Vision Quest - how it all started

Responsibilities vs Heart’s Calling

This whole thing was planted into my head when my coach Cheryl took me to Prince Edward County on a vision quest after admitting to her that I really just want to be an artist away from all the hustle and bustle of the city. But as someone who grew up and lived only in cities like Istanbul and Toronto, I didn’t know how suitable and financially sustainable this lifestyle would be for me. So Cheryl convinced me to just see a lifestyle that an artist and her husband created for themselves in a little town. They had a beautiful house which they turned the 2 rooms off into an AirB&B, a large artist studio and a beautiful backyard facing the lake. It was simple but beautiful.

Months later Ivan and I were looking for a garage space to winterize our motorbike and store some of his tools. As usual, everything being so expensive and small in Toronto got me thinking about buying a house. But like many people, we can’t afford a house in Toronto without getting a mortgage - which as entrepreneurs we weren’t eligible unless we went with a private loan. Do you guys know how expensive the interest rates are on private loans?!

This thought only lead me to a dead end, unless we picked-up a full-time position with a paycheque which would slowly drown our souls in sand. I’ve been there, done that and don’t want it! I’m also against living in depth for the rest of my life. Freedom is very important to me.

Before I go on I want to be clear that my intention is not to mock people who has a full-time job. Though, I want to acknowledge that this is an entrapment of the system which corners people to making these decisions as if there is no other option. To me this is a huge issue. I’ve met a lot of people who hate their jobs, not living in alignment with who they are; but cannot quit because of their f**ing mortgage.

So the question boiling in my head at the time was: How can an artist, a wonderer and a yoga teacher build a decent life while staying true to their heart?

The one advantage of being a creative is that our brain gets activated with a problem like that. Just like a mad machine the gears of my brain steamed away as they turned for days to came up with bunch of solutions – some useful and some not so much. Once I got few ideas I pulled Ivan for brainstorming.

So I said;

how do you feel about moving to Peru in a little trailer-wan and travel across the world forever…

The problem with this idea is how to make it financially sustainable.

We could live in Vancouver in the same circumstances but at least be close to mountains and ocean we enjoy?

There are multiple challenges with this idea. the biggest one is the we need to start over to build our businesses in-order to be in the same circumstances as we’re here in Toronto.

We could move outside of Toronto; not to a suburb but somewhere by the beautiful lakes. We can buy a cottage and still stay connected to Toronto. Oh and remember I mentioned to you about this couple in Prince Edward County when Cheryl took me… we can do a B&B like them or even better sublet our place for few months and travel.

Ivan, at the time focussed on developing his flooring business and seeking for opportunities to sharpen his skills, in his calm manner said to me; and I love him for it…

You know, we don’t really need to buy a cottage we can build one?

I jumped on the idea

You think so? If we’re building our own place; I’ve always wanted to design and live in an eco house surrounded by nature. Can we do that?

Ivan said; “Sure”

And this is how our story began. From a road trip, to the biggest adventure of our lives.