Many of us have formed an attachment to the idea of home. The American Dream is often linked with those ideals and hopes that have been programmed into our brains since childhood. However, giant houses covered with freshly painted shutters and a white picket fence may no longer be the dream of the masses. It’s cliché enough in its descriptive form to turn us off just by mentioning it.
There is a movement of tiny house dwellers sweeping the nation. People who are driven by the notion that more material gain isn’t the bearer of happiness. As Henry David Thoreau would say, it’s the desire to “live deliberately.”
Meet Katy Anderson, a very talented Portland woodworker. She’s in the process of building a tiny home for author, Dee Williams. You may have heard of Dee’s book, The Big Tiny, which documents her adventure of living in an 84 sq. foot home on wheels.
Katy says the sense of fulfillment that comes from building a tiny house is tremendously gratifying. Given its scale, one can afford to spend more time and give greater attention to detail. Higher quality materials can also be used because less is needed. Instead of the desire for more, more, more, it comes down to what you really need and what you really want in your home and everyday life.
“I thought I’d find something in all of this, and I got more than I bargained for. I discovered a new way of looking at the sky, the winter rain, the neighbors, and myself; and a different way of spending my time. Most important, I stumbled into a new sort of “happiness,” one that didn’t hinge on always getting what I want but rather, on wanting what I have. It’s the kind of happiness that isn’t tied so tightly to being comfortable (or having money and property), but instead is linked to a deeper sense of satisfaction—to a sense of humility and gratitude, and a better understanding of who I am in my heart.
I know this sounds cheesy, and in fact, it sounds fairly similar to the gobbledygook that friends have thrown at me just after having their first baby. But the facts are the facts: I found a certain bigness in my little house—a sense of largeness, freedom, and happiness that comes when you see there’s no place else you’d rather be.” -Dee Williams
Katy’s work wear: Carhartt Women’s Force Performance T-Shirt, Clarksburg Quarter-Zip Sweatshirt, Women’s Series 1889 Slim Double-Front Denim Dungaree, & Carhartt Women’s Dearborn Belt
Crafted in Carhartt 