Do You Ever Worry About Running Out of Ideas?

Hi friends! New York City has lots of views of walls and windows.  It feels like a mirror with strangers on the other side.

At this weekend’s book signing at The Brooklyn Kitchen (which, incidentally, is an AWESOME place) someone asked me this question:

Do you ever worry about running out of ideas?

Can we talk about this?  For real tho.  For real.

Here’s the calm, cool and collected response to that question:  No way!  I am confident that my brain has an unlimited amount of really awesome ideas to sustain me from now until forever and ever amen.

Here’s the real-life answer:  OHMYGOSH YES!  What if I’m working from a well that I’ll soon reach the bottom of!?  What if that’s real!?

The deal is, creativity and inspiration must be fostered and fed.  But good grief, how do we have time to foster and feed things these days? My cat is fostered and fed because he’s really demanding with his loud meows and untrimmed claws.  My creativity is much less demanding and often gets stomped on by every other more demanding task on my list.  Do you find this to be true?

I try to find inspiration in all of the little moments, the quiet moments, the unexpected moments.  It’s not always grand days or epic meals that provide me with the clearest inspiration.

What’s inspiring me lately:

•  “I’m not afraid of dying.  I’m afraid of not trying.”  THANK YOU JAY Z.  I mean… TRY is everything.

•  I’m traveling right now and the fact that I don’t remember if I know how to navigate Penn Station scares the crap out of me.  I remember that there’s some sort of waiting area then a mad dash to the right train, a long time, and a seat find.  Nerves are inspiring.  They make me see my surroundings more acutely and not breeze by the details.  There is always inspiration in the details (must like there is always money in the banana stand).

•  This new Damien Rice song because sometimes inspiration comes from things that break your heart.

•  I’m working on a book about Brunch so this NYT article about the fall of this most precious meal was very interesting to me.  Can we take Brunch back from the jerks? Of course we can.

•  The Kitchn’s Cooking School is 20 days + 20 simple kitchen lessons.  The simplicity and solid learning is inspiring!

•  Did you know that you can get a freshly fried, sugar dipped donut at Federal Donuts in Philadelphia.  That’s where you can find me for the next three days.  I might even forget what a beignet is. Sugar-high inspiration.  I’m going all the way in.

I’m a person with more questions than answers.  There is creativity and learning in simply trying to figure it out everyday… you know?

Thank you for for joining me on my book tour adventures!  Thanks for coming out and asking me the questions that make you feel weird and vulnerable, because I’m weird and vulnerable too.  I also accept cat-related questions with glee.  I’ll announce my west coast book signing dates later this week!

Love you!  See you at Parkway Central Library in Philadelphia tonight!

xo