Name: Elly McCornack

Social Media Handle/Username: @muffinlady18

Introduce Yourself/Tell About Yourself: Hi, I’m Elly. I’m 29, a Libra, left handed and I live in the Pacific Northwest. I’m a perpetual night owl and my greatest strength is I’m a greater listener. I can talk your ear off about Star Wars and Lord of the Rings though. I am too crafty for my own good (I love yarn) and I love to learn new things. I have a song lyric for every occasion and once was told by an old classmate of mine that “You look like someone that would listen to Björk.” I feel like that explains me pretty well.

What Inspires You Every day? : I feel like what inspires me every day is art and learning. I love learning. Yes… I was that kid in school. I try to learn something new every day. Whether it be a historical fact, a new song, a pop culture thing, facts about sports or even just how something works; I love consuming knowledge. It is fun when you consume art and they make a reference to another thing you know that makes the meaning the art you are consuming way cooler. It isn’t about being the smartest person in the room but how everything is connected. A reference made in a classical book can get turned into a painting that might end up as a meme. Your favorite artist is inspired by the world around them that was shaped by people years ago that were inspired by people years before that!

What is some words of wisdom you live by?: Anyone that knows me knows my motto for life is: “Check yourself before you wreck yourself.” It is a motto for every occasion. Whether it be emotionally, physically, mentally, or even spiritually; checking yourself before you go through with something can help you a ton. I think we live in an automatic instant life and stepping back can help with thinking things through. Making sure you are doing what you need and want is waaaay better than missing out on what can make you more content with things.

What is your ultimate goal in life? : My joke answer is owning a sheep farm in Ireland where I make yarn from the wool and sell it. Maybe even use the sheep for hire to cut grass after shearing season? But the real answer is to leave the world a kinder place than I found it. It doesn’t have to be in a “change the whole world to achieve global peace” dealio, but be kinder to myself to then be kind to other to help others to be kinder to theirselves to then domino. It is easier to start an impact with your own behaviors and actions to then ripple outwards, than it is to start at trying to save the world.

How have you been during the pandemic and how has it affected you? : I am super luckily and the pandemic has treated me with kindness. I spent a lot of the super major lockdown being creative and that was nice because my mental health from the stress of accidentally getting Covid was super high. I live with my parents, who are older, and would most definitely get KO’d if they got Covid. I feel like the pandemic has really affected me by showing the relationship my body has with stress. I thought I knew the way my brain makes my anxiety go off and ways to deal with it, but the pandemic really showed that there is a lot of subconscious things that make my amygdala not happy. I am also a chronically ill individual and so the fear of getting more sick was looming there as well.

What is a message you would like to give others? : Don’t be scared to slow down. This kind of goes with the “check yourself” mindset. Everything is instant and go go go and hustle and be rich and have all the nice things. I know what burn out feels like, it sucks. If you are 30 and are still living at home, have no job and no future? That is ok. Don’t push yourself into feeling like you have to be at a certain spot in life. You will get there when you need to be. Rushing it is only going to make things come when they aren’t suppose to and you’ll hate it. Being a late bloomer is fine. Other people are in their life where they need to be. It is their life. Not yours. Focus on your life, do what you need to when you need to. You’ll be happier for it.

What else would you like to tell others about you or your life?: I am mostly saying this as a reminder to myself but just do the project you are scared of starting/finishing. Think of all the terrible things that were made. The awful movies and tv shows you have watched. The terrible songs that became popular. The eye rolling things that people threw money at and got made. Your song, script, painting, musical, one act show about clam chowder will be loved by someone. Even if that someone is you. The stress/anxiety of it not being done that constantly in your head will not make it done. It doesn’t have to be perfect. That is what rough drafts are for. Get it out and fix it in post. You will learn so much more by just doing it. Just sit down for (Even if it is for 5 minutes) and work on it.