How the kitchen can make you more caring, happier and more creative
Those who know me know that I enjoy working in the kitchen. It is a stress buster, an expression of creativity and an expression of love for the people I care for. In my day job as a strategic communications expert, I look for inspiration everywhere. I often find it in the kitchen. I worked free time into my schedule to spend more time in the kitchen and made room for "creative rejuvenation." Just like Google's famous '20% time', when engineers can work on whatever they want.
As someone who likes to experiment with new things, my kitchen took my creativity to the next level. There I can clear my head and my mind opens. By letting my inspiration flow freely, I keep seeing different new possibilities in both my daily job and daily life. Insights for which I am very grateful today. Moreover, the kitchen makes me more caring, happier and more creative.
1/ More caring
The reason many love grandma's (or grandpa's) food is because of the care they put into it. Imagine you're cooking for the most special person in your life, you really care about what you're doing because you want it to be the best it can be. Care sharpens your focus, increases your attention to all the little things and gives you a flow. I like to call this putting love in your food, all the little extra attention you give to make it extra special... Cooking with this kind of love in your heart is reflected in your food and is one of the hallmarks of a great cook, whether you're a professional chef or just someone who cooks for a loved one! Cook with care and it will make your food better every time! Cooking made me more caring. You can also apply this to other jobs!
2/ Happier
Cooking is also a form of taking care of yourself. It is literally nourishing for yourself. If you cook consciously, it can also be very therapeutic. It's like music. Imagine how good music makes you feel, cooking can make you feel that way too. Just as meditation teaches you to focus on your breathing so as not to grow negative or worrying thoughts, cooking requires that same focus and attention on what you are doing in the moment and can therefore give you that same attention. A wonderful by-product is a great meal that you can share with others!
3/ More creative
At Jolliette I experienced first-hand how cooking boosts your creativity, even beyond the kitchen. It's a great way to exercise creativity. The more you do it, the more your creativity can develop. An important lesson I learned here is the importance of giving creativity time and space. Sometimes it feels like we're in a rush to accomplish something, usually within an "artificial" deadline. Sometimes you just have to give something time... It's not always easy to be creative during normal working hours. For me, true creativity requires specific moments dedicated to this activity. In other words, in order to do really creative work, I need to release myself from the pressure and work at a different pace, which I choose in a quieter environment where I won't be disturbed. Creativity needs a time and a place to happen. Besides, creativity doesn't come from doing more of the same thing. Sometimes you have to look elsewhere. The more you open up, the more options you have.
