Too much of a good thing can be a bad thing...
Scarfing down the joy of starting my first blog and having an excuse to write about food is one of the pleasures of my entire school semester. In the beginning I was ambitious and full of goals and ideas, but soon after over-dosing on my new found blog obsession I was quickly burnt out.
In my daily life, given the opportunity, I would explore every hobby and niche there is possible; only to give it up soon after. Most students know what it's like when school starts and you are laden with ambition and ideals of success. A-filled report cards seem like a cake walk and you don't think twice about all the syllabi's you've received-- you can handle it. But in my ambition to take the blogging world by storm, I seem to have had a brain freeze.
Perhaps it is the rigor of school that wears one down; by mid-term season the gusto we shared has faded away and we are left with all the reasons why we dread school. This blog seems the exception to my routine though. In fact, I really enjoy writing about my food still, and even reading a book that talks about food some more.
But as much as I am enjoying this all, I seem to be frozen in time. One spoonful too many and I can't write a lick about a food adventure. Furthermore, I can't even bring myself to finding out what my next food-trip will be. So here I wonder: Is this the right career for me? Will I strive to become a food writer and then come to find that I not only lose inspiration, but become ashamed that my "permanently hungry" adventures have hit a hiatus?
It's mid-semester so I think I'm just burnt out: writing papers for classes, reading books, chapters, articles, writing for work, writing for fun, texting, tweeting, posting--I'd say this is not a symptom of a failed career ambition, but a side-effect of my lifestyle.
When people become saturated in their work, they take a vacation to rejuvenate themselves. So in true-foodie-form, to help myself relax, I am going to eat. Liver and onions was my last serious experiment (yikes). Since then, I have tried my hand at fondue, eaten at an Italian restaurant, and an English pub. All had yummy results but nothing amazing to jump start my journalistic juices. I think I've got a spot in mind to try that will serve authentic food, and hopefully it will inspire some authentic writing. While I'm at it I'll even try contacting some authentic food writers.
I can feel my brain freeze melting away at just the ideas.
Or maybe I'm just drooling...
Thanks for your honest post. Perhaps use your burn-out to explore the question of burn-out in the food/food-writing industry. Burn-out, of course, is common in every sphere. And it's worth exploring how food writers/foodies avoid burn out in their own field, or how they simply contend with it.
ReplyDeleteRegarding your blog, when uninspired, I recommend just grabbing on to something specific that is tangible, that you can work with... Such as just picking a powerful passage from one of your texts and interpreting it and responding to it. And I recommend just timing yourself, sitting down, and then the time is done, your done. Sometimes in this process you'll find that inspiration is sparked, somewhere during the act of doing/writing. Other times, it may feel more forced than others. That's normal! Keep writing! You're doing great.
Brandy
Jessica! Hang in there! I also enjoyed this honest post. You write very well; I loved all the food-ish words to describe what your going through. Perhaps this is a test for your food writing career...lost your inspiration, but you have to have something to write about! Have you tried the co-op? Maybe a different environment will tickle your taste buds!
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