Making it Stick

For all artists, crafters, or just people who need to know how to glue two items together, there is a website for you: thistothat.com

The homepage gives you two boxes to choose the two items you are trying to glue together. Click Submit, and it gives you the best glue for the materials.

There is also a page for trivia that includes items like:

” When you are sucking in all the toxins from your cigarette, you can rest assured that the glue used to hold it together is completely non-toxic. It is made from a combination of casein (milk) and wax (to increase moisture resistance), and is absolutely harmless.” or

” Cellulose, the major ingredient of the cell walls of plants, is the base of adhesives ideal for sticking plastic or glass to the cornea of the eye. Methyl Cellulose does not irritate human tissue, which is why it is used for this application.”

No wonder I use methyl cellulose for collages and cards–it’s easy and doesn’t pull of my skin.

–Quinn McDonald is an artist who sticks up for original artwork. And she does it without glue. See her work at QuinnCreative.com (c) 2008 All rights reserved. Image: northumberlandglue.uk

Another Idea About Slow Art

Slow Art: (noun) the visible or auditory result of creativity; the original work of art created by a person without assembling kits through instructions. Kit parts or kits assembled in a way not originally intended (the kind of re-assembly that violates warranties) count as slow art. Used first by Quinn McDonald, who took the idea of Slow Food (the opposite of fast food, and meant to apply to food grown locally, cooked in simple ways that are both nourishing and enjoyable) into the creative world of the imagination.

I’ve written about the value of slow art before. More than once. The idea has moved beyond art and into general creativity. Inspired by Do-It-Yourself channels, the imagination has taken creativity into the most interesting corners.

Perhaps the digital world is not as satisfying as we hoped. In the 1960s, visions of the future included lives with computers that did all the work, while people enjoyed far more leisure. But we don’t have leisure anymore. The 40-hour work week is non-existent; we stay at the office longer and longer to prove our “passion” for our work. When we leave, we beg to have our lives interrupted via phones, beepers, Blackberries, and computer cameras. We love being available at work.

And a certain contingent is rebelling against the organization that everything is virtual. The artists who delight in Slow Art want independence from digital compliance. So they hack and mock their way into a new world of creativity.

Instructables.com defines itself as the “world’s biggest show and tell.” You can learn how to draw (analog or digital), bake bread, get a tree planted on your block in San Francisco, or create a spill-proof tray for your Honda Odyssey. This is original work by people who want to let others know an easier, better, or more interesting way to live their life.

If you are a bit geekier, you can go over to makezine.com, which will show you how to make a Minthesizer– is a low voltage, low power, analog synthesizer. If you are a low-level geek, there is an article for a foolproof way to open a bottle of wine. My favorite is the crossover from PDA to altered art–a hardback book turned into a “laptop PDA” by a combination of art and hack.

Hackzine reclaims the word hacker for the good guys by bringing the technorati together in the blogosphere to improve technological devices. Sure you can run Linnux apps in Windows, but I’m really interested in drawing holograms by hand.

My mood is lifting. Art and the imagination are not dead. It’s simply moved into the streets as a pick-up game of mental play, where mixed media gets a whole new meaning and anything original can be improved on. It’s a wonderful next step into the magical realm of Slow Art where originality counts more than price, and sharing information is part of the joy.

–Quinn McDonald is a certified creativity coach and artist who values Slow Art. See her work at QuinnCreative.com

Play Time

If you have never made sand art, here is your chance to do it without a mess.

You can not only pile it on in different colors, you can shave it off again. It takes a little practice, but it’s a lot of fun.

Go play in the sand. And yes, you can save them, too.

Working Your To-Do List

It’s always the same. When people want you to do one more thing, generally something that is more important to them than you, they suggest you do it right before you go to bed. I now start going to bed at 5 p.m. just so I can get all those last-minute things done by midnight.

A few of my coaching clients tell me that they hate writing to-do lists. The reason, they say, is that it is a roll-call of failure. Items that don’t get done reproach them daily for being lazy. Being lazy is not a bad thing. Often lazy people are very bright, and they develop smart shortcuts that help them accomplish things quickly, efficiently and with accuracy, giving them time to do what they choose.

