But Why Did You Buy A Van?

I get it you’re probably wondering, but why did you get a van? (especially an old one) This might have looked impromptu but I promise you a lot of thought went into this van. In fact, I’m proud to say the van was one of those cool ideas you have that you finally follow through with. I think the idea for the van begins all the way back to this past summer… I decided that the first time in a long time I was going to put acting on hold, I was going to press pause just for a little while.

This pause led me to focusing my time more on my other passions and all I could think about these days was film photography. It was quite a natural progression, I had started working part time at a friend’s antique store and started taking photos more full time. You see, even when I wasn’t acting I was always taking photos. It was nice to take the lens off of me for a moment and still capture/tell stories.

I needed that break from acting too, I needed my life to not be all about how I looked for a moment. So, I’m taking lots more photos, I’m traveling (which I alway love to do) and really the idea just naturally flowed from there. I love the freedom of being on the road, I love the feeling of not needing much. All of this to say, I bought Betty to take my photography on the road! I’ve got a few more months of the build, but pretty soon I’ll be living on the road, taking photos!

Ive come to find the only photos I wanna take are of faces, faces with a lot of soul. And when I’m traveling I end up doing those two things I love, meeting good souls and taking photos. Now you know a bit more about why I got old Betty. But also just have to say I always knew I wanted a Chevy G20, even from the beginning. I mean if I was gonna get a van, why not get the one of my dreams right?

xoxo

Her Name Is Betty

Her name is Betty, she is my 1995 Chevy G20 “Shorty”. On November 6 I took a one way flight to Jacksonville, Florida where I met Betty for the first time. She was being kept on a naval base there by her current owner at the time. I had seen Betty on FB market place 3 weeks prior, she was everything I was looking for in a van, it was almost too good to be true. But when I arrived in Florida I saw that Betty was the real deal. So I bought her and drove her 5 hours back home to Atlanta that same day. Finding Betty felt like one of my heart’s wishes had been granted. It made me feel like maybe all your dreams can come true.

I can’t wait to tell you more, I want to share everything that happens with the van, I want you to feel like your reading along with me in my diary. I have a feeling this is something thats going to change my life…

DAY 1: Today was the first day of the van build, it was a Friday and the weather was perfect outside. I wore my “van jumpsuit” I found on a trip in Asheville and I was ready to finally get started. My van build partner (Omar) and I began by cleaning and wiping down the van. Boy was she dirty. After that we taped up all the windows and handles. Then we were able to go in and spray sealant and create a nice base for everything. We worked most of the afternoon, but it went by fast. I can’t wait to show you what I’m doing next.

xoxo