It’s 2018, and that means The Year of Mud hits double digits this year (!). Ten years ago, I started The Year of Mud blog when I began my foolhardy journey into the world of natural building. Well dang. I’m not one to boast, but it’s been a lot of work to keep this website chugging that whole time. I certainly had no idea where I was headed when I decided to “build a mud hut” all those years ago. But one thing is for sure: natural building has been a huge focal point of my life since I first stuck my hands (and feet) in a batch of cob.
I may not build with cob specifically as much these days, but clay is a recurring theme in other forms of natural building: straw bale, light clay straw, clay plasters. Clay has not once lost its magical appeal, and with each passing year there’s more to learn and explore. It continues to amaze me how there could be so much depth to something so seemingly elemental.
You could spend a lifetime studying up on traditional building, improving building methods, or pursuing a craft like plastering or carpentry. For me, a big piece of the appeal of natural building is the abundant creativity in the process. There is so much opportunity for self-expression and discovery. Just like stepping into a mud puddle, natural building tends to get stuck on you once you walk into it.
Celebrating 10 Years
To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of The Year of Mud, I’ve spent many long nights revamping the website and blog. I think I finally have the kinks ironed out. Take a look around to see what’s new! The navigation is greatly improved, and this new design puts into focus many of the photos I’ve captured over the years. The Natural Building Workshops pages are much more visually appealing and functional too, I think.
Please be sure to share your feedback on the new design. If anything seems out of sorts, let me know.
What’s Next?
I can barely begin to pretend to answer this question. Life is much, much different than it was 10 years ago. Like I said above, natural building is still a huge part of my life. I’ve been fortunate to do more work for other people over the past few years, and I hope to continue with that. This will be our biggest year for workshops in a while. Organizing and teaching classes still brings me great joy and satisfaction.
Eventually, I hope that we can do a significant natural building project at our homestead. It would be a great chance to incorporate all the things I’ve learned from my various projects over the years. However, we’re taking it one step at a time right now, trying to keep pace and balance all of our life responsibilities. (That’s one big difference between now and 10 years ago — more and more responsibilities, sheesh!)
I’m always on the hunt for a compelling project, and excited to both share what I’ve learned and absorb new skills and information. Here’s hoping for many more years of mud in the future…