Thrive With Less is officially here.
Grand Rapids, Mich. based photographer and filmmaker. Music. Art. Community. Sustainability. Travel. Bikes.
PORTFOLIO
ABOUT
CONTACT
-
2012-05-31
Source: thrivewithless
-
2012-05-08
Matt and Josh partner up to talk about where we are in the production process. We’ve got a lot of exciting things coming up in the next few weeks! The current exciting news is that we’ll be releasing our trailer this coming Thursday at noon :)
Another new blog for Thrive With Less. Lots of cool stuff on the way - a trailer on Thursday and a completed film at the end of the month!
Source: thrivewithless
-
2012-04-16
I feel like I’m reaching a sense of fulfillment, but I know there’s still more I can do. But it’s all about finding what works for you….
That’s a really vague description. Guess you’ll have to watch the video to find out more :)
Share this if you like what you see!New vlog for Thrive with Less!
Source: thrivewithless
-
2012-04-09
We met with Jay Shafer, the founder of Tumbleweed tiny Houses, to discuss his motivations for living small. Here are just a few of his thoughts on this whole way of life.
So excited about this stuff, please check it out and spread the word!
Source: thrivewithless
-
2012-04-02
We’ve been talking a lot about pursuing passion, but most of all, I think this project is showing me that I’m still finding what that is for me.
Latest blog for Thrive With Less, this time featuring ultra dramatic lighting.
Source: thrivewithless
-
2012-03-29
What does jumping into a river have to do with minimalism? Not too much actually; but it shows the attitude we’ve all had toward this project as we all took the “jump off the deep end.”
From Tuesday, a new clip from the documentary film I’m working on. Check it out, and take a look at the rest of the stuff we’re working on at www.ThriveWithLess.com
Source: thrivewithless
-
2012-03-26
Tiny Houses, Big Thoughts
Last week was a whirlwind. If you haven’t heard, on Tuesday, Josh, Colin, and I drove down to Indianapolis to catch a lecture about the Tiny House project and interview the originator of this idea, Jay Shafer. My head is still spinning from everything we went through and learned.
First of all, it was so great to take this production on the road and basically work on this production full time. We handed out a ton of business cards and met lots of cool people, hopefully some of them are reading this blog now!
Second, our interview with Josh was awesome. He had some really insightful things to say, and for being who he is and where he’s at, he was super down to earth. There was one idea in particular that really struck with me, and it will most likely show up in the film, but I wanna share it now.
I asked him about how cutting back on his personal belongings has positively impacted his life, if it has, and how it did. He said (I’m paraphrasing here) that by cutting out the excess and only surrounding himself with the stuff he actually needed to survive, living felt like it was something essential, rather than just something he did.
That idea really struck a chord with me. Not to say that living isn’t already essential - because of course it is - but I definitely feel like I desire to be feeling more like that. I want to wake up every day excited for what’s ahead of me. Also, in a lifestyle like what Jay described, you’re required so much more to do things for yourself, and I love that feeling of getting my hands dirty and working on something myself. That’s part of why I was so excited about learning about and working on my bike last week.
I don’t think a Tiny House lifestyle is exactly what I want to be doing at this point in my life, or ever, but I can definitely take a lot from that way of thinking. Another point Jay talked about is that it’s not necessarily about crafting your life to fit into a 100 square foot space, but it’s about thinking critically about what you really need to be happy, and making sure that you’re filling your life with that, not just a bunch of junk that’s slowing you down and holding you back. Which, I think, is an idea we can all get behind, whether it’s a small space or not.
Really looking forward to having more conversations like this as we move forward in this project. And as always, let us know what YOU think about what we’re doing!
-
2012-03-22
Yesterday the Thrive With Less documentary crew sent filming southbound to Indianapolis, IN. We met up with Jay Shafer who founded Tumbleweed Tiny House Company. This guy designs and builds houses for individuals, couples, and even families as hyper-efficient living spaces, and he has lived in “houses smaller than some people’s closets for over a decade.” (link)
No kidding.
The house we saw today contained only 100 square feet of living space, but it came complete with a bathroom, shower, loft, kitchen with fridge and stove, heater, air conditioner, shelves, cupboards, electricity, plumbing, and this is just one of countless models! It reminded me of a decked-out adult treehouse, and I’d totally do some stencils on the inside. I could absolutely see myself living in something like this, and honestly I know it would bring me to appreciate every tiny inch of my home.This exposed me to living minimally on an extreme scale, because living in a tiny space like this means owning almost nothing by relation. Digitizing books, music, photography, videos, allows us to own such material goods without using physical space to store them. I found that especially thoughtful.
I can’t wait to get back to my bedroom at home to see what I can do away with and simplify. I know I have plenty of clutter to remove, and I know the act will clear my head to get creative in a clean space. Thrive on!
Well, after a really solid week or so of new content, this blog has sadly taken a backseat. However, production has been ramping up dramatically on Thrive With Less, including a crazy last minute journey to Indianapolis to meet with the folks behind Tumbleweed Houses on Tuesday! Here are some photos from that trip, and be sure to check out the Thrive With Less blog for more updates as this journey continues.
Source: thrivewithless
-
2012-03-19
There’s something powerful about building community from true, face-to-face interaction. You can communicate your ideas better and really connect on a deeper level.
Like it? Pass it on! Share it, tweet it, blog it!New vlog for Thrive With Less! Check it out!
Source: thrivewithless
-
2012-03-05
THRIVE WITH LESS: Reconnecting in March
As I’ve said, my biggest take away from this experience has been that I need to put more energy and value into the people closest to me. Right now, I feel like I spend a lot of my time focused on school and work and making sure that I have those aspects of my future worked out. But I’ve been…
Source: thrivewithless
