“Dust is only a name for what happens when matter begins to understand itself” – Phillip Pullman

Hello again!

Where have I been?  Thailand, Malaysia, Colombia, the Yoo Ess Ay, and deep in the desert of wonders that is Black Rock City.

I’ve spend months travelling, exploring and adventuring, collecting wild experiences like they were tiny figurines of baby animals (aw, cute).  And while I’ve had a brilliant time cultivating the adventure, digesting it all and regurgitating it into blog-sized bites requires some serious processing time.

This little post is just to let you all know that I’m still here, and still thinking – just taking a little break from writing while I soak it all in.  Currently I’m in decompression mode, chilling in Los Angeles (city of the sickest music, the coolest art, the tastiest fish tacos and the most expensive cars).  Just a little pause before I hit the road again, jump in Hagrid the half-wizard, half-giant of a van that deposits me in the most magical places amidst a cloud of dust and glitter.

Next stop, NATURE.  Cruising up Route 1 to take in the California coast.  Hoping for some good recharging time while lying on beautiful beaches and hiking among the redwoods.

Just living the big picture.  Not trying to draw conclusions or compose little life lessons.  One glorious endless summer day at a time.

Blissed out in the hamaca, Salento, Colombia

{ Top image by Michael Holden, courtesy of the Burning Man Blog, bottom image is my own handiwork }

I’m sitting on the floor in my living room, surrounded by my life for the past five years.  I’d like to think that the end result will be as romantic and tidy as the vintage suitcases above, but as anyone who’s ever gone on a journey knows, packing is actually painful and messy.  And those beautiful vintage suitcases would be hell to haul all over the world.

Yes, I’m on the move.  I’m surprised that I haven’t told you already.  I’ve been meaning to.  But when I’ve tried to sit down and write with the air of excitement that befits someone leaving on a five month jetsetting adventure, I suddenly feel emotionally spent.

It’s true that I’ve been working hard, and that I’ve been busy.  But that’s not why I haven’t written about my upcoming travels.  I’ve been paralysed by fear.

A Little Bit of Fear

…is a good thing.  As long as it doesn’t stop you from tackling your goals.  As long as you have the presence of mind to recognize fear as what it is, to evaluate it, and to let it go when the time is right.

Here’s what I’m afraid of: not being true to myself and the pursuit of my dreams.  Compromising my vision for something (or someone) else.  Letting life happen to me instead of living the life I’ve imagined.

Yes, fear is why I haven’t told you about my impending great big globetrotting adventure.

Shouldn’t I be bursting at the seams with the announcement that I’m heading to Malaysia, Thailand, Colombia, and across the United States for 5 whole months?

Am I excited?  Hell yes.

But until about a week ago, I was also contentious, grumpy, negative and somewhat depressed.  I couldn’t make sense of these emotions until I sat down with a pen and paper and gave myself permission to express what was going on inside that was keeping me from feeling joyful about this incredible journey.

It turned out that upon closer inspection, my fear was more than second guessing.  It was a great big existential question mark: Do I really want to spend a considerable amount of time (and money) jetsetting across three continents?  Do I really want to pursue living a gypsy lifestyle, spending half the year in Australia and the other half in the US?  Or would I rather be putting all that energy of travel into designing, making, breathing life into my creative pursuits?

Am I really following my dreams, or am I simply following?

Yes, this is a big scary question.  And I don’t have a clear answer yet.

But I can tell you one thing: I’m not scared anymore.  Simply recognizing this fear was all I needed to put this adventure into perspective, and make sure that I get what I need from it.  I’m digging the idea of some eye-opening creative stimulation.  I’m going to three new countries with an open mind and stack of blank journals.

I’m exploring my home turf with the fresh eyes of one who’s been living abroad for much longer than I ever expected.  I’m spending a month checking out a city that I’ve always imagined could be my home (in case you’re curious, it’s San Francisco).  I’m finally making my way to the mecca of madness that is Burning Man.

Three continents in 5 months

…and two of them new to me.  This is a rare gift that I’m giving to myself, this time, this adventure, this fuel for my imagination.

My metal, my tools, my creative business drive – these will all be waiting for me when I get back (and some of it will be coming with me).  With any luck, this time away will support the pursuit a unique point of view, the development of a distinctive voice – something that I still struggle with when I try to pinpoint it while sitting in my workshop.

I’m not sure that art happens only in the studio.  The artwork itself takes shape there, but the spark of inspiration comes from somewhere else.  I’ve set my intentions for this journey: I’m fueling my fire.

So if this physical journey is necessary for intangible inspiration, then why the fear?

Perhaps fear is a red flag raised from somewhere deep inside.  It’s not always something to be conquered (though sometimes it needs to be shown who’s boss).  Sometimes it’s the stifled voice within.  The Dream asserting itself.  Making it known that it will not be forgotten.

And sometimes, that simple reminder is all that we need to make peace with our fear.  Awareness, evaluation, intention, acceptance.

And then free falling abandon as I give in to the wanderlust.

