoy YouTube. It's getting easier and easier each time I do it, but you don't have to do anything. You choose what's right for you rather than being pigeonholed into what everybody does. I suppose there's a lot of YouTubers that do van life, i suppose, so it might feel like the natural place to be, but actually your blog's really nice and your images are stunning, so that's a great way to go.
Speaker 2:Thank you. Yeah, i'll stick with that. Yeah, i think, because before we went into the van we watched a lot of YouTube and I found that it looked really glamorous and I feel like there wasn't enough of the real stories. But then I guess, at the same time, you can't share lots of videos of things going wrong, can you? because people don't really want to watch that. I understand why YouTube makes it look so glamorous. I understand why people do it, film it in that way. But yeah, i'm just not natural on the camera, kind of in front of the camera, just putting it all together. I'm not really a videographer. So, yeah, i'll stick with what I'm best at, i think.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a learning curve. I purposely did it and it took. It was taking years of learning it, but that's because I wanted to do it, so it was different. Have you ever have you heard of sub-stack? Is that something you're interested in?
Speaker 2:No, I haven't, No. what's that?
Speaker 1:I've been hearing a little bit more about it. It's a writing platform, so I don't really know that much more about it. I joined it, but it's basically for writers, so it seems it's like a social media. that's not social media but for writing, and I think it's be interesting to explore that. I really probably shouldn't be managing on here without knowing exactly what it is, but it just keeps coming up, so maybe go off and have a wee Google on that, because it might be something of interest to you if you enjoy writing. Yeah, i think it would be good. So, yeah, have a look. and they've just started something called notes as well, which I think is like the equivalent of stories, but in writing form. So I need to. I need to take some more time to explore it.
Speaker 1:I think it's always good to keep an eye on these new things that are slightly different and just, you know, sort of see where they're going, whether they're suitable, and not be just taken with the things that we think we should do. like you know, fun life is YouTube, so I think that might work for you. Great, so tell us about the photography and how that's going, because I'm interested to hear. Obviously, it must be quite difficult is it to be traveling all the time and trying to? you know, marry that with earning as well through the photography.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so before when I had another job with the reliable income and I was just shooting landscapes, i was just shooting in the sea because I absolutely love the ocean and that kind of went hand in hand with my passions And I was shooting a few weddings, so I was kind of just taking on what I could at that time And then when we were going full time into this and I could push myself to be a full time freelance photographer, it was really a case of just being able to take on more weddings and just trying to market myself down that route. And then I realized I quite enjoyed shooting for brands. So I found not not kind of like studio or commercial, but more outdoor in nature, fitting with my lifestyle and what I was doing every day. I found there was quite a few brands that were looking for content And so I started going down that route. So I was building my portfolio, probably from about two, three years ago to get to a point where it kind of tied in nicely with going off in the van and that I could market myself as to wherever I was going to be in the country or even abroad, and start approaching brands myself trying to sell myself. So I've sent a lot of emails.
Speaker 2:So what I've learned is that it's not all just about being out taking pictures. There's so much more to it, and I was teaching small workshops as well, even before I left my other job. So it's quite good down here on the south coast endorse it in the winter because you've got the sun rising and setting out at sea. So I did quite a few workshops over the winter periods when I knew that I was going to be local here. So that was another avenue. So what I'm just finding is there's so many income avenues that need exploring And I just love photography. So, as much as you know, my passion is nature. If I can kind of document people or things out in nature that help me to earn an income, then that's an avenue that I'll explore as well. So, yeah, i've even gone down like the documentary route of a photographing in coffee shops. I've taken it into like local independent businesses, like barbershops, places like that. So I just love capturing moments in time. So, whether that's you know, people or whether that's out in nature, I just have a passion for shooting all of it. So it's kind of just learning how I can work my way through all these things and navigate an income And I've kind of just thrown myself into it and learning as I go, to be honest with you. But yeah, i mean, even like, over the summer we're doing festivals and I'm putting myself forward to photograph some festivals. Some are really small and don't have a budget, so it might be an exchange of tickets and food in exchange for a few hours of photography or so I'm just navigating through this as well And I think that's that's another pleasure of the freedom of Van life and having a lower expenses is the fact that I can work my way through all these things And I don't have to feel the pressure of, oh, i need to earn a certain amount each month.
