I’m labeling this stage of my life “nourishing curiosity”, because that is truly what I’m doing. I’m in a limbo zone and instead of panicking (ok fine, there’s been some panic), I am putting energy into pretty much anything that interests me, even if it’s fleeting. I’m aware that it’s a privilege to be able to do this which is exactly why I am trying to take advantage of this phase. But I think “nourishing curiosity” is a good motto to live by always. Be like the dog that follows one scent in the air to the next. It’s bound to lead somewhere!

Well, that somewhere was recently a cob building workshop with the Mudgirls Collective.

I think it all started back in early 2020. I was on a spontaneous trip down to the states and had my eyes set on Summer Lake hot springs, in Paisley OR. If there’s one thing worth making a road trip for it’s hot springs. But what actually made me obsessed with going was the accommodation there. These beautiful casitas, built from pumice from the Crater Lake eruption (we stayed in the Cantina fyi), drew me in and essentially sparked a newfound love for earthen homes. I felt calmer, clearer, and restored just by being under the roof of our little casita. It was honestly profound. That opened me up to the world of cob building, which is when you use a combo of sand, clay, straw, and water to create a structure; be that a pizza oven, a garden bench, or a home. I was so amped up on it all I even started a secret instagram account dedicated to cob houses as soon as I got home from that trip, hehe.

One thing led to another and before I knew it, I was scouring the web for all sorts of out of print natural building books. Lloyd Kahn, founder of Shelter Publications, became my hero as I poured over his books. His first one, Shelter (shown above), is completely iconic. As is the Whole Earth Catalogue, a counterculture magazine from the ‘60s and ‘70s which he worked on as an editor (hot tip: you can find the full archive online here!). FYI, do yourself a favour and subscribe to his substack, where he shares things like this video which gave my heart such a warming. These natural building books are more than just cool 1970s design fodder. They represent a magical time of DIY culture, homesteading, and above all else, self empowerment - it just feels good to have know-how. The books shown above are some of the standouts that I’ve slowly collected over the years. I’m always on the prowl for these small press/self published grassroots kinda books. Quick shoutout to Alicia Bay Laurel’s book, Living On The Earth, which is a homesteading and overall life manual with all the right vibes. If anyone was wondering what to get me for christmas, it’s books like these!

Somewhere along the line I heard about Mudgirls Collective, a group based on the west coast of BC with a mission statement as follows: “to empower ourselves and others through sharing skills and knowledge that promote healing and living in harmony with the Earth”. Uh, hell ya, right? They host workshops where you get to get your hands (and feet) dirty and help work on one of their many projects. I’d been wanting to join in on one for years but for one reason or another the timing was just never right. That brings us to this year, my year of nourishing curiosity. So when a new workshop popped up on a weekend that was wide open I, of course, had to do it.

The workshop was held at a beautiful 64 acre farm a few hours away from where I live. The structure we were there to work on had been used as a kind of off grid event space, and we were adding a bathhouse on to it. My main takeaway from the weekend is that my future home must have a bathhouse. I jest, but there’s definitely a huge part of me that forever fantasizes about the bathing situation the family in the movie Totoro has and frankly I need that in my life. We started off the project by making some chip slip to use for the majority of the walls. This is like cob, but instead of straw you use wood chips.

We spread the mixture out on tarps, working it until we hit the right consistency. There was an art to achieving the perfect mud to chip ratio. That mixture was then packed into the framed-in walls, creating insulation which would then get plastered over. Next, we mixed the cob which was used for a special glass bottle feature wall that will bring in such beautiful light. We literally just slapped handfuls of cob, one on top of the other, to build and sculpt our mud wall. It felt like playtime and the hours flew by. It really was an art project once we started placing the glass bottles into our sculpture, organizing them in a circular design. We didn’t complete the wall during the workshop but, even unfinished, I could tell that the end result was going to be good.

When it comes down to natural building, you gotta think about your environment. What makes sense given your surroundings? What materials are local to where you live? Hempcrete houses are becoming more and more popular but that hemp is grown in the prairies, so to build a house like that where I live, you’d be importing the materials. A nice thing about cob is that it provides thermal regulation, so it stays cool in the summer and retains heat in the winter. If you were building in a location where the temperature really fluctuates you might consider using something more insulative, like straw bales. The bottom line is to use what you have access to and build with your environment. That’s what is so magical about cob houses - they are an extension of the earth, and you can feel that when you’re inside. Using a raw material, like mud mixed with your bare hands, gives a space an energy that is completely tangible. On top of that, the essences of each individual that help shape and sculpt the walls is thrown into the mix too, baked in there like a great big pie filled with care and intention. Doesn’t that sound cozy?

And it’s not just that it feels different to be in - the materials are dramatically different to work with. While we were mixing the cob with our feet, we were reminded that clay pulls toxins from the body. We were literally doing a detox while building. That’s pretty remarkable when you consider how toxic some of the materials are in today’s cookie-cutter homes. We got our hands muddy and played freely, not caring about making a mess or a mistake (working with cob is so forgiving). Getting out of my head and into my hands to play in the mud to create something was revitalizing and simply something I don’t do enough. Physical, mental and spiritual win-win-win!

My desire to create a home of my own, and not just be renting a tiny apartment forever, is overwhelming. I make silly excuses for myself like “when I get a bigger kitchen I will become a better cook” or “I’d make more herbal projects if only I had space to store them”. I imagine that I’d find a way to make excuses like these no matter what the space I live in looks like, but still, I feel like a snail that has outgrown its shell. My pinterest board is evidence of my wildest dreams - pretty much my whole feed is just houses. Here’s a peak into some of my future home inspiration:

I’m not sure if or when a cob house will be a reality for me, but I am definitely planning some building projects. I’d like to start with a cob pizza oven and maybe a garden bench (or a combo like the photo below - swoon!).

Trying new things and experimenting is never not worth while. Even if the takeaway is that you actually don’t like the thing you’re learning - that is still a discovery! Nourish your curiosity and see where it takes you.

peace & love to y’all!

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