I’d always wanted to design and build my home but I was never drawn to the idea of a tiny home on wheels. I loved earthships, mud bricks and rammed earth homes – beautiful natural hand built homes. The problem was that you needed land to build these permanent dwellings, something that wasn’t accessible to me. As the price of rent rapidly rose in my chosen home and community of the Northern Rivers, New South Wales, I needed to find an affordable housing solution. Suddenly, the idea of a tiny home on wheels spoke to me – I could have my own comfortable home, off-grid and surrounded by nature.

I dived headfirst down the rabbit hole of tiny home design research. Every night after work I would add to my vision board and sketch up designs which included elements that would support what was important to me; a woodfired stove, a big sunny window over a daybed and a big kitchen for cooking. Inspired by my studies in Permaculture I had wanted to use as many natural and upcycled/reclaimed materials as possible. I started to gather second hand windows and began drawing up the design for my tiny home frame (signed off on by my builder dad). It was happening.

I spent four and a half years building my home living in it as I worked on it. To help fund the project, I lived without modern conveniences like power, water and internet. It was the pay-as-you-go method and it was really hard going.

But now I’m here, settled into my beautiful home and workspace. The jobs will never end – I just added an outdoor bath – but the beauty about this home is it can grow and evolve with my life as it changes. As I watch the sunflowers in my garden sprout up from seeds with their first leaves, up and up into big and beautiful golden flowers, I am reminded of how nothing stays the same, ever. So I guess my home will never be finished. I feel thankful that I have a little nest, which supports me in life to be able to do my creative work.