Speaker 2:Of course I need to earn enough, i need to earn enough food and diesel and you know all the rest that goes with life. But you know, having a lower expense bracket, i guess you say, then you know I can kind of figure out what I'm going to do with my work through that time And it's just feels quite a nice freeing way of navigating through my experience of photography And, i guess, building a portfolio as I go through all these avenues. And yeah, who knows what the future holds. I think with photography there's always something to learn, and if I can navigate different, different genres and find that I really enjoy them, then, yeah, all this experience has got to be a good thing, i think.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's a. I'd imagine that you've got that freedom now And what will happen is if you can align yourself with the things that are very in in tune with your, your values in life So you as a person and your values and who you are And if you can start shooting that in that way And for those type of people, that's when you're going to. You're going to hit on something that's going to be right for you because you've got the space to do it, so you're not forced into doing the things that necessarily aren't quite in line with you. Does that make sense? And so I think what will happen is that you'll you'll find your, your path, like you know, and it's going to be.
Speaker 1:I'll do a little prediction for you. It's going to, it's going to be something that's around being being out, living this life, that you're living outdoors and the water, and and you seem to be quite leaning towards that kind of ocean brand type thing And maybe, you know, maybe you'll find the companies that are really in line with what you, what you believe in as well, and I think that's when we get to. We get closer to what we're supposed to be doing in life, when you, when it reflects you as a person, if that makes sense. So if I look at you I think, oh, emily, or you'd be shooting for Billabong, or just trying to think of some you know surf, surf, i don't know surf festivals or whatnot.
Speaker 1:And then then then it matches you and it matches your lifestyle, then it all gets like really wonderfully in tune and life becomes brilliant.
Speaker 2:Yeah, i think you're exactly right with what you say around kind of finding whether it's a brand or people that alone with your values. I think that's that's probably that's hit the nail on the head. really, i don't feel the pressures that you know you have to go after every single job you can because you need the money. It's more going down the route of finding the work that aligns with my values and my beliefs, and those things seem to fit quite naturally then. And I think you're right about how then the brands that are also looking at that approach, the alignment seems to work really well and kind of happen quite naturally. Yeah, i don't know if that's a coincidence or whether it's just the energy's matching, i don't know. Yeah.
Speaker 1:I think. I think you have gone and you've set your life up in a way that you can now allow that in. You've got the space to allow that in, whereas if you're working and you're having to pay you know a big mortgage or whatever all these expenses and you have to, you have to bring money in, so you have to take the jobs that don't fit And you end up getting stuck in that. I know this because I've done it. So, speaking of experience, so all the you know the interior, architectural, commercial jobs that I've done. You know they don't.
Speaker 1:Clearly you look at me and you don't think, like you know fancy interiors, do you? And it didn't fit and it becomes painful And it doesn't fit with yourself and you don't find joy in it. And then it doesn't, it doesn't resonate and the images don't resonate and you don't do well because you don't put your heart and soul into it. You might just go through the motions of doing it and but it's never going to be the right thing that fits with your life, whereas what you've done is you've gone away and you've got, you've created this space and you've said, well, i've can lower all these expenses, then I can be be open. I've got this, this chance to be open to doing the right, only the right things, and that's when you're you're hit on something that'll stand out to you or somebody will come to you because of what you're putting out there and and it's, it's going to be good. So we'll be watching.
Speaker 2:Yeah, i think you're right. If you put your heart and soul into something, then you can't really go wrong, can you? because your passion will always come through, and I think I think that's really obvious, and I think you know there's quite a few photographers that I follow, and yourself included. Just the whole, it's the whole connection with the ocean, and obviously you love that, and I think that comes through in your work, and you know, when you put your posts up, what you write about it, and there's that whole element, and I see that in you and I see that in other photographers that I follow. So I always hope that that comes through from me as well, that I'm just doing what I love, and I think that's that's the most important thing, isn't it?
Speaker 1:It is it really is. Yeah, and it's important. I've been, well, i've now always known this important not to be draining yourself continually with the stuff that doesn't fit. But you know, needs must sometimes, and that's that's a different story, isn't it? but if we can place ourselves in a better place in the world of what we need, then and that and that involves you know what you have done you're limiting your possessions.