{ Image via Olivia Carter on Pinterest }

When I first sat down to sketch out my business plan, one of the questions in the template I was using asked me identify my competition.  Being a love-bug idealist, I not only felt uncomfortable with the question, I flat out refused to answer it.  Call it naivité, but I believe that if I’m true to my own wild creative vision in my business then there will be ample reception for what I have to offer.

The belief in community rather than competition is, in part, why I love this interview of visionary businesswoman Alexis Neely on the Scoutie Girl blog.

Her view of the future of business – and of human interaction in general, for that matter – is one based on creativity and non-competitiveness, and she argues that this sort of paradigm is exactly what artists have to offer to the business world.

I also love her discussion of success on your own terms and her encouragement to break the rules in favor of a creative, instinctive kind of business.

The best thing is that the interview is recorded, so you can stream it or download the podcast.  Totally inspirational listening for anyone who knows that a business can be more than just a business.

I can’t get enough feathers these days.  Perhaps I’ll grow some of my own and fly away on a gypsy adventure…

Top to bottom, left to right: Feather headdress by Buffalo Girl Byron, Banquise – blue ice feather amulet necklace by pagan poetry, Gold feather crew neck t-shirt by sealmaiden, Peacock hand dyed ruffle skirt by Wildflower Under the Sun, Dreamcatcher tunic by No Wire Hangers, Chunky blue feathered resin bangle by Beadevolution, Metal feather dreams belt buckle by Metal Morphosis Designs, Galah feather earrings by Nature’s Art Melbourne, Pheasant feather head piece flyaway by eeek.

The saga of my Giant Zucchini continues…

As awesome as the Chocolate Zucchini Muffins were (have you tried them yet? they are, well, awesome), the whole bloody batch only used HALF of my giant zucchini.  So I tried a daring little experiment in freezing zucchini.

Here’s what I did: grated the zucchini using my trusty food processor (you could do it by hand if you have patience and knuckles of steel), sealed it in plastic containers and tucked it away in the freezer.  There it stayed, frozen in a tight green lump, for the past month, while I awaited the right occasion to bake something inspirational.

When the time was right, I turned to my culinary muse – who else? – Heidi of 101Cookbooks.  She does something really wild in her Special Zucchini Bread Recipe which kind of blew my mind and which I absolutely had to try: she adds curry powder.

Just to avoid any confusion for the Aussies among us, an American “bread” such as “Zucchini Bread” or “Banana Bread” is actually a cake.  Usually a kind of hearty, wholesome cake, baked in a loaf pan and served in thick slices, but a cake nonetheless.  In other words, it’s sweet.  So adding curry powder along with the the classic cinnamon is a daring move.

Daring, but deliciously successful.  Reading through the comments on the original post, I was almost tempted to omit the curry powder – a lot of readers didn’t seem that into the funky flavour.  But I persevered out of the sheer pleasure of testing my taste buds with something new, and I’m beyond glad that I did.  The cake doesn’t taste of curry, it just has a deep, complex spiciness, which lends strong support to the bold bite of lemon that predominates the cake.  It might not be for everyone, but it’s definitely for me.

Of course before I got as far as assessing the effectiveness of the curry in this recipe, I ran up against my usual dilemma: run out to the shops for the ingredients that I’m missing, or improvise.  And I made my usual choice: improvise!  The version I’m posting below is, therefore, my adaptation of Heidi’s incredible creation.

Curried Zucchini Cake Recipe

adapted from 101Cookbooks

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup raw sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 free range eggs
• 3 cups grated zucchini
• 2 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
• zest of 1 1/2 lemons
• 3 cups wholemeal wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 heaped tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• about 1 cup mixed nuts and seeds (I used sunflower seeds, black sesame seeds and about 1/2 cup dried coconut because that’s what I had in the cupboard)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180° C (350° F).  Line 2 loaf tins with parchment paper, letting it hang over the edges a little bit (so you can easily pull the cake out of the tin, like magic!).  Alternatively, line 2 muffin trays with paper liners.  Or just grease your pan with oil or butter and forget the lining!
2. Combine the oil, sugars and eggs in a large bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.  Add the grated zucchini, ginger and lemon zest and mix through.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves and curry powder.  Mix well.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, folding gently so as to avoid over mixing.  Fold through any nuts, seeds or other inclusions.
5. Pour the batter into prepared pans or trays.  Smooth with a spatula or spoon.
6. Bake in the middle of the oven for 25-35 minutes for muffins, 45-60 minutes for cake.  If the zucchini was frozen, you may need to bake a little bit longer as the moisture will be separated (use the toothpick test if in doubt).  I agree with Heidi’s advice, which is to aim for slightly underbaking your zucchini bread as it will continue cooking significantly when it comes out of the pan (and underbaked cake is really so much preferable to overbaked cake).

In life – and especially in the life of a small creative business – it’s important to celebrate little milestones along the journey.

Today’s achievement is reaching 500 beautiful Facebook followers.  I love each and every one of you and I’m super grateful and honoured to be part of your circle of friendship and creativity.

