“I have found both freedom and safety in my madness; the freedom of loneliness and the safety from being understood, for those who understand us enslave something in us.”
Living on the 1953 Art Bus
Imagine traveling the country in a bus that has a Volkswagen van for a topper… Imagine traveling the country with the idea of bringing art to everyone… That is what one family of four is doing.
Heather Platen told me that her family has been all over the country on the bus. Keep in mind, this is not your average bus. The lower half is a 1953 Chevrolet bus purchased in South Dakota. The 1969 VW van was purchased and added to the top in New Mexico. They have also been to places like Vermont, Baltimore and New York City, just to name a few stops.
I ran into the family of four when they decided to make a pit stop in the small community of Beechgrove, Tennessee. On board is Heather, her husband LeRoy Herr and their daughters ages one and five. Together, they take their artwork into communities far and wide.
The bus is self-sustainable and Heather commented that they went off the grid to be in total control of their life. “We were able to provide everything that we needed and more by reducing our need for income,” Heather told me. She went on to state, “By living a more simple life we were able to access that ‘extra’ that we wanted to provide for our kids.”
LeRoy said that he likes for the bus to be a conversation starter that leads to important topics like self-sustainability, monetary slavery and more. Meanwhile, Heather talks being creative with art. More photos below.
Listen to the complete interview below...
On the banks of the Cumberland River
He said to me on Thanksgiving Day... "I'm not homeless, I'm just home, less."
His view is the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville.
"This is just a stop, on the way to where I'm going
I'm not afraid because I know this is my
Temporary home."
-Temporary Home by Carrie Underwood
The relax after the ride
“A man went looking for America and couldn’t find it anywhere” - Easy Rider
You never know where the journey will lead you
"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware." -Martin Buber, Jewish philosopher (1878-1965)
Some journeys may lead you to a retail store parking lot to dry your jeans by hanging them from the side view mirror of your RV.
Campers are Cool!
I love old campers, they have so much more style, more lines and more color when compared to new campers.
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