Speaker 1:You're not, you're not needing the. You know the fancy cars and the, the way. You don't need any cars, do you? because you've got your van but you're not not not needing the things in life. So there's less, less demands, and then you're more free to be, to connect to, to what you, you believe in and what you value and and where you sort of you're free, i suppose, creatively. So I think it's great. I really do think it's great that you're doing this and I suppose it's coming from on a time that I'm feeling like I'm doing this as well. It's in a different way, so there's not one set way, as somebody else might find a different way to feel like they're living in line with what they really want to do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and I think that's what's important, isn't it? everyone's path looks different, but as long as you're doing what you want to do and and you feel that passion, and yeah, that that's what's important, isn't it?
Speaker 1:doing something for yourself exactly so what do you think the future's holding for you? are you going to keep traveling in your van? is it something that you're looking as a sort of semi-long-term thing?
Speaker 2:yeah. Well, we kind of went into it and said you know, we, we might love it and we might do it for 10 years or more, or we might not. We might do it for six months, not enjoy it, or we might do a couple of years and think, okay, we've had enough of that. Now I think we've gone into it, we have no expectations, which is probably the best place to be, isn't it? because you never know what the future holds. You never know how you're going to feel about something. But I think we'll just keep doing this while we enjoy it. And I find every day quite exciting and and every day is quite different and, like we've touched on, there's definitely challenges, but then, once you've overcome those challenges, you feel better and stronger for it. You learn something along the way.
Speaker 2:Like I said, the winter was hard, so I'm not sure what next winter's going to look like for us, whether we will go exploring further afield or whether we might just take more trips, like, for example, we just got back from Turkey. We just needed a couple of weeks away from the van and I had a couple of shoots there as well, so we literally went with backpacks. If we can perhaps do some things like that if winter, then that might break up the cold. So there's so many options, isn't there I? I just think that, yeah, we're just going to keep doing it for as long as we enjoy it, basically. So, yeah, what that looks like. Who knows, we could chat again in a year's time and it might be completely different. I just don't know. But that's that's kind of the excitement with it too, i think it's a great way of looking at it, isn't it?
Speaker 1:and I think, yeah, we will definitely catch up. We nearly caught up in Scotland, but you had a bit of a problem with your van, didn't you? it was, or was it, the terrible storm we had?
Speaker 2:I can't remember yeah, we were so close, so close. Yeah, we traveled up and everything was fine until we got to sky and there was a major storm and we were coming down off a mountain and the wind was blowing up and it was trying to rip off our skylight. And we've basically got it's quite an old van, so it's 1994, heimer, so it's quite old. It's got a big skylight in the in the roof and yeah, it was. It was basically being ripped up and down and it was juttering and and we were quite scared because we thought if this gets ripped off, this leaves a huge hole in the top of the van and you know it's raining. The weather was absolutely awful. So yeah, we can look back now and see it as part of the adventure, but obviously at the time it was, it was horrendous and I remember we pulled over on this road on sky, just thinking what, what do we do? I don't know what to do.
Speaker 2:And this, this couple, a German couple, were passing in their van and they pulled over and they said are you okay? obviously, seen us driving about five miles an hour? and then saw us pull over and they just, you know there was nothing they could do, but they said to us go to the end of this road, there's a campsite. We'll follow you there, make sure you get there safely, and then I'm sure that the campsite might be able to help. So, again, like the kindness of strangers, isn't it just the people you meet along the way? and so they followed us to the campsite and the people at the campsite was so helpful. They got a massive rope out, wrapped it around the van until the storm passed.
Speaker 2:Um, yeah, and we, we basically had an afternoon before another storm was coming. So they they said to us we suggest you probably leave sky right now, um, and come back another time when the weather's better. So, yeah, we left sky. We headed to Loch Ness, which meant that it cut our trip short because we were going to do a lot of the north coast, some of the islands. We were going to then travel down and do Loch Ness and Kangorns and and other things. But, yeah, cut our trip majorly short. So we ended up leaving Scotland a bit earlier than planned, which was a shame because I was hoping to meet up with you and, um, yeah, we were gonna meet up at in Loch Ness at the same time. But, yeah, never really happened, did it, but um, yeah, that that was a real shame well, maybe some other time when the weather's a bit better again yeah, yeah, we definitely want to revisit Scotland.
