about the pair of muddy hands

Well hello there! My name's Ellyn and I am a lover of most things in life including but definitely not limited to food, art, and people (order changes depending on the day). I have had a hard time with the idea of making a website because #1- I felt like it was a lot about self-promotion and #2- I felt like my designs had to be perfect to be shared. But I had to get over the word perfect because it is not possible and it is not my style and I had to do it for the right reasons. I was listening to a podcast by Mystic and Makers*  and the writer of how to steal like an artist, Austin Kleon, said we share things so that we can learn from others and that is what ultimately inspired me to do start this site. From my English to my business class to advice on life, I have heard this one phrase over and over again "narrow, narrow, narrow", but if I'm being honest I'm just not ready to narrow. There is so much out there I want to explore. So, I figured this is one way that I can explore some of the options of this amazing life! I want to make this a site to share thoughts of my own, but hopefully most of others. My hope is that through this website I can learn, meet, and be inspired by the fellow people of this world and maybe I can do the same for them! 

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Muddy Hands... It was not one of those obvious names that just popped into my head. Instead, it was a slow (or at least felt slow), gradual process of figuring out what to name this site. I wrestled with a few names, teetering back and forth with what to call it, but muddy hands just stuck. To me, it has many different meanings. The first is obvious, with ceramics your hands get muddy, there is no question about it or avoiding it, it will happen. That is one of my favorite parts, and what takes me back to being a kid. I don’t need to fear to mess up or getting something dirty because it is inevitable. Secondly, I believe the works of our hands are an offering to the Lord. So ceramics is one way I get to worship. Last, life is muddy and messy and so am I. And for all these reasons this is why the name just seemed to stick. 

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*S5 E7: Keep Going with Austin Kleon