A Scottish artist who planned to visit Ireland for three weeks “fell in love” with the country so much she decided to stay and has been living in a van-turned-“art studio on wheels” touring its west coast for the last two years.
Kathryn Johnson (27), originally from near Glasgow, bought her £5,500 (€6,300) Ford Transit van in July 2020. She then decided to end the tenancy on her Aberdeen flat to become nomadic permanently after realising the four-wheeled home reduced her outgoing expenses – which now come to just €575 per month including food and fuel.
Despite some nerves to begin with, she said the “freedom of the lifestyle was enough to give it [her] all”.
After a visit to Ireland two years ago in her van, which was meant to last three weeks, Kathryn was smitten with the “beauty and peace” of the country and now permanently travels up and down its west coast surfing, swimming and honing her artistic craft.
Kathryn has spent €3,500 renovating her van to turn it into an “art studio on wheels”, including a desk and storage for her materials and new solar panels to ensure she can be self-sufficient, and her lifestyle now art “revolves around” nature as she often explores the surrounding areas, takes photos, and paints them.
Kathryn asserts it is not as “glamorous as what you see on Instagram”, but she would definitely recommend living in a van to others and “can’t see [herself] giving up” the lifestyle.
Kathryn said: “Two years ago, in the summertime, I came over to Ireland for the first time, and I thought I was going to be here for three weeks, and I fell in love with it.
“So, I moved to Ireland for good and I base myself on the west coast – I go surfing and swimming almost every day, and Ireland definitely has my heart – it’s so beautiful and peaceful here.
“I’d rather have my remote home purely because there’s so many surf beaches around to choose from, and I’ve also found a van community here and the local community are really friendly and welcoming too, so it makes it so much easier to feel like you fit in.”
Kathryn bought her van in July 2020 and began going on weekend trips in it while she was still living in a flat in Aberdeen, where she had earlier completed her degree at the Gray’s School of Art.
After two months of travelling, she decided to move in full-time as she wasn’t “using [her] flat enough”.
She said: “I started in the winter, and by the spring I still loved it – it was a bit of a baptism by fire.
“I have a degree in fine art and I love surfing too, so living in the van was also a way to be out in nature, which is what a lot of my art revolves around, and to surf as much as possible.
“I often go out into the water and capture videos from surfing and swimming and then draw from them.
“It gave me so much more freedom and also really reduced my outgoing expenses and increased my sense of adventure, so it just kind of cultivated a good lifestyle for me.”
When Kathryn told her loved ones that she was going to continue living in her van, they were surprised.
She explained: “They were definitely shocked and were definitely slightly concerned for safety reasons.
“I think it was just more logistical concerns that they had.
“When I turned up on their doorstep, in my van back from a trip, they could see immediately how happy I was with it.”
Kathryn added in a wheel lock to make sure the van was extra safe, and began to settle in.
She said: “At the beginning, I was a bit nervous to park places on my own, but the freedom of the lifestyle was enough to give it my all.
“After putting in extra safety precautions and locking up at night, I felt comfortable.
“I’ve actually been really lucky to never have any issues in three years.
“I’m not saying that doesn’t happen to people, but I think that often you just know in your gut if a place is good or bad.
“If I’ve ever had an inkling in place, I’ve just moved on.”
As an “introverted extrovert”, Kathryn does not feel too lonely living in her van by herself.
She said: “I’m very sociable so I have no problem chatting to people randomly and having nice conversations with them, but then I definitely do need time to recharge.
“So, the van is perfect because I can take time for myself if I need it.”
Over time, Kathryn has turned her van into an “art studio on wheels”.
She said: “I bought the van converted, and I changed quite a lot of the inside because I began to realise the space didn’t work for me in terms of being a studio, storing surfboards and climbing equipment and stuff like that.
“Because I’m in it full time I really know how to make use of the space especially.
“So I’ve got the perfect studio set-up in there – I have room for all my materials, a desk and enough storage for my hobbies.”
On if she would recommend van life to others, she said: “I think you have to remember it’s not as glamorous as what you see on Instagram, but it’s amazing.
“It makes everything so much easier, and I would recommend it to anyone – I love my life in a van.”
Kathryn can see herself staying in her van for the time being, and does not have any plans to “settle down”.
She said: “I definitely can’t see myself giving up the van, but I do think in the future I’ll be looking for some kind of community, but I think it would take a lot for me to change my lifestyle from where it is now.
“I also always see myself having a van, whether it’s my full-time residence or not, just because of my hobbies.”