Speaker 2:It hasn't hasn't ruined everything, but maybe we won't go when it's um going a stormy season in winter, yeah it can be.
Speaker 1:It can be a bit rough, i suppose, up here.
Speaker 2:So pick your times, i think, when you can, when you can go back to a house or you know you've got a hotel or an airbnb, it changes everything, doesn't it? because you don't mind getting soaked and you don't mind the horrendous weather, because you can go back, get dry, get warm. But I think when you're in the van you're kind of you are at one with nature. You can feel every time the wind blows, you can hear the rain hammering down, which is lovely in some respects, but when it's bad it can be quite intense.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, i think being in the van it it did put a whole different spin on being in a storm, completely yeah, i've got stuck quite a few times in the van because I've been travelling and maybe you know ferries aren't sailing, whatnot, so I end up in the van and you just always have to park really strategically because, um, because of the wind. And then there's been so many times when I've woken up going oh, do canvans, you know, fall over with wind? and then you and then your mind's going like, oh, it's really really going now, you know, but I don't think we do fall over. I've never, i've never had a mindhousing anywhere yet. But I think it's the psychological thing behind, doesn't it, which is really rough. I quite like it. To a certain degree it kind of rocks you to sleep a little bit yeah, we were googling.
Speaker 2:What, what, what's the the wind have to be to blow the van, oh yeah could all google in the middle of the night. I think the answer was like over 100 miles an hour, so it wasn't quite there, but brilliant, no no, exactly I just.
Speaker 1:It just feels like you could do. I know, i know that feeling, but probably, hopefully, i won't have to know that feeling again because I'll be in a house next time. Anyway, it was really You go I was going to say so.
Speaker 2:you've completely got rid of your van, You're not going to be adventuring in it at all now.
Speaker 1:Well, i've still got it because it's such a good van, it's such a good run. I was going to sell it. It's so good And I've been moving my furniture back and forth So I'm going to be moving my stuff over for quite a while yet And it's just a brilliant vehicle And it just keeps going and going And I quite like it when we've got them, because the distances are quite far with the ferries And sometimes they're not sailing, so it's quite nice to have somewhere to sit in the back to have a little rest or maybe sleep overnight to wait for the ferry in the morning if I'm going off the island. So I'm not sure, but I don't think I'll be doing the. I certainly won't be doing the trips in it anymore, but mostly they were work trips. So it wasn't all fun when I was travelling. It was mostly for weddings and work. So I won't be doing that anymore And I won't be sorry to see them go either.
Speaker 1:It's different, isn't it? I think it's different when you're travelling in the summer and you're at leisure and it doesn't really matter if you can't find a shower that morning, and it's a different thing when you're travelling for work and necessity and being out all the time, so I suppose my experience of it's slightly different. But yeah, i'm happy to give it up now. My time in the van is enough, so I'll leave that to you and I'll watch your journey from that future. It was lovely to catch up with you And we'll catch up again, maybe in another year, maybe sooner It'd be, really nice to catch up and see how you're doing again, but in the meantime we'll be following you.
Speaker 1:So I think you've got a few Instagram accounts, yeah, so do you want to just tell us your Instagram account so we can follow your journey as well, and maybe Cowell's Instagram as well? That?
Speaker 2:would be good. Yeah, of course. Yeah, so I'm just Emily ending photography on Instagram. That's where I post all of my work, and then we also have an account which we started to follow, kind of our van adventures, and that's the never ending story. So yeah, and there's also oh yeah, not forgetting Carol's McCramey as well, if you want to check out Carol's creations. But yeah, you can find any of the accounts and you'll probably see them all linked to each other anyway. But yeah, yeah, please do come and have a look. If anyone's got any questions or thinking of doing the same thing, please do drop me a message. It's always good to chat with like-minded people.
Speaker 1:That's great, great, that's wonderful. Yeah, it is, isn't it? It's lovely to have those connections, so Instagram's a good place for that, so I'll be following you. So thank you so much for joining me again from the van.
Speaker 2:Thank you, margaret, thanks for having me.