Quinn McDonald's Blog, page 47

The Basic Recipe

The bread recipe has morphed again. When I published it a few days ago, I had already changed it twice. I baked it again this morning and made more changes. Swapped the sunflower seeds for pecan pieces. (Chewier texture.) Added some powdered coriander seed and orange dust, they both have a common background fragrance. (Deeper flavor.)

Photo: © Brock Davis via Instagram.

The changes are for taste, not just for the sake of making changes. It’s the same way I handle uncomfortable situations in daily life. No changes just to do something different, but adjustments to feel better, easier, lighter. Sometimes the changes are hard and the results not obvious at first. Sometimes I don’t want to figure out the change that needs to be made, so I add a strong flavor to cover up the unknown.

Covering up a bad flavor with something else doesn’t work in baking. It doesn’t work in life, either, but I keep trying. A lesson I will repeat till I learn it.

Timber from Buddhist Boot Camp says it perfectly: “Here’s a secret: while everyone’s recipe is a little different, the main ingredients for a successful batter are love, gratitude, kindness and patience. And the most common ingredient that makes people’s cake bitter is fear, so don’t use it!”

Note: Starting this week, the blog won’t run on Fridays and Saturdays. They are the two days I get the lowest readership, and are a good choice to carve out more time to teach and develop classes, as well as do some serious journaling. It’s one of the changes that I wish I could avoid, but it needs to be done.

–Quinn McDonald is starting a new way of journaling and wants to practice more.

Filed under: Creativity, Life as Metaphor Tagged: changing recipies, flavor of life, life changes

Saturday Stroll: In my Neighborhood

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” –Marcel Proust
On many Saturdays, I find interesting things around the world of the internet. There are also interesting things within the five miles I walk in the morning. Come along on my walk and see ordinary things with new eyes.

This spill looks like a cheetah, lying down and facing left. “Rof Lit” is part of the alien language painted on the street. I don’t know who Rof is, but his literature has something to do with wild cats, I’m sure.


This tire mark looks like a roadrunner in sunglasses, also facing left. There’s a lot of detail in this accidental mark.

A circle of sand that spells “water” just cracks me up. Of course, I’m easily amused.

Phoenix is so much more than cactus and dust. Here’s a Hong-Kong orchid tree that has adapted to Phoenix. Most of them don’t do well. This one seems to be thriving.


Flying to Houston from Phoenix, I saw this abandoned town in New Mexico. (Yes, the air is hazy with smoke and dirt). During the housing boom, the streets were put in and the foundations poured. Then the money dried up. And so did the town. There are no houses, just empty streets and slab foundations. And there was more than one we flew over.

Take a look at your world today with different eyes. You’ll be surprised at what shows up.

--Quinn McDonald made it home by sheer luck and a crew member who had a map app of the airport so she could find the shortcut to the gate.
Filed under: Life as Metaphor, Links, resources, idea boosts, Nature, Inside and Out Tagged: air art, street art

What Lies Within

We are all so much more than our outsides–what we look like. Sure, everyone knows that, but still. We love things that are beautiful, from kittens to people, from cars to landscapes. I love the potential in things. I love looking for what is about to become different and delight in the development.

This cactus fruit is developing seeds. They are in progress. The light from the sun illuminates the still-growing fruit in a way that says “anticipation” to me.

Amaryllis are big, showy flowers. When I lived on the East Coast, they were my salvation in the winter. Here, many things bloom in winter, but the amaryllis always is a delight.

It develops quickly, always stretching and leaning into the sun. The bud develops and you can see that a lot is happening inside.

Then one day, in under 12 hours, crisp white petals appear and unfurl. I always wonder how they fit into that much smaller bud. It’s like an idea. Once expressed, it expands and takes on a whole new shape.

This blossom was just one of three packed in that special spear-shaped promise. And there is more to come.

What are you growing into?

-–Quinn McDonald is letting nature take its course.

Filed under: Life as Metaphor, Nature, Inside and Out Tagged: anticipation, growth, ideas expanding

Creality, Revisited

What separates success from disappointment (not failure, which is not as bad as being disappointed in yourself) is the ability to be OK with “not yet.” The sense of being an experimenter comes out as the strength to be satisfied with your creative output while knowing, at the same time, that you will do another round, and it will be different, and maybe even better.

