Member Q&A with Spencer Harper
One of the best things about working at a coworking space like Createscape is learning about other members. Sometimes you meet someone at a happy hour event or morning hangout — someone you may see everyday, but have only exchanged a few nods with in the kitchen — and you find out they have a really cool job. Or maybe that person is brand new to Austin and doesn't have a lot of friends in the city yet. With these Q&As, we hope to inspire members to get to know each other. Hopefully, the small amount of information you learn from our interviews make it just a little easier to break the ice.
The only thing we knew about Spencer Harper before we barraged him with personal questions is that he takes sustainable living very seriously. Instead of paying for a resource-guzzling house or apartment, Spencer lives in a solar-powered van -- complete with a kitchen, bed, and desk. The entire vehicle is about the size of the conference room. And since his home truly is mobile, he can split at a moment's notice and go places that inspire is creativity, namely, some of the country's most amazing parks and wilderness. He also works at Google. So that's kind of cool.
Here's our Q&A with Spencer.
You’re a cloud technical solution engineer. That sounds like an important job. What does it mean?
It means I get to work with the amazing network that Google uses to process the massive amount of data the world sends our way. I support the biggest customers that use Google Cloud Platform specifically and make sure that their complicated cloud networks are functioning as expected.
You work at Google? That sounds cool. What is it like to work at one of the world’s most recognizable companies?
I love it! I’ve wanted to work at Google ever since I was in high school so to finally be doing just it is a dream come true. The people I work with are incredibly intelligent, kind and inspiring. The work is very challenging and keeps me always learning, which is one of the things I enjoy most in life.
Do you have any cool Google perks? Like free Gmail? I hate that I have to pay for Gmail. (Yes, I’m just kidding.)
The perks are mostly at the office, which I haven’t had the pleasure of visiting yet due to being hired during the pandemic. I hear they provide free food any time of day, have baristas that make you whatever coffee drinks you want and even masseuses if you want a massage!
How did you end up here in Austin? Where are you originally from?
I’m originally from Milwaukee, but I've lived in Seattle for five years and Denver for two years before moving to Austin for work. I’ll probably be moving again in a couple years since I can’t stay in one place for too long. There are so many new places to see.
And how did you find us here at Createscape?
Good ol’ Google. I really enjoy East Austin and climb at Austin Bouldering Project, which is only a few blocks away. It seemed convenient to have everything I need close by while I’m in town and it’s a nice, quiet neighborhood.
How does working at a coworking space help with your work? Usually, people say that they get tired of being alone all day when they work at home. But you have a unique situation. You can’t really work at home very comfortably.
I actually have a very nice work-from-home setup in my van, including a standing desk and dual monitors! The tricky thing is finding reliable internet, which is why I choose to work at Createscape. I enjoy the natural light here as well, which is something my van doesn’t have much of.
I guess that brings us to Ganesha — your van. How did you come up with the name Ganesha?
I’ve always named my vehicles after various gods, although I’m not sure why. My van is actually the first non-motorcycle I’ve owned! I chose Ganesha because I spent five months riding a motorcycle around India and found that no matter where you go there, people always have little Ganesha statues around to bring good luck and prosperity. Ganesha is an elephant-headed god, also known as “the remover of obstacles,” which seemed like a good fit since my van is big like an elephant and removes the obstacles of being stuck in a city on a lease as well as paying rent.
Before you moved into Ganesha, did you live in a real home? (Not to diminish Ganesha. I’m sure she --or he??-- is a real home, too.)
Before Ganesha I was hopping from apartment to apartment, just throwing money away on rent. I wanted to invest in something, but didn’t want to be stuck in one place and not have enough money for a house one day, so it just made sense to build-out a van.
I bet you get asked this question every time Ganesha comes up. How do you take a shower? (No, I won’t ask the other question.)
When I’m on long road trips I usually bathe in secluded rivers or lakes since I love being in nature and am usually camping in national forests or parks. Or I’ll treat myself to a campground/truck-stop shower, which you have to pay to use. When I’m in the city, I use my office or climbing gyms for showers though. Luckily the climbing gyms I go to even have a sauna!
If you can only wash your hair every few days, I would think it’s easier to have really short hair. But you seem to make it work. (I guess that’s not really a question.)
Fun fact about that, I haven’t shampooed or conditioned my hair in over three years, which is why it doesn’t get greasy. I decided to stop during a long backpacking trip through Asia where I didn’t have access to showers on a regular basis. The natural oils balanced out after a few months and now I just need to rinse it at least once a week or so depending on how dirty I get.
A few months ago I interviewed Carly. She lives in a trailer. And I’m living in my second tiny home. You have us both beat. How big is your van?
Inside, it’s about 6’ x 6’ x 12’, which is plenty of space for me. There’s a full-sized bed, fully-stocked kitchen, all my backpacking/climbing/outdoor gear, WFH desk, and even a table that fits five people comfortably!
I’ve seen photos of some of the work you did inside the van. You have a pretty good kitchen set-up. How often do you cook in Ganesha? Do you need to have any special hookups? Or do you have a generator? I’m not really sure how these things work.
I cook in there pretty much every day! I love to cook, so making sure I have a fully functioning kitchen was essential. I have a propane double-burner stove and two-rack oven, a 50-quart fridge and enough dry food/water storage that I could easily live off the grid for two to three weeks at a time before re-stocking. For the electrical I use for the fridge and other things, that’s all coming directly from the sun via my solar system.
So you’re an outdoorsman, obviously. (I checked out your Instagram.) On your way to Austin this past fall, you made a few stops along the way. What were some of the most memorable locations?
I absolutely love being outdoors! Backpacking and climbing are two of my main passions in life, so living in a van was a great way to have access to those. I’ve been all over the country, but my favorite states to explore are definitely Colorado and Washington because of all of the breathtaking forests and mountain ranges. I’ve spent a lot of time in Utah and Wyoming as well, but I prefer to spend most of my time in states west of the Rockies since that’s where the beautiful rugged nature is.
Any travel plans for the near future?
Yes, actually, and I can’t wait! I’m planning on heading out for a couple months around June when the summer hits full force here in Texas. It’s not too pleasant being in a van when it’s hot and humid all the time, even if it is insulated and has plenty of ventilation. I’ll be visiting my favorite mountains and hot springs as well as catching up with friends around the states for a bit before returning to Austin.