How can you make “lazy” work for you? Take a look at that to-do list. It’s probably filled with big, clunky projects that you don’t want to do. Maybe a few small things that you can do quickly. So you do those. If you are like most people (including me), you’ll put a few things on that list that you have already done, or do automatically (like brushing your teeth), just so you can get something checked off.

Here’s a better way to manage the lists:

1. Write down those things you need to get done. Big, small, write them all down. That will not only keep you from forgetting, but also take a weight off your mind. That alone makes a list worthwhile. I like index cards for this, so I can keep the list in front of me, but you can use whatever makes you feel comfortable. It is easier to use a piece of paper you don’t have to re-write constantly–a page you can move in your notebook.

2. Create the list at the end of the workday. It preps you for the next day, and is a good way to wind up your time in the office. You’ll set priorities while they are fresh in your mind.

3. Circle three things that have to get done. Just three. The things that make the most impact, have the highest priority, clear the widest swath of time in your day.

4. Take another 3 index cards. Writing just on the front, put one item on each card and jot down the steps needed for each. People you have to call, meetings to set, research to be done, things to look up. Some lists will have one item on them, for example, “Call  Jason Pierce for article interview.” Others will have several steps. That’s it. Walk away from your office.

5. The next morning, once you arrive at work, pick up one of the three index cards and get to work. Don’t check your emails first. Checking emails is a sabotage of getting work done. Don’t take phone calls until you get the items on the first index cards done. If one of the items is to do an interview, pick up the phone and get it done. If you haven’t made an appointment, get that part done.

6. Once you have accomplished the steps on the first index card, you can look at your emails or pick up your voice mails.  Don’t get sucked into your emails. Answer the most important ones, but if there is a task to do, it goes on your to-do list. Most people waste an enormous amount of time reading and answering emails in the order they receive them instead of in the order of importance.

7. Tackle the second index card before lunch and the last one by mid afternoon. Getting three items accomplished well and completely is not as common as you might think. You’ll have to fight off interruptions, the drifters who come in to waste your time, and the drama people who like to create emergencies so they can be heroes and solve them.  Tell them you are busy right now. It’s true, and it works.

At the end of the work day, repeat the to-do list process. You’ll find your to-do list shrinking and your email list manageable. Many emails are simply people commenting on your emails because they feel they have to.

Once you get into the habit of doing three important things each day, and doing them well, you will find yourself less stressed, less crazy, and more productive.

–Quinn McDonald is a certified creativity coach who develops and teaches business communication courses. You can see her work at QuinnCreative.com (c) 2008 All rights reserved.  Image: Einstein’s to-do list: www.curiostudio.com

2008: Use a Paper Calendar

Technology is a wonderful thing–most of the time. I love my iPhone. I love my Mac. I love my paper calendar. What? I still have an old-fashioned paper calendar? Yes, and I say it without guilt.

An electronic calendar shows you your appointments for today. But most of them, on the monthly view, simply show dots for days you have something planned. And if you use an electronic calendar connected to your office’s schedule, people will schedule meetings into your life wall-to-wall. You will drift from one meeting to the next, growing your to-do list to unmanageable lengths, or spend a lot of time blocking out work time to avoid being swamped by meetings.

That’s where a paper calendar comes in handy. I use one that shows a month at a time. Time passes too fast for me to use a week view. I need a whole month overview. Good monthly calendars are almost impossible to find, so I get mine at Levenger’s--big squares, starts each week on Monday, nice heavy paper, pre-punched for the Circa (Rollabind) system I use.

Using a paper calendar has the advantage of showing you when you aren’t busy as well as when you are. Like an analog clock that show you what time it isn’t, letting you know, for example, that you have half an hour to go before your conference call, a calendar shows when your day is in threat of being overloaded. A paper calendar shows you that you have a meeting with an important client first thing in the morning and another important client last thing in the day. Few people are both morning and afternoon people, so one of those meetings won’t be at your best time. Maybe now is a good time to switch one of them.