Caption at the metro station in Victoria Station, London.

I’ve covered creality several times, but this is the step after creality hits. (Creality is the term that T.J. Goerlitz introduced me to. It’s the gap between what is in your head and what you produce. )

This quote by Ira Glass  (host of This American Life) jumped out at me today, and it was perfect for my state of mind. Maybe yours, too.

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this.

We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”   ― Ira Glass

–-Quinn McDonald is a writer and art journaler. She’s still fighting.

Filed under: Inner Hero/Inner Critic, The Writing Life Tagged: artist, Creality, creativity coach

Dreaming of June

June seems like a long time away-but like the seed catalog that reaches you just as you had given up all hope for Spring, I want to whisper some green hope in your ear. Polar vortices, sleet, shoveling snow–leave them behind for a minute. Tuck yourself into a cozy place in your house and imagine June on an island that is a green prairie. It has rocky and sandy beaches, rivers tucked into coves. This place is not just imaginary, it’s Madeline Island in Lake Superior. And you can restore your soul and learn to laugh again this summer.

From June 2 to 6, I will be teaching Jungle Gym for Monkey Mind at Madeline Island School of Arts. The class is based on the Inner Hero book, and we’ll learn something new every day. You’ll try your hand at writing poetry, surface decorating papers, using the papers to make seed packets for those tiny beginning ideas you want to grow into big, sturdy plans.

You’ll discover your inner heroes and what you have in common with them. You’ll make friends and have time to visit art galleries and restaurants. If you like a noisier time, you’ll find bars and restaurants to keep you up all night.

If you are ready to retrieve your soul from where it has drifted, this class is the one for you. Every participant will receive a free creativity coaching session to help them explore the inner landscape that is so often neglected. The island is a perfect setting for coming back into who you want to be.

We’ll learn specifics every morning and you can explore how to use them in the afternoon. The classroom is also open all night. No locks, just space and time. You can work any time. Just turn out the light if you are the last to leave.

You’ll create monoprints and gather your results into a book, a journal of memories and encouragement to take back into your changed life. It’s time to restore that part of you that has to be strong and give all year.

Think about it. And begin to plan it. It’s an experience like no other. No art or writing experience necessary. Just a sense of adventure.

—Quinn McDonald taught at Madeline Island last summer and is dreaming about returning. She welcomes you to join her in a remarkable experience.

Looks like a painting, but it’s the view from the classroom at Madeline Island School of Arts

Filed under: Creativity, Inner Critic, Quinn's Classes, Recovering Perfectionists, The Writing Life Tagged: art retreat, Madeline Island, Madeline Island School of Arts, soul retrieval, vacation planning, writing retreat

Gold Sumi-e Color and a Giveaway

One of the items Niji gave me to play with when I became a designer for them is their dish of pale gold sumi-e watercolor paint. Rich with gold and possibility, I’ve found several ways to make the most of it.

Ceramic dish of pale gold sumi-e watercolor paint by Yasutomo.

I can’t help it, I love the 2-3/4-inch ceramic dish it comes in. And I’m giving a dish of it away. (Details below.)

My new favorite way to apply it is with a brayer–the roller you use to apply ink to printing plates.

Using black paper and gold paint, I made a fantasy card.  For the background, choose a sturdy paper like Strathmore ArtAgain or Arches cover. Using a fat, fairly stiff brush (I use a glue brush), mix some water into the dish. Load the brush and then snap the brush to drip gold sumi-e paint on the paper.

Immediately, roll the brayer up over the paint. You can use a painted stripe if you want to include a horizon line.

I added a painted circle out of the acrylic paper for a moon and let it extend beyond the edge, trimming off the extra. You can read the entire instructions on the Niji blog page, here.

If fantasy cards aren’t your thing, you can use the gold sumi-e paint to color shipping tags, too. I had already painted several of them with acrylics (for my Tiny Journal class this weekend at Arizona Art Supply) I splashed some gold ink on them and rolled the brayer across to add bold patterns.

Last week, at the Craft and Hobby Association convention in Anaheim, California, I discovered that Yasutomo was introducing a new paper.  It’s made of  . . . minerals. Called Mineral White in the origami paper and All Media paper for artists, it is amazing to work with. Yes, it is made from very finely ground calcium carbonate in a soft binder. It feels like paper, but it has a huge benefit for watercolor artists–the paper doesn’t curl when wet. It stays flat no matter what you do with it. No buckling at all.

