Meet Ashleigh Brady, an incredibly talented screen printer and creative spirit. She has sent me some of my favorite podcasts and following her work on Instagram is the best. I asked her to capture her recent trip from Des Moines to the west coast she took with her fiancé, Elena.
Fun fact: she created the Iowanderers logo. See, she really is amazing!
Texas native, Iowa Captive.
I work full-time at Active Endeavors in West Des Moines and recently started a business called, The Side Garage.
I love creating, collaborating and educating people about the screen printing and design process. More importantly, I believe a life well spent is one where we are passionately in pursuit of the life we desire.
Tell us about your trip!
In December of 2015 we decided to take on the pipe dream. Sunny California was on our radar, and so was the west-coast road trip we had often talked about. The lyrics from Biggie Smalls, “It was all a dream” come to mind when I reminisce about this trip — that’s how out of play it was.
This trip was a family affair.
My fiancé, Elena, our 7-year-old heeler mutt (Pete), our 6 month blue heeler + australian shepherd pup (Thulee), and myself trekked across 11 states, camped 5 different ways, and put close to 5,000 miles on our car.
What inspired you to go there?
Family, friends, an ocean and trees that would make us feel small, the chance to unplug, the possibility of the unexpected and a chance to learn more about a world outside our own. We were also inspired by the idea of traveling in a way that wasn’t indulgent or excessive.
In preparation for the trip, we did a ton of research to develop our budget. When it was all said and done, we averaged spending just over $100/day. This covered food for everyone, gas, beer, lodging, and any additional entertainment (national park fees, shopping, etc.).
Here are some key decisions we made that helped keep our cost down:
Camp for free whenever possible [National Forests, Road-side rest stops, Casino parking lots, BLM sites…whatever it took, within reason]
Sleep in the car [We love to camp, but sometimes setting up camp multiple days in a row can get old. So, we decided to build a bed platform for the back of our Subaru Outback. We gained: quick sleeping quarters, a more “weatherproof shelter”, and organized storage underneath.]
Get a good cooler [We ended up purchasing a Yeti Hopper, which did an incredible job at keeping our food (and beer) cold along the way.]
Meal planning & meal prep [Not only did we save cash, but we were able to eat food that was a little more healthy and in line with our normal diet.]
Staying with friends/family [After being on the road for a few days it’s nice to sleep in a real bed and take a hot shower — trust me, you’re going to want to do this one.]
A “Shower Idea”
A couple of weeks prior to departure, I was hit with one of those “shower ideas.” You know, the ones that you don’t have anything to write it down on but also wonder if you’re crazy for even considering it.
As if packing up the car full of gear and provisions for two people and two dogs wasn’t enough — I thought it would be “fun” to bring a mobile screen printing set-up on the road as well. Fortunately for me, Elena is always up for a challenge. And so our print series, “Printing in the Wild” was born.
We printed postcards for each state we slept in and then mailed them to the first people who messaged us on social media.
I won’t lie to you, it didn’t go smoothly.
At our first stop in South Dakota, I realized I had forgotten a pretty integral piece of equipment for the print setup. Let me just say that Amazon Lockers are a gift from God if you need to ship something to yourself on the road.
Before it was all said and done though, we printed in the Redwood National Forest, near the Golden Gate Bridge and in the Great Salt Lake Desert.
Dream Pursuing
I’m a firm believer that it’s always a good idea to step away from your routine and re-charge. Doing this allows you to gain a better perspective of yourself and the life you’re living.
For myself, this trip helped me realize that pursuing the life I want, takes a commitment to action. If I want my life to look more like the one I keep dreaming of, the only way I will get there is by telling myself “yes, I can do this” and then making a commitment to doing it.
Whether it’s a creative pursuit, travel, a life outdoors, or running your own business — there is no greater time to pursue your dreams than right now. Time is the most limited resource we have, and I encourage you to make sure you’re spending it in a way that invests in the life you hope to be living later in your life.