A paper calendar shows that you booked yourself through lunch three days in a row. That you have two days to write that summary. That your anniversary is at the end of the month, with a little wiggle room to find out what would delight your spouse most.

My iPhone is vital to me, my Mac is a constant companion, but I’m not giving up the paper calendar. I need to know what day it isn’t.

Image: www.amazon.com

–Quinn McDonald teaches communication skills to people and corporations. See her work at QuinnCreative.com (c) 2007 All rights reserved.

Creative To-Do Lists

To-do lists can nag you or make you crazy. There are many ways to handle them, and the one I learned in the corporate world is my least favorite: I was taught to create three columns, one for most important, one for medium important and one for things that are good to get done sometime this week. Didn’t work for me, although it must have good uses for some people.

First, I have to admit that I use a paper to-do list. Yes, I have post-its on my Mac. Yes, I have a calendar that lets me generate a to-do list. But for the same reason I keep a paper calendar, I use a paper to-do list. It’s easier for me.

Here are two ways to use a to-do list. Both involve 3 x 5 index cards, or 4 x 6 cards if you write big.  (I turn the cards and work on them portrait-orientation.) I work on several projects at a time, so I use one card per project. Each project’s name is written on the top of the card, and the to-do list underneath. That way, I can put all the project to-do lists next to each other and see how much work I have and which project needs to take priority. When I have a lot of projects going at the same time, it’s wonderful.

When I get really into projects, I assign one color to each project, and color code the cards to match the project. (You can also use different color cards.) Color coding gives me overviews and helps me draw conclusions faster. (”A lot of blue cards, do I need to farm some of this out?” “The yellow project is due in a week. Why so few yellow cards? Am I done early, or is there something missing?”)

Then there is the worry list to-do list. When I wake up at night, unable to sleep and busy worrying, I make a list of things I’m worrying about. Having written down the worries, I go back to sleep. The next morning, I tackle the things that need to be done.

The last to-do list is called the tag-cloud to do list. Because I use the same method as tag clouds–the more important a task, the bigger I write it. Because I have small handwriting, I draw a box around each item on the list. The bigger the box, the more important (or worrisome, or pressing) the item. That gives me two facts at once: the item and the importance, all in one glance.

You can use a mix of these methods. Color-coding works with tag-clouding very well.  Tag-clouding works with worry-list well, too. And no matter what method I choose, writing down all the things that need to get done helps me free up more memory cells.

Image: www.ontimesupplies.com

–Quinn McDonald is a certified creativity coach and a trainer specializing in communicating. That includes Writing for the Web and Giving Powerful Presentations. See all the topics at QuinnCreative.com (c) 2007 All rights reserved.

Working Way Out of the Office

Running your own business is hard enough, finding time and space to do it is a tricky business. When I worked in an office, I had a to-do list. Most days, I’d arrive at the office, and by the time I had a cup of hot coffee in my hand, there was a line of people and my email beeping insistently.  My to-do list became the coaster for my coffee, and the day was filled dealing with the people at the door and on the other end of the email. My to-do list remained undone.

Now that I run my own business, it could be the same. But it isn’t. My to-do list is the stuff I need to do. Today. So I use the perks of life in a connected world to my own advantage.

Need to do some research? I grab the laptop, go to the library, and while I’m there, get work done using the free wifi at the Tempe Library. (Check your library for wifi access by going to Maps.Google and clicking on Businesses, then typing in “free wifi” in the first search block and your city in the second.)

Visiting a client? While I’m at checking how to get there, I’ll also check for wifi spots close to the business. (See the method above, type in “free wifi” in the first search block and the address of the business in the second search block.) When I leave the client, I head for a wifi spot and create two documents–a summary of the meeting and what I agreed to do and entries on the to-do list to start the project. While I’m at the wifi spot, I’ll check for emails and answer the pressing ones.