Here is a sheet of Mineral White with gold sumi-e watercolor brayered across it. It looks like a landscape of mountains. It’s great for art journaling or origami. You can also use it for origami or collage.

This is the Mineral White with a blue and green Splash Ink wash and a spritz of water to create the look of rain.

Then I brayered gold watercolor across it for another whole dimension of color and glitz.

Just because it’s watercolor doesn’t mean you have to use a brush to paint it on!

To win a 2-3/4-inch ceramic dish of Yasutomo pale gold sumi-e paint, you have to do two things:

Leave a comment on this blog.
Like the Yasutomo Facebook page.

The winner will be announced on January 27, on this blog post and on the Yasutomo Facebook page.

There’s another giveaway going on today: Photographer Bo Mackison (I altered a photograph she took in the Inner Hero book) is giving away a copy of my new book on her blog.

—Quinn McDonald is the author of the newly-released Inner Hero Creative Art Journal. She is on the Niji Design Team and is an art journaler, writer, and certified creativity coach.

Yasutomo provided the materials to all design team members and will provide the paint to the winner.

Filed under: Tutorials Tagged: gold sumi-e paint, mineral paper, niji design team

Bread for Diabetics

A few days ago, I saw a recipe for a loaf of bread that was vegan, gluten-free and made with seeds and nuts. It sounded yummy, but a bit severe.  I wondered if I could make some changes and keep it delicious for diabetics, too. After baking the original and making several changes, here’s what I came up with.

Ingredients:

1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup ground flax seeds (don’t use whole seeds, you can’t digest them)
1/ cup hazelnuts. (You can substitute almonds or walnuts)
1-1/2 cups rolled oats (6-grain, whole-grain mix is OK, no steel-cut oats)
1/4 cup dried apricots or dried black figs
2 Tsp. chia seeds
4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks
1 tsp. fine grain sea salt
3 T coconut nectar
3 T butter
2 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 cups milk

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Chop hazelnuts and dried fruit into a rough chop. Combine all dry ingredients and fruit in a large bowl. In a medium saucepan, heat milk, vanilla and butter until the butter melts. You do not want to boil the milk. Allow to cool until the mixture is below 110 degrees F.

Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. If mixture becomes too thick to stir, add a tablespoon of water at a time. Pour the mixture into a greased loaf pan. Let sit for two hours. You can also make this in the evening and leave it in the fridge overnight.

Bake bread for 20 minutes, then remove bread from pan, place the bare loaf upside down, directly on the oven rack, bake for another 30 to 40 minutes until it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing.

It’s not a bread that can be used for sandwiches, but it is great with cream cheese, or with gruyere melted onto it. Also good plain or with nut butter.

* * *

No, I’m not starting to write a food blog. But I’ve found very few really good diabetic breads or snacks. Creativity includes cooking and self care.

–Quinn McDonald misses cinnamon rolls more than anything else, but is getting over it.

Filed under: Food & Recipes Tagged: diabetic-safe bread, nut and seed bread, tasty snack foods

Creative Stroll: January 18, 2014

We live in a world of detail we never see or notice. Sometimes we are just in a rush, other times we lack the microscopes to see the tiny details.

© Markus Reuger, Liquid Art

Markus Reugels at Liquid Art has the microscope and the camera, but the photos he takes are not manipulated. He uses water, food coloring and oils to create these amazing photographs of water drops.

© Markus Reuger

Lukas Holas is a photographer and graphic designer from the Czech Republic. He does animal portraits in black and white, the details coming through the spare, no-background portrait approach.

© Lukas Holas

The lighting and staging makes these portraits extraordinary. You can tell Lukas’ love and respect for animals.

© Lukas Holas

Visarute Angkatatavanich is also a commercial and animal photographer, but he specializes in Siamese Fighting Fish. Yes, those fighting fish. Currently living in Bangkok, Thailand, Visarute captures the amazing flowing fins of these fish in still photography.

© Visarute Angkatavanich

Bettas (from the Latin name) live two to four years and are about three inches long.

Visarute Angkatavanich

Two male Bettas in the same aquarium isn’t a good idea. They will fight till one of them wins and the other is dead. Better to let each one be the king of his domain.

