Story 22 | Designers & Photographers
Mary & Owen (@bound.for.nowhere)
Mary (MAK) and Owen are designers, illustrators, animators, photographers, and the team behind Bound For Nowhere. They've been living and working full time from their 1985 VW Vanagon Westfalia for over a year and have visited many locations in the United States and beyond. In addition to being best friends, they are also married!
Originally living in Atlanta, the couple quit their jobs in 2012, cashed out their savings and hit the road in their Honda Element with the goal to see the rest of the country and to find a new place to live. On that trip they realized that it was not one particular place that they loved, they fell in love with the constant movement and uncertainty that life on the road brought them. Unfortunately 6 months later, they had to stop after running out of funds which led them to 4 years off to recoup and regroup - so they could establish the 2.0 version of their life; sustainably making money and traveling - allowing them to continue as long as they desired.
To them, finding the perfect home on wheels was one of the most important things they did to prepare for life on the road. They needed to be able to work from the road and sleep 4 people - allowing them to have friends and family come stay/visit. Ultimately this led them to their 1985 Westfallia Vanagon that they since have named Stanley.
Since moving into their home on wheels they have covered 21 US states most of which are on the west coast, south west and south east. They also have spend time in Baja, Canada and England. As part of their travels they have learned to live with less... a lot less. As soon as they feel like they have the least amount of "things" possible, they still find more that they do not need. Besides learning to be a minimalist in things, the van has also taught them to be minimal with their resources (water propane and gas).
Like many others living a reformed life, they feel that their biggest takeaway is that people are kind, generous and always welcoming to have people explore the place they are from. So many times they have wandered blindly into a place with no real plan or objective, and they are met with incredible kindness by complete strangers. This makes them feel like they are at home everywhere they go.
More recently, the couple has decided to make a change from their original home on wheels to accommodate more space so they both can work inside with comfort and ease. This, matched with their desire for a 4x4 vehicle led them to a Toyota Sunrader which they soon will move into and convert to their home on wheels.
MAK and Owen are full time freelance designers. Owen specializes in Motion graphics and graphic design while Mak specializes in illustration and graphics. Their work is driven by their mobile lives, which in turn has built better work for their clients.