Ready for lunch? I rarely eat between noon and 1 p.m. The restaurants are full. Eating after 1 p.m. at a free wifi spot makes it more likely to find a spot where I can use the laptop and phone.

Sometimes I do work from home all day long, but on days that are filled with client visits, I get work done without missing a beat. And getting out of the office is often a great way to get a little social time in. And yes, I have talked to people at lunch or in the library and walked out with a new client. It doesn’t happen often, but often enough to include the laptop’s extension cord in the carrying case.

Free wifi spots in the Phoenix, AZ area.

–Quinn McDonald develops and runs training programs in business communication skills. See her work at QuinnCreative.com

The Community of Writers

If you are a writer, you know the truth: writing for a living is tough. You are expected to write for free for the Web, where sincere people tell you sincerely that the Web is free, and this is a great opportunity to have your writing seen. Their sincerity is so powerful that it’s hard to remember that the very same voice who is telling you this is not connected to a body that is working for free. And as of this blog post, people still need to have shelter, food, and clothing.

Turn around, and try to join a writing organization, and an equally sincere voice says that you can’t join unless you have been paid for publishing something.

So you hang in the middle, feeling alone.

First, get some self-worth, mix it with a bit of self-wrath, kick yourself in the butt and demand payment for your work. Then join the Authors Guild. This is a long-standing group of professionals that help you navigate contracts, understand what you sign, and help you find grants, contests, and other places to publish. It’s informative, creates that all important community to help you stick together and get paid.

Yes, the Authors Guild costs money (about $90 a year, depending on your salary from writing), and you have had to been published, but the terms are generous.

If you are a writer, you need to belong. If your computer doesn’t let you connect to links (like the one above), I’ll post the website: http://www.authorsguild.org

–Quinn McDonald is a writer and certified creativity coach, who also develops classes for people who want to write and speak clearly. See her work at QuinnCreative.com (c) 2007 All rights reserved.

Life Hack Tips

A life hack is someone who develops shortcuts to daily living for personal pleasure and often money saving reasons. Here are some tips to make this busy season a little easier, and then some art papers to make you drool.

Want to upgrade your computer and don’t know how to wipe information from the old one?
This article in the AARP magazine: Upgrading or Disposing of Old PCs will help.

Make your own books? Want an easy way to bind them? Think about the zutter. It’s not stitched binding, but for putting together pages to form a book, it’s an easy solution.

Think you’ve read this article before? Not here. Maybe it’s just deja-vu.

Galen Berry makes the most amazing marbled papers. Worth looking at, maybe even framing.

Handmade papers from all over the world. By country. Amazing papers.

Unusual quotes from unlikely sources. The link takes you to Stephen King’s quotes.

–Quinn McDonald is a writer and artist. See her work at QuinnCreative.com 

Links for Making Life Easy (or fun)

Let’s start off my clearing out junk

Get rid of unwanted Direct Mail (and save some trees.)

Stop unwanted catalogs. This site requires that you know the name of the catalog (or company), but it is incredibly detailed, so you can get rid of only the ones you don’t like.

Own a pair of ultra-cool Christian Louboutin shoes–the ones with the red sole? Of course, you can’t stand the idea of the red sole wearing off–those shoes would look like the rest of  us in the common ruck wear. Arty’s Shoes in Manhattan will replace the sole in a nice bright red for $40. Call Arty’s at 212-255-1451.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics discovered some lipsticks contain lead. Lots of hype and fear. Before you stop wearing lipstick, the study discovered that the lead was more than the FDC allows in candy, and even if you believe that you ingest four pounds of lipstick in your life (a common rule of thumb), that isn’t enough to cause serious worry.

Stop worrying and make a virtual snowflake with virtual scissors and paper.

This isn’t new, but I love it every time I see it. Some people created catwalks in their house–for their cats. The playground include ramps, cutouts and some beautiful work, whether or not a cat is using it as a walkway.

Enjoy!

–Quinn McDonald is a certified creativity coach and seminar leader. See her work at QuinnCreative.com (c) 2007 All rights reserved.