It’s Clara here, the one who works in the office! My resolution for this winter season is to get out from behind my computer, and learn the basics of campervan building myself.
Whilst we do have a workshop with some highly skilled and experienced people in it, they are very busy, and I am very rookie. So I’ve been looking for resources outside of Love Campers, to start me on my journey.
I’d like to share my campervan building learning journey with you. Please note I am doing this for my own enjoyment and so I can get a better idea of what is and isn’t possible when I talk to our customers. I will not be joining the incredibly talented team we have creating beautiful vans in our workshop.
Demystifying the world of making
Now, my starting point a few weeks ago was pretty low. Think, not being confident that I could put together an IKEA flatpack, that low.
Some of you may be beyond this level already. That’s great! But for those who empathise, this blog can be your entry point. The van I eventually build may not be super complicated or sophisticated, but it will work, and it will be something that you too can build. The thinking is, if I can do this, anyone can!
So for me the greatest barrier to entry, was a combination of lack of experience and lack of confidence. I needed something gentle, to demystify that world of power tools and DIY, and build my confidence using basic tools. Something that made me really feel, I have a right to be doing this and there is a space in this world of making stuff, for me!
We all start somewhere
My first step was to sign up to two half-day workshops in Brighton, run by Salvage Sister. These were Absolute Beginners Power Tools Workshop Class and Power Tools for Beginners Part Two.
The workshops ran across a morning and an afternoon. The whole day combined, introduced us to all the main tools you would find in a workshop and everything you would need and more, to build a campervan.
We all had the chance to practice using the tools, and in the afternoon we even got to cut metal with sparks flying! What a buzz! Participants had various different reasons for attending the course and the atmosphere was great. Charis Williams, aka Salvage Sister, was very encouraging and clear.
The workshops were delivered at the back of another great organisation, a Love Campers favourite, The Brighton Wood Store, which recycles local wood. I finished the workshop on a high, and feeling super confident that I now knew my way around a workshop and had a good idea of what tools to use and how. I have found my confidence that there is a space for me in the world of making things.
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