Thursday, July 8, 2010

Learning something from Gordon Ramsey

Ok, I'll admit it, every once in a while I watch Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares, a show in which English chef Gordon Ramsey visits a floundering restaurant and tries to put things right. Because he is who he is, and uses bad language, and calls things like he sees them, he rocks the boat, and drama ensues... and then its television.

On the other hand, when it comes to restaurants, and cooking, the man knows his business. The messages he gives to the restaurant owners and employees are sound. A couple of weeks ago, I watched an episode where Gordon went around the countryside near where the restaurant he was working on that week was located. He looked for the fresh, locally grown produce that he knew would make a difference in what was being served. Fresh ingredients = flavor. When he brought the staff apples, they were like, "yeah, apples, big deal." His response? If you don't love your ingredients, how can you love your cooking?

So my brain cogitated over this idea for a couple of weeks, combining it with the reading I'd been doing (see previous post) until today, when it flashed to me. This is true for sewing/crafting too. If you don't love your materials, and know what to do with them, you're just making things. The creative joy, the spark, can continue as you learn more about your materials, practice more, learn and try more techniques. You may find your niche, or you may branch out, either way, the more you love what you are doing, the more inspired you will be. Hmmmm I think I feel a trip to the fabric store coming on... and the bead store, and....

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