I’ve always been into the arts. As a kid finger painting was where it was at for me. And my play-doh skills were nothing to slouch at. I grew up playing piano and during my high school days you’d likely find me in the dark room or sitting at the pottery wheel during lunch hour rather than being social. Yes, I’m dating myself because you had to actually develop photos back then. You could also find me in the dance studio honing my best jazz hands or rocking the kick ball change. I love music. Give me any chance to hit up a broadway show. I could get lost for days in museums. By society standards, you could say I’m a ‘creative.’

I would argue that we’re all creatives.

A creative isn’t this mythical being, something that only a rare few of us are. Sure, we all have our strengths - the things we’re naturally good at and drawn to, but if you’re human, you’re a creative. We’re creating in every moment and the cool thing is we each get to express it in any way we want. Yes, art, dance, music, and writing are some examples, but what if we’re creating in every moment? What if life is our creation? What we wear, how we decorate our space, how we show up in the world, the work that we do, the things that light us up. We get to create with our minds, our hands, our words, our actions, all of it.

In his book Creativity, Mihaly Csikszentmihlyi describes creativy as:

Being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved and you’re using your skills to the utmost.

This is it right here. Creating more moments like this is what life’s all about. And it doesn’t have to be performing on a stage or writing a bestselling book.

It’s in the things we do everyday.

So how do you learn to be creative? You don’t. You allow yourself the space to practice and bring out the creativity that’s already inside you in whatever it is you choose.

Now, you probably didn’t think about this when you learned to cook, and it’s really not something we talk about, right? Even for me it was about necessity first, the creative part came after.

Which is why I love to teach about kitchen creativity.

Because the kitchen is a natural place to practice. And if you’re not sure how, let’s talk about it shall we?

In simple terms, it’s about these three things; building a foundation of skills, understanding how to combine ingredients and flavours and lastly, relying on your own creativity which comes out through your intuition, your insights, your instincts, your inspiration and your imagination.

First building the foundation. To get better at anything, you’ve got to understand the basics. In cooking this is all about having a foundation or skills that you understand and are confident in. Knife skills, proper seasoning, how to use heat and other elements to name a few. Get these down, you’ve got a starting point to build on.

Next it’s all about flavour. Understanding how to use spices and combine ingredients to make your food taste good and keep things interesting. This is what I like to call the Harry Potter potions class part of cooking. Experimenting and exploring flavours and textures that you like so you know what you like and what you don’t.

And finally letting your own creativity shine. Taking those foundational skills, using flavour and ingredients, then putting your own spin on things. This is the piece that recipes can’t give you. Because we all have unique tastes and styles and we get to bring that to our cooking. How can you use your imagination to come up with a meal based on what you have in your fridge? What ingredients do you get inspired by when you’re at the Farmers’ Market? Is your intuition telling you that these ingredients will work together? All it takes is a little practice to show yourself that this is already inside you and is always available.

If you want more on this, I dive into these three pillars of kitchen creativity more on this podcast episode so go have listen.

And if this is something you’d like more support with, I’ve created a course that does just that! The Creative Kitchen is where we explore all of this and more!

So my question for you; where can you let your creativity shine just a little bit more in your life?

Tell me in the comments. ox

What’s Cooking This Week: Whiskey Salmon Chowder

This is something I threw together based on what I had and it’s a perfect example of using my creativity in the kitchen. *The measurements are only guidelines!* I almost left them out completely and I’ll likely do that for a recipe or two coming soon but the point is, I want you to rely on your own judgement and use your own creativity. Think of this as a guideline and please let your own imagination run wild! If you have different things in your fridge, try them. Have lots of fresh herbs? Do that. Don’t like caramelized onions or whiskey? Try white wine and green onions. Use different fish or seafood or make it a vegetarian chowder. You get where I’m going here. Make it your own! And let me know what you come up with in the comments.

Salmon Chowder with Whiskey and Caramelized Onions  

• 2 slices thick cut pancetta, diced into 1/4 inch cubes

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 large onion, cut in half and thinly sliced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons flour

• 8 small new potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes

• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

• 1 bay leaf

• 1/4 cup Irish whiskey

• 3 cups chicken stock

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 1 - 1 1/2 piece salmon fillet, skin removed, cut into 1-inch pieces

• juice of half a lemon

• salt and pepper to taste

• optional for garnish: chopped fresh chives, more parsley, celery leaves 

Cook the pancetta in a large stockpot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the pancetta is browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.  

Pour off all but a couple tablespoons of fat from pot, then add the butter, stirring until it's melted.  Add the onions and cook for a couple minutes until they turn translucent. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook until the onions are super soft and turn a deep caramel brown colour, about -15-20 minutes.  

Once the onions are cooked, add the garlic and cook for a couple minutes. Stir in the flour and cook until the flour is absorbed into onions and liquid, about 3-4 minutes.  

Add the whiskey, stirring with a wooden spoon to get all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.  

Add the potatoes, bay leaf and chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper and bring just to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer until the potatoes are softened, about 20-25 minutes.  

When the potatoes are cooked, add in the salmon, reserved pancetta (keep a little bit for garnish if you want), parsley and cream. Simmer another 8-10 minutes or until the salmon is just cooked through (it will break easily with a fork).  

Remove from the heat, take out the bay leaf and add the lemon juice. Stir until combined then taste and season with more salt and pepper as needed.  

Ladle into bowls and top with whatever garnish you like.  

And because everyone has loved this one so much, I didn't get a photo before it was devoured. Which kind of goes with the theme of today's message, being in the moment and doing it for creativity’s sake, not for the photo.  

So instead here's a photo of me catching the salmon that went into this chowder. :)

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