As a wee gesture of gratitude and a measure of giving something back to the big love that keeps on gushing over me, I’m giving away this one-of-kind necklace, made just for the occasion:

It’s a gorgeous marquis-shaped mother-of-pearl piece in a deep, shiny shade of purply eggplant.  The shell piece has been in my collection for a couple of years, and if I recall it came to me via my grandmother who has an excellent eye for beautiful things.

I’ve created a woven bezel for the piece, using natural recycled copper (and of course a couple of spiral details).  It hangs from a 40 cm (16-inch) hand-finished black leather necklace – a simple way to showcase a very special specimen.

How to Enter the Giveaway:

I’d love love love for you to enter so that it can find its perfect home!  Here’s what to do:

Leave a comment telling us what you love best about Full Spiral – or what you’d like to see in the future.  This is really open-ended, so feel free to be as specific as you want (such as specific colors, stones, styles, or aesthetics that really grab you).

Easy peasy, right?  The giveaway will be open for 2 weeks, from now until April 7.  One entry per person please!  Thanks for connecting, lovelies.

Update: The giveaway is now closed the necklace has chosen her home – with the lovely melanie cook.  Thanks for all your feedback, ideas and support!

The luscious image above ambled into my Pinterest feed the other day and left me salivating onto my keyboard.  I had to know more about the recipe creators and their exceedingly good taste (and bookmark the page so I could make these delights when the price of bananas comes down to earth), so I surfed my way over to the ridiculously cute blog (never home)maker.

What I found appeared to be a collection of recipes and healthy living posts from a nearly nauseatingly fit and happy couple.  Before delving deeper into the content, I nearly clicked that little “x” and closed the door on their perfect life.  ”Are these people be for real?” I asked myself.  ”Am I the only one who finds reading about someone’s supposedly ideal life tedious?”

But a little voice told me to linger for a closer inspection.  (Yes, I had a conversation with myself.  It may or may not have been out loud.  Go on, tell me you don’t talk to yourself.)  And it turns out that I actually like these people.  Why?  Because they’re not afraid to let their gloriously imperfect humanity shine through.  For example, there’s a deeply honest post about their journey to becoming un-vegan.  I guess this resonated with me so well because I also advocate that each individual follow a personal diet that feels right to her – without the need for labels.

Because of their realness, I would like to hang out in their kitchen, cooking and drinking wine.  I would like them to give me a kick in the ass and get me running again.  And most of all, I would like to eat all of the dishes they describe.

This one is my favorite.  It’s totally my kind of dessert – simple, natural and containing chocolate.  Good god yes.  Thanks to my new buds Ashley and Stephen!

Frozen Banana Bites Recipe

from (never home)maker with my notes in parentheses

Ingredients:

• 2 large bananas
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips (I use a mixture of raw cacao powder, coconut oil and honey or agave to taste – but any good quality dark chocolate bar would work well too)
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup natural peanut butter
• Unsweetened coconut flakes

Method:

1. Set out a large plate or bowl with a piece of parchment or wax paper on it.
2. Cut up the bananas into good-sized chunks. Each banana should give you around 5 to 6 pieces.
3. Heat the peanut butter and chocolate chips in the microwave on high for about a minute. Then stir until smooth. (Jess’s note: I am anti-microwave, and I know that it’s a high horse but I refuse to get off it.  Melt your PB and choc over a double boiler – it’s not that hard.)
4. Dip the banana pieces in the chocolate-peanut butter mixture. Lay them out leaving some space between them on the parchment/wax paper. Then when you’ve “covered” them all, use the remaining mixture to spoon over the tops (for even more chocolate-y goodness).
5. Then sprinkle the unsweetened coconut flakes on top. Transfer to the freezer for about an hour until hardened.
6. You can enjoy them like this (but they really aren’t frozen yet — and when they’re frozen, the banana tastes like vanilla ice cream) . . . I suggest then covering with some plastic wrap (or really you can do all of this in some kind of Rubbermaid container) and let freeze overnight.

Looking through the camera lens is like acquiring a bionic eye.  What excites me most is taking close-up shots, focusing on a detail that tells a small story about the subject.  Of course having the use of Jayson’s wicked camera makes a morning of photography so much more rewarding.

Many thanks to the animals of the Collingwood Children’s Farm for their natural elegance under photographic scrutiny.

Embrace the playful posture of circus divas and the cheeky style of flapper girls with a bold stroke of black and white stripes.

Top to bottom, left to right: Dorothy by ellemoss, Striped Church by Honeytree, Striped and Sequined Dress by Leopard & Lace, Nina danish teak chair by hazel & hunter, Black and White Stripes cotton pillow cover by be still., Organic cotton boy leg undies by eleven44, Helmut the whale by contemori, Black and Gray Striped Baby Ring Sling by BabyEtte, Striped Black and White Elf Hat for Newborn by Babies Republic, Coma Armwarmers in Black and White Striped Cotton by Zen and Coffee, Black and White Ruffle Pants by Chacabraka, Black and White Stripe Necktie by Me and Matilda, Striped Gothic Steampunk Top Hat by Rag Dollies Madhouse.