Have you ever seen a kombi van drive by (or perhaps on Instagram) and thought to yourself, ‘I wonder what it would be like to just pick up and go; to travel around with nothing but my van, a surfboard and someone I love’? You probably saw Jonny and or a member of his Vanlife community.
When he’s not on stage creating sweet tunes as ‘Dusty Boots’, adventuring with his wife Jess, or writing stories for their publication Rebel on a Rainbow, he is co-running Vanlife – a platform that shares stories of legends living and adventuring in vans around the world.
When I first spoke to Jonny, I felt an undeniable sense of kindred-ship; support. That really is Jonny. He’s inspiring, adventurous and a true advocate for community.
Meet Jonny Dustow…
Where are you in the world?
You can usually find me in a Van traveling up and down the east coast of Australia mainly between Sydney & Byron Bay sharing music, helping with community events, teaching and hiking in nature with my wife Jess.
How do you follow your bliss?
By quitting my full time job 5 years ago it has allowed me to focus more on the blissful side of living. I now spend most days focusing on my original music, organising events for Vanlife, part time high school teaching, surfing, as much time in nature as possible hiking and encouraging other creative folk in their passions. I basically work everyday but it’s mostly on things I want to put my time into and involves a better lifestyle which suits my personality.
Could you tell us the story behind Van life and why it’s important to you?
The Van life style has been around since the 60s. However, with the use of social media and technology we wanted to link like-minded folk in this community by sharing stories, tips, creative ideas, how to work on the road and to encourage people living outside the box of ‘normal’ living. Myself and a couple of mates (Jared & Sam) started @vanlifediaries, vanlife.com.au & Vanlife Facebook for our community to keep in touch with each other. We also have Vanlife gatherings to meet face to face and share culture, stories, music, surfing, nature-loving and more. A focus of these is to learn about the traditional care-takers of the land and improve indigenous and non-indigenous relationships. We also combine with like-minded organisations which promote community and positive change. These include: One Wave is all it takes (mental health), Take 3 for the sea (environmental) Yarn (indigenous).
This has been such an exciting movement with contributors from all over the world. Especially Kathleen (@tinyhousetinyfootprint) who looks after all things Vanlife for us in the United States of America.
You have ‘Dusty Boots’, Van Life and Rebel on a Rainbow, what is life looking like for you at the moment with all of your passions?
It’s true, I have a lot of things on the go haha! I have come to the conclusion that as long as my creative outlets are focused and headed in a similar direction, I’m okay with doing them all on the go. If you looked at my calendar, it is booked out for the next 6 months traveling most of Australia! I would have to say it’s all fun but a lot of hard work goes into it. At the heart of all three is community growth and sharing something positive in people’s lives. I also could not do any of these projects without my amazing support network of people as I believe so much in the power of collaboration.
How important is community when going for your dreams?
To me community is everything. Without it we are alone as individuals and I believe we become more focused on our own accomplishments and egos. I would rather be a part of something with other people to enjoy the success or help each other through failures. I’m not really interested in pursuing dreams that just involve myself and no one else.
(Listen to Jonny’s song To The Sea)
If fear ever shows up in your life, how do you move past it?
Fear is always evident in my life as I deal with depression & anxiety. I have had this since I was a teen and it became more evident when I had a mental health breakdown and had to stop full time work. I had to seek medical help to get back on track. I think we need to listen to our gut more instead of our mind. Sometimes our mind can be all over the place and you can feel out of control. I think if we allow ourselves enough time to get out in nature and somewhere quiet, deep down we know what is the right path for ourselves. I allow myself more time and space to deal with fear and question if the fear is a real threat to my health or mind. If it is general anxiety about getting out of my comfort zone, but will improve my confidence and personal growth, then I will plan and organise to do the activity so that I can feel as confident as possible. If a fear is actually threatening to my mental health, I have learnt to say no and change course to better suit my personality.
How do you keep the passion and inspiration for your creative pursuits alive long-term?
To keep something sustainable, I have a quality support network of people where we encourage each other so that helps when you have lost the plot or questioning a pursuit. I love variety and believe it helps to keep a project sustainable and fun. So with my music, I play with a lot of different musicians to keep it interesting, to learn from them and keep it enjoyable. For Vanlife & Rebel on a Rainbow I work with people from all over the world and my wife Jess of course that are super creative and highly skilled in their areas. I am constantly inspired by these contributors and team members. It is also okay to take a break from pursuits if you really need it. We have taken a break from stories on Rebel on a Rainbow to just focus on social media and put time into Vanlife.com.au as there is more growth in that area at this stage.
What advice could you give to someone who knows what they would love to do, but haven’t gone for it?
I would tell them to start straight away! Don’t waste a day or a minute. Even if you are working full time or part time just start small but get the ball rolling. I believe in the power of having great mentors, so seek out some people you can gain advice of in the area that you are pursuing. What have you got to lose? If you’re just starting in some of your spare time and testing the waters, it helps with the feelings of being overwhelmed. If it starts paying off (not just money, but feelings of satisfaction or excitement) then allocate more time for it. I still work 3 days a week as a high school teacher to cover a lot of the costs in my other creative pursuits. I do also love being around the younger generation. In the last two years, music has started to pay for itself and Vanlife is covering website costs but no wages as of yet. I feel a lot more fulfilled and excited about life than I did 5 years ago so I see that as a success. I am definitely not richer in the money sense, but my soul is super loaded! Haha
