2015 Fall Grand Valley Magazine - (Page 32)
OF F T HE PATH
Living in less than
98 square feet
Alumni join tiny house movement to support careers,
strengthen relationships by Michele Coffill
Two people and two dogs are
traveling the country, coexisting in
98 square feet of living space.
On some nights their backyard
has been the vast openness of the
Yukon Territory in northwest Canada,
other nights it was Bridge Street in
downtown Grand Rapids.
Kelly Tousley, '11, and Curtiss
O'Rorke Stedman joined the tiny
house movement in June after
purchasing a utility trailer and
outfitting it for adventure.
They took their dogs and
some of their belongings
and left their Juneau,
Alaska, home in June
to hit the road to build
O'Rorke Stedman's rising
music career.
Also in June but in the
southwest U.S., Kristin
Connolly Schillaci, '05,
and Tony Schillaci,
'06, returned to Santa
Fe, New Mexico, after
spending a year on the
road living in an 18-footlong, 1980 Coachman
trailer. They traveled
25,000 miles to 30
juried art shows in 35
states to sell Kristin's fine
art photographs. They
also were on the road
with two big dogs.
THE SCHILLACIS
Kristin, who graduated with a
bachelor's degree in photography,
said the couple first talked about
traveling the country two years ago
when they were backpacking in the
Grand Canyon.
"We were at the bottom of the
canyon for three nights and it was the
happiest we had been in years," she
said. "Everything we needed was on
32
Fall '15
Tony, '06, and Kristin, '05,
Schillaci traveled with their
dogs to 35 states last year to
sell Kristin's artwork.
photos courtesy of
Kristin Connolly Schillaci
our backs. We thought, 'Something
needs to change.'"
The tiny house movement, while
glamorized by television networks
like HGTV, is more than the romantic
notion of traveling the country in a
trailer or camper. At its root is the need
to downsize lifestyles, whether for
economic reasons or environmental
concerns. For these two couples, it
meant learning to live with less to
support a career.
Tony graduated with a bachelor's
degree in music education. He worked
for seven years as the band director at
Santa Fe High School; Kristin was a part
owner of a Santa Fe print shop. "I was
helping other people with their artwork
but couldn't find the time to support my
own photography," she said.
Spending each weekend traveling in
the southwest to an art show became
the norm, albeit a tiring routine for
them. Tony said he would come home
from football games on Friday nights
to help Kristin set up for a show, return
on Saturdays to be with his band for
regional competitions, then help Kristin
tear down on Sundays.
"We were like two ships passing in the
night," she said.
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2015 Fall Grand Valley Magazine
Campus News
Research
Athletics
Arts
Scientific symbiosis
Focal Point
Seidman College expanding EMBA
Sailing at 1/12th scale
Same song, different verse
Q&A Lynn 'Chick' Blue
Off the path
International Education
2015 Fall Grand Valley Magazine
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