MEET THE MAKERS: Collective Hand
After a fun and coffee-filled afternoon phone call with Keely Angel, co-founder of Collective Hand, I found myself feeling uplifted and inspired by how she allows her passion and instinct to drive her textile design business based in Brooklyn, NY. Together, Keely and Danielle "Nelly" Angel (they share the same last name not because they are sisters, but because their husbands are twins!) utilize ancient dyeing techniques to create unique and beautiful products. Featuring items such as the dream enhancing eye pillows, tummy pillows, and beautiful meditation cushions, the Collective Hand is filled with vibrant items that induce relaxation and add a pop of color to homes. You can find Collective Hand products in select boutiques and yoga studios around the United States and are an absolute favorite in the Makers & Goods online boutique and in our customized gift boxes.
Get to know Keely & Danielle on a personal level when they play the Meet the Maker question game below...
Makers Story: Keely Angel
M&G: Describe yourself with three adjectives…Keely: adventurous, fierce, big-hearted
M&G: How do you start your day?
Keely: I feed my daughter around 6am, put her back to bed, and do my sadhana. Most days that looks like dry brushing my body, covering myself with a gallon of almond oil, and taking a cold shower while chanting "god and me, me and god are one." Seriously. I've actually grown to love and even crave cold showers. After that I do a meditation.
M&G: What is you biggest entrepreneurial challenge?
Keely: I recently heard that Winston Churchill said "Success is the ability to move from one failure to another without loss of enthusiasm." I think that's what I'm working on day to day. Going full out and staying positive.
M&G: When and where are you the happiest?
Keely: Cuddling with my husband and daughter. Making art.
M&G: What is the greatest risk you have ever taken?
Keely: I apprenticed under an amazing textile designer, which is how I wound up in Brooklyn. The position was what dreams are made of- designing beautiful textiles and flying all over the world for sourcing. When she was moving her studio to California I had to choose between my work and love. I chose love, stayed East, and married Aaron Angel.
M&G: Do you have any fears? If so, how do you conquer them?
M&G: Do you have any fears? If so, how do you conquer them?
Keely: I fear failure and death. The fix for fear of failure is just going for things over and over again and not being attached to the result. I volunteered in hospice for a year or so, and that was an attempt to face death. During labor I think I worked through a lot of death-fear as well. I just think it's in all of our best interest to honor nature's process, the fact that everything transforms through death.
M&G: How do you decompress?
Keely: Yoga, going out with friends, making music, walking in Prospect Park, cooking, taking baths... the list goes on and on!
M&G: What inspires you?
Keely: Nature and those who have freed their creative spirit.
M&G: Do you have a quote that you live by?
Keely: "Make the most of what comes and the least of what goes."
M&G: What is your favorite book?
Keely: Right now it's Stephan Cope's "The Great Work of Your Life." He uses the ancient Hindu scripture "The Bhagavad Gita" in tandem with the life stories of renowned artists and activists to teach about Dharma, or one's true calling.
M&G: What is your favorite restaurant/meal?
Keely: Cafe Mogador - anything on the menu
M&G: Of all of the people in the world who would you most like to have a drink with?
Keely: Guru Jagat
M&G: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Keely: Nothing
M&G: If you could make sure one thing did not change about yourself, what would it be?
Keely: Being a great mother
M&G: If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?
Keely: Australia to visit one of my best friends before she gives birth
M&G: What quality do you find most attractive in others? The least attractive?
Keely: Openness Dishonesty
M&G: In what ways do you and your brand like to give back?
Keely: My vision is to teach dyeing workshops to domestic abuse survivors. I hope this will come to fruition before 2019!
Meet the Maker: Danielle "Nelly" Angel
M&G: How do you start your day?
Nelly: I nurse my baby and drink bullet proof coffee
M&G:
What is you biggest entrepreneurial challenge?
Nelly: Asserting myself when my partner may not agree with my point of view, while staying kind and keeping my heart open. At the end, Keely is my best friend and sister in law and having a good relationship is the most important thing.
M&G: When and where are you the happiest?
Nelly: I am happiest when I am traveling (anywhere!) with my family.
M&G: What is the greatest risk you have ever taken?
Nelly: Deciding to have a second child. I gave birth this past January to a baby girl named Lyla.
M&G:
Do you have any fears? If so, how do you conquer them?
Nelly: I am afraid of being in the public eye and being judged. I still struggle with it, but I conquer it by continuing to do things that scare me. I give speeches at family events, sell at markets and teach dye workshops, where I have to interact with all kinds of people. Most of time just picking up the phone and talking to my closest friends when I am feeling down on myself helps. At the end of the day, I don't need the whole world to like me I just need me to like me.
M&G: How do you decompress?
Nelly: Watching Netflix (I am currently obsessed with Grace and Frankie) with a glass of wine or taking a bath.
M&G: What inspires you?
Nelly: My partner Keely Angel inspires me. She is just full to the brim with creativity and natural talent. She inspires me to express myself and try new things.
M&G: Do you have a quote that you live by?
Nelly: Its a Hebrew quote. "Gam zu letova" it means "also this is for the greatest good." In my life, I don't like to dwell on the negative. A bad experience is always a learning experience and can lead to something better. By remembering this key phrase and making it part of my daily life, it makes it easier for me to move on when things don't go my way.
M&G: What is your favorite book?
Nelly: 1984 by George Orwell
M&G: What is your favorite restaurant/meal?
Nelly: My favorite restaurant is Oleo it's a Mediterranean restaurant in Clinton Hill. I like it all but my favorite dish is Whole-Grain Farro Pasta with Zucchini, broccoli rabe, leeks, fresh basil pesto, olive oil, grated haloumi cheese, toasted walnuts and toasted garlic. Yum!
M&G: Of all of the people in the world who would you most like to have a drink with?
Nelly: I think having a drink with Matisyahu (my favorite music artist) would be awesome.
M&G: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Nelly: Be more confident in who I am and not afraid to express my crazy.
M&G: If you could make sure one thing did not change about yourself, what would it be?
Nelly: My sense of adventure and open mindedness.
M&G: If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?
Nelly: I would love to go to Hawaii. I hear it's paradise on earth. Also, Yogi Bhajan's Ashram in New Mexico because I love kundalini yoga.
M&G: What quality do you find most attractive in others? The least attractive?
Nelly: I find intelligence and sincerity most attractive in others. I try not to judge others because I realize that everyone is suffering and have their own trauma and personal struggles, but If I had to choose something I find the least attractive it would be closed mindedness.
Shop The Collective Hand on Makers & Goods
DREAM box $65
Meditation Cushion $140
Indigo Aromatherapy Eye Pillow $38