Have a creative Saturday!

–Quinn McDonald loves the details people see in the world.

Filed under: Links, resources, idea boosts Tagged: animal portraits, water drop photography

Dirty Little Addictions: Guest Post

Note: As people buy the Inner Hero book (or simply fight with their Inner Critic), I invite guest posts that discuss the struggle. Today, Wendy Watson of Late Start Studio (and a frequent commenter on the blog) talks about addictions–the metaphorical equivalent of tempting candy treats handed out by your Inner Critic.

Dirty Little Addictions: Wendy Watson

Yes, most of us have them and from time to time they get out of hand.  I have one: I knew of it’s existence before partaking but eventually a personal introduction was made by a friend, well it was more like the way a new convert would be indoctrinated into a cult and I fell for it hook, line and sinker.  At first it was harmless and I thought I had full control, no one, not even me, was being hurt.  Now?  I can’t quite say the same.  The effect of this energy sapping, mind numbing (most addictions are), debilitating and dirty little addiction is that I am wasting my time, time I can never recover.

Because I have had a month off work and don’t need to clear my mind of rubbish by putting even more in its place (how pointless is that!) I am noticing how much precious time this compulsion robbing away from me.

© Wendy Watson 2014

I’ve tried to ration when I allow myself to indulge but to no avail.  Do I need to go cold turkey?  Is that even possible?  Do I need to find myself a 12-step programme and work through it?    I joke that I have oodles of willpower but next to no won’t-power.  Not funny.  I have to come up with a plan whereby I am accountable for what is wasted on this dirty little secret of mine.

Perhaps some kind soul would come and wave a big stick around, threaten, cajole, encourage by turns.  That might be a fine plan but will hardly empower me to make my own decisions, live my own life.  There’s only one thing for it . . . do it myself.  I got myself into this mess and I know I have lots of company but small comfort that is!

I don’t need to tell you what it is; you might try and experience the initial thrill of it for yourself and so it’s better you remain ignorant.  No, I need to ‘fess up to myself, put on my big girl knickers and get on with living!  Remember, “Each day passes whether you participate or not,” Deng Min Dao, 365 Tao: Daily Meditations.

* * *

The Amazon problem is now resolved, and the book shows it is shipping and reviews can be posted.

Filed under: Inner Critic, Inner Hero/Inner Critic Tagged: guest post, inner hero creative art journal, wendy watson

Living with Your Messy Journal

Somewhere in your head is the vision of the perfect journal. Maybe it’s all online, on a beautifully decorated page with changing photographs. Or maybe it’s all written in fountain pen, in a lovely Palmer penmanship. It’s a nice thought, but it’s unlikely. If you are like me, you drag your journal with you and it has sticky spots on the cover, grease spots on the inside pages and some place where the cat (or your) chewed the corner.

“If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are, you’ll fall into someone else’s plan and. . .”

Life is messy. Your journal will be, too. Unless you create separate pages and include only those you like, (and whose life is that controlled?), you will have pages that are neater than others. If you use your journal daily, you will write in various pens, include things torn from magazines, and in other ways, create a journal that looks like your life–messy and busy.

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“Guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”

It’s a much more realistic approach to journaling. There are people who tell me that they are waiting for their lives to “quiet down” before they start coaching. They never get around to it. Coaching, like journaling, takes place in the middle of messes, tears, joy, and confusion. That’s how life is.

If you hate a messy journal, here are three ways to make changes:

1. You can cut out an annoying page, leaving about an inch close to the spine. Then tape another page, one you like better, to the stub, using washi or masking tape. (If you have a sewing machine, you can stitch it in.)

2. You can gesso over the page you don’t like, and re-create it. Now you don’t have to look at the annoying page. You can also use a cream-colored acrylic and let some of the old work peek through. It’s more interesting that way.

3. Tape a piece of vellum over the offending page and write a list of things you would do differently on the vellum. That helps cover the old work and lets you remember what you like and don’t like. (That may change over time).

Or, you can enjoy the journal exactly the way it is, knowing that you are a recovering perfectionist, and your journal is fine the way it is.

–Quinn McDonald is a writer who keeps a messy journal. Several of them, in fact.

Filed under: Journal Pages, Recovering Perfectionists Tagged: art journaling, fixing a journal page, perfectionists