Rowden Life: Doing it in style
Anyone who is driven to live and work in the creative arts is likely to have certain traits that separate them from the norm.
Many of the students at Rowden have left comfortable jobs, and even more comfortable surroundings, to come to North Devon and train to be fine furniture makers. Admittedly, quite a few do hold on to some of their previous lives, the most visible of which is to rent a nice room or cottage for the duration of the course.
Saying that, there has also always been a persistent (and growing) community of hardy folk who firmly embrace the quirkier side of student accommodation!
Central heating? Nah!
Hot and cold running water? Who needs that!
What is interesting is that those who clearly feel the need to embrace the outdoors quite often do so with more than a bit of flair. Now I feel like somewhat of a pioneer here, having spent my year in a caravan with my roomy, Stanley… (the Cairn Terrier).
But that was quite a few years ago now and things have changed somewhat. These days I see very stylish camper vans, a beautiful yurt that a student built, and one very tough Canadian tried to survive the whole year in a one man tent!
The great outdoors
Most recently, Fabrizio decided that rented accommodation was not for the likes of this Sicilian, and he found the perfect tent. Hailing from warmer climes, he found an insulated tent that would keep him toasty during the sub-zero freezing temperatures found in North Devon at this time of year.
Now there’s doing it and there’s doing it in style. Fab decided it wasn’t enough to merely exist in this space, so he started blogging about it. Not only has he gained a whole bunch of followers, but he has been more than encouraged by the company that made it, and is now a bit of a legend among the “guys who live in tents on purpose” community!
You can follow Fab on Instagram at @flofaro85
Go Fab!
Until next time,
Lakshmi