Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Whitnye Raquel. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Whitnye, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

Anything and everything you could ever want to learn how to build in the DIY universe is on the internet. I am convinced that with a hefty supply of elbow grease and creativity, there is a cost effective way to renovate absolutely everything. These days, there is an easy to follow tutorial on just about anything you could ever want to build. Once you learn how to use a few key power tools, the rest is up to your imagination. The days of gate-keeping DIY knowledge are over!

Whitnye, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

It was the fall of 2018, staring out of a rainy airplane window in Bangkok, that my brain started swirling with dreams of van life. After backpacking in Southeast Asia for nearly a month, I was trying to come up with a way to continue the adventure. Growing up in a small North Texas town, travel was not really in our daily vocabulary…or budget. I had just ended the trip of a lifetime; traipsing through the jungles of Thailand, bathing elephants in rivers, swimming with bio luminescent plankton, and visiting breathtaking temples. My soul was on fire for travel, and it was clear I had opened a Pandora’s box of sorts. I wanted to see it all, and had come to the conclusion that the lower 48 would be a fine start.

The idea was solidified in my mind before the airplane even left the runway. I closed my eyes and started cooking up a project on the long flight home.

Once I was back in the states, it took me no time at all to find my “Turtle Shell” – a beloved Ford Econoline that was used as a dry cleaning van, before it was bought by a man named David who ran a guitar shop in Dallas. I drove straight home and got to work cleaning and stripping it down to bare bones. Every project I did on the van I leaned from watching someone else who took the time to film their process, and share that with the community, so it felt very natural to set up a camera and film my own process. I quickly fell into a routine of posting weekly videos and sharing my progress on social media. The amount of love and support I received was incredible. Friends and family were always stopping by to help with projects, it was a fun but busy year.

Once the van build was complete, I found myself missing that creative outlet. There is certainly a trend among the van life community where folks get their feet wet with a van build and then crave bigger projects. I am no exception. Hannah Lee Duggan, Eamon and Bec, Van Wives, and The Matneys, just to name a few, are all van life content creators who went on to redesign bigger, functional and aesthetically pleasing spaces. Once you pop, you can’t stop, I suppose.

Follow along with my new series, as I renovate my three bedroom property in Fort Worth on a budget.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to challenge the idea that transforming a space can only be completed by professionals. Whether it was intentional or not, there is a history of gate-keeping when it comes to undertaking these construction projects. I want to be part of the community that says “You are a fan of this? Here are the tools and knowledge you need to recreate it yourself”.

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I started filming bits of daily life in High school. I was always splicing up footage of school pep rallies, playing music on the weekends with friends, and any misadventures I found myself in the middle of as a teenager. It wasn’t until I started the van build that those videos had any sense of direction.

Similar to watching a time lapse of a flower bloom, or a mushroom form, seeing these van projects magically come together in a matter of minutes is utterly satisfying. I feel, in a sense it was satisfying for my little online community as well. Because of all of the encouraging words, I truly felt like these folks were right next to me, along for the ride.
I’ve had people approach me in the wild and say “I watched you build this”. It’s such a special feeling knowing anyone took the time to go on a journey with you and follow along with your special project.

My advice for anyone starting to build a social media presence would be to take people on a journey. If you are unsure of what direction you are headed, your followers won’t know either. Figure out your niche, and follow that path. Find a story, then go tell it!

Contact Info:

• Website: whitnyeraquel.com
• Instagram: @whitnye
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Whitnye.Raquel/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@whitnye
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3qK0eq0vZfjK5Hq3SVd8zX?si=vHfWjnOaSIe5ZtqqKJhmJA