We're Back
Published February 8, 2024
My apologies, it has been a minute since I've lasted shared anything here and there are a lot of updates to share. I have over a year of adventures as well as updates on my design business.
Coast-to-Coast and Back Again
In 2022 I embarked on a road trip around the USA, beginning in Washington state headed toward the east coast and back around again.
2022 Coast-to-Coast route - Vandrar Overland
In my last post "Independent Travel" I hinted at my plans but then failed to update here, I definitely learned my content creation limits on that trip. I had the best of intentions to share my solo travel and overlanding experiences, learnings about navigating National Parks post pandemic, etc. while also working part time and building my fledgling design business. Ultimately, the thing paying the bills balanced with my travel took precedence and both the design work and writing took a back seat. That said, I captured my entire trip on my Youtube channel - @Vandrar Overland - from planning through completion of the journey. I planned for a year on the road but ended up spending five months exploring the back roads, state parks, national parks and more around the USA.
Most unexpected joy - Theodore Roosevelt National Park and up close buffalo viewing
Most beautiful National Park - East Side of Glacier National Park, Montana
Packing for one year on the road - Do I really need all of this?
I still have so much more to see and hope to go back to the Southwest later this year to do some more back road adventures. I'll be sharing more here about my experiences, tips for you and plans for future adventures.
Flos Aquae Designs
I am proud of how far my design business has come. As with anything, there's ups and downs (I may have cried a few times) but overall I'm feeling optimistic. In 2023 I had my largest one-time sale ever of nearly 100 yards of my Mod Peacocks design. That's a lot of fabric! It continues to be my top seller on Spoonflower.
© Copyright Vanessa S. Reed 2022
I made the decision to close my Society6 and Redbubble shops in favor of Spoonflower and pitching direct to clients. Ultimately I was unhappy with the print quality from Society6, then they changed their artist terms making it less favorable to sell on their platform. And Redbubble never took off for me, so I focused my efforts on channels with proven sales. I continue to create new collections for fabric, wallpaper, home decor, and gift wrap - below are some highlights from 2023.
Ozzie the Adventure Dog
Ozzie is nearly 13 years old now. He continues to heal from his cancer surgery. He has a spot on the bendy part of his elbow that just won't close up. I'm done putting him through surgeries so we manage by keeping his wound clean and healthy. He's a happy guy and still my best adventure buddy.
Looking Ahead in 2024
My goals for 2024 are to 1) evolve this blog to provide helpful information for others, building on my experiences as a solo, female traveler. That may include trips to international cities or overlanding America in my Jeep. 2) Grow my surface pattern design business and share my experiences here.
Those may seem like disparate topics but they are me - always exploring new places and new creative outlets. I hope you continue to follow along.