Meet the creator of Mud. - smallcollectiveau

Mud was born out of a need to get back in touch with our kid selves, to play in the mud fully immersed in the sensory experience. Learning presence, letting go, detachment to a desired result and connection with ourselves and those sitting next to us. Get to know Mud and the beautiful founder and creative Alex Draper. We find out how Mud came to be, why clay and how she practices sustainability within her craft and much more.
Plus there is also a little surprise at the end!

Meet the Creator behind Mud – Alex Draper

Like a huge number of other humans, I experienced significantly disrupted mental health as a youngster moving into adulthood. I’m intensely passionate about creating conversation and connection a little off-kilter. A non-mainstream approach to therapy and community. Working as a therapist for the past 8 years in the mental health and addiction arena, I’ve found that changing the channel on our interventions is necessary. Play and presence are important and the connection is everything. Our minds are constantly under design and we are the architects.

Who is Mud?

MUD typically offers community-based workshops at our byron base. small groups, no judgement, big love. We explore mindfulness meditation through the hand-building method of clay play. Our MUD Fridays isoclaytion edit has been growing like weeds. Nice weeds. Like the ones with the purple flowers that you actually want in your garden. The results are in, and people like playing in the mud. heaps. This started as a social connection initiative providing free workshops to the community fortnightly on Fridays, it’s turning into an extended family of MUD Honeys spanning the globe doing one big bulk crafternoon (with compulsory cheese and bad jokes).

Why Clay?

Clay is such a natural entity. It’s derived from the centre of the earth and surfaces through volcanos, collecting and absorbing impurities along the way. I think it’s representative of us as humans. We shift and mould, according to external pressures and when stressed we can crack.

Clay is also incredibly therapeutic. It’s used pretty extensively for people to work through trauma, learn non-verbal communication/expression and engage in mindful practices amongst other things.

That’s actually a significant part of what I do. I want to introduce these therapeutic techniques into the mainstream, into people’s every day. I feel that there’s still a way to go with mental health interventions being present in people’s daily routines. Connection with ourselves and those around us is everything.

I mean, play with a ball of clay for 20 minutes and see what happens to your mental state. I dare you.

Where do you learn your techniques from?

Stelleen Hannan. Your old school potter. My oldest friend’s mum, actually. She would make us fritz and sauce sandwiches (nutritional value yet to be decided) and sit us in front of a ball of clay (nutritional value off the charts). We’d be there for hours playing in the mud, making wonky shapes. The shapes I make now have developed over the years. Meg (Stell’s daughter) and I still sit on the floor and make shapes together on a weekly basis. I’ve never liked reading ‘how to’ guides much so I just trial and error it. The good thing about mud is you can just roll it up and start again.

Tell us about your sustainable life cycle and how you implement it within your craft?

The most wonderful thing about mud is that its mud. You’re literally playing with what you walk on every day. Then you’re putting it in an oven and drinking your tea from it. Or putting your flowers in it. Or serving your cheese on it. You’re making shapes from the most natural entity there is and transforming mud into stone that you can use as functional items in your home. We’ve thought long and hard on our advertising and packaging too. Our business cards and flyers are made from old t-shirts! 100% cotton cuteness. The clay is kept wet within biodegradable and BPA free pretends plastic too. We keep your balls moist the enviro-friendly way!

What does a day in your life look like (before or after the Pandemic)

My days have changed vastly post COVID. It feels like there was one to two weeks for most people where there was a bit of shell shock. I felt like I was walking around in circles for a while there but I feel like I’m integrating iso-life pretty well! I knew I needed a social connection. I’m an introvert but my connection to myself and others is my oxygen. It felt like my supply was cut off there for a while and I was in a state of suffocation. I’m breathing easy again now. It’s incredible how we can adapt.

The sun wakes me up every morning. It beams pretty obnoxiously through my bedroom windows. I fumble for my phone so I can do a little 15-minute medi, my all-time teachers are Sarah Blondin or Caitlin Cady (local legend). You can find them for zero dollars on The Insight Timer app. I feel like I’m still in such a sedate state that my brain doesn’t even realize I’m doing any level of psychological work so it’s not cognisant to talk me out of it. I’m the guy that goes to the shop and buys all the healthiest food for my new life and then at 5:45 I order a gado gado bowl from Foxy Luus with extra peanut sauce. So, there’s more than one personality living in my head.

Anyway, I slide out of bed and do a little lighthouse stroll for my daily dose then I’m straight into it. I’m either filming little MUD clips, packing orders, dreaming up some new shape and workshop ideas, connecting with my encouraging creative mates, or I’m doing therapy things with kids over the phone, or over zoom, if I can trick them into it. MUD is my biggest dream come true to date. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced this sense of self within my work before. It’s everything. I’ve said it a thousand times and I’ll say it again. We sit, we play, we get connected x

“Everybody is a bit wonky. It’s allowed.
Let’s celebrate it x”
Alex Draper – Founder of Mud

Mud offers community-based workshops in the beautiful Byron Bay – small groups, no judgement, big love. We explore mindfulness meditation through the hand-building method of clay play.

Looking to get your hands dirty? Alex has provided us with a beautiful incense holder tutorial! Very cute little vessel to decorate your house or gift to a loved one!

Follow along on Instagram and get inspired to get your craft on!

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