ABOUT

We've combined our names to create our blog, because we are combining our creativity and lives into one van for the next year. We spent last year traveling across North America in our little car and working on organic farms. In 2015, we are heading down under to the seemingly perfect country: New Zealand! Our blog is the documentation of our journey to find out where we fit in the world.  

DANA HANSON

I grew up in Lake Country, specifically in Brainerd, Minnesota - which means water runs in my blood. My perfect day is doing anything that results in pruney fingers and toes. 

After high school, the question "what should I do with my life" began tormenting my mind. I loved everything from math and science to business and languages. I headed to the University of Wisconsin Madison with a "plan" to study Genetics. I took a few classes, joined a few clubs, but didn't feel like it was what I should do with my life. I took additional classes in business and ended up graduating with a degree in Finance, Investments and Banking. 

Next on the agenda to starting my life was to get a job. I accepted a position as an Analyst in J.P. Morgan's Private Bank and worked my booty off for three years. In reality, my booty probably only got bigger from sitting at my desk for 14 hours a day. And after three years, I began to feel like I wanted to make more of an impact on a company and I wanted to live a healthier lifestyle.  

I am now on a quest to determine how I want to spend my time and energy in this one life I have to live. To me, this means traveling around North America for the next year meeting new people and experiencing new things. I want to find a passion and purpose for my life. 

CHASE VREELAND 

I was born in Minnesota and I love being outdoors. Where Dana would prefer pruney fingers and toes, I would lean more towards slivers – because of my fondness for sculpting with wood.   

Some people say I am a mad scientist, because my imagination runs wild with ideas and thoughts. I would say that I am just a creative person. I enjoy creating art in all forms – paintings, sculptures, music, children’s stories, dolls and instruments. If I find a new form of expression, I tend to dive in headfirst until I have mastered it.

I studied Fine Arts at the Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. Since college, I have lived and worked throughout the Midwest. It seems like I never have quite enough space for the things that I want to create, but I try to come up with art projects that I can do in any environment.

My dream is to one day have my own, wide-open, workspace where I can create something new each and everyday. I am glad to be traveling for the next year and working in wide-open spaces – I hope to capture the variety of nature in photographs and artwork.