Darin Zaruba - Turning Tiny: The Small-Living Paradigm Thats Reshaping the Way We Think Live and Dream

Angela Alcorn

Social Media Queen and a Tiny House Jamboree coordinator

At some point most of us have asked ourselves the deeper question, What is my purpose in life? Whatever your purpose may be, the one common goal we all seem to have is happiness. It seems clich but it is true. Of course, todays society has led us to believe that bigger is better and the more we have the happier we will be. What I have learned in my lifetime thus far is that adage simply isnt true. Happiness comes from an emotional state of wellbeing; something that can only be found within us and not from material items. I can assure you that living in a tiny house wont magically give you a life purpose, or make you the happiest person alive. It will go a long way to opening up vast possibilities for a life otherwise non-existent.

Two years ago my familyBobby, my husband, and our two daughters, Gillian and Calliefelt strongly that we had lost sight of what life was truly about. Routine had set in and obligation felt closer to us than each other. Bobby and I wanted to teach our girls how to live a purposeful life; one that would allow them the opportunity to forge a future based in experience and adventure rather than consumption and collection. God alone has blessed us in that journey and for two years now we have worked toward a life we never before knew existed. In just 140 sq.ft., we have rediscovered ourselves, each other, and the world around us. We are literally and emotionally closer than we ever have been before.

We certainly arent alone in our pursuits though. It seems to be reality that there is a whole world full of people like us; people searching for purpose. This really came to light for us tangibly at the inaugural Tiny House Jamboree of 2015 where thousands of like-mined people convened into one spot! And we werent just there. We were in the middle and the thick of it, in all of its glory, beauty, craziness and behind the scenes mayhem.

Our working relationship with the event began a few days after the announcement of the Jamboree. Hearing the vision that Darin Zaruba and his team saw for the event was an inspirational turning point in my understanding of the purpose behind the entire tiny house movement and philosophy. I wanted in! I wanted to help! I wanted to preach the word, and preach it we did. So I took on the social media campaign, and can now say I had no idea what I was really jumping into. The interest in it, and the movement seemed to come to a crescendo and overwhelmed us all. The passion and effort that the entire team had put into creating the Jamboree was herculean, and best of all it was something that seemed like it would make an actual difference in the tiny house community. I was brought on board the team alongside some very talented members like Marcus Alvarado, and Coles Whalen who helped pull this off in a matter of months.