Today’s Prompt: Draft out a 5-point artistic mission statement in the first person, regarding your creative work. What 5 creative “rules” or statements or intentions do you or would you want to live and work by? Print it out and hang it in your workspace.

1. I will see inspiration everywhere, in everything, all the time. In light or darkness, in the awesome and the awful. In nature, in industry. In people, in things. In joy, in pain. I am surrounded, engulfed, ensconced in inspiration.
2. I won’t put pressure on myself. Some days I can write thousands of words, cook or bake a dozen things. Other days, I am at a standstill. I will know that it’s perfectly okay either way.
3. I will never stop adventuring. Whether literally in travel, or figuratively in words, in art, in media. I will venture out, take risks, learn, create, and let the adventure take me on a ride. That being said…
4. I will celebrate the ordinary. The seemingly mundane, everyday, normal things are just as fascinating, wonderful, and beautiful as anything else.
5. I will cultivate community. As much as I can do in my solitude, being surrounded by loved ones, family, friends, and fellow artists keep me going. Keeps me creating.

Today’s Prompt: Write up to 5 one-paragraph descriptions of you, the way you feel you are perceived by different people in your life (from family to acquaintances to strangers). Write what you think they would write about you, in the third person.

Dad. She’s the baby of this family. 13, I think. Wait, what? What do you mean she’s 26? There’s no way she’s 26.

Mom. What a dork.

The person sitting next to me on the bus every morning. What is that weird music she’s listening to? (Shh, lady, it’s the Outlander OST.) In other news, she smells really nice. And her lipstick is amazing.

Nic. Tita Jen is so goofy. She always makes me laugh, and she loves pillow fights! Sometimes I like it when she sings… but sometimes I really, really don’t. The best is when we play Blokus together. Or build my Lego sets!

The Flight Attendant on my way to London. Man, she looks really happy.

Today’s Prompt: Describe your ideal work / creation space. Don’t limit yourself. Say what it looks like (in detail), what it smells and feels like. Paint pictures with words, as if you were trying to convey it to a blind person.

I see lots of bright, natural light. Open space. Large windows that look out towards a beautiful view of Capability Brown gardens… or perhaps Wren (or Wren-esque) architecture. Being a stone’s throw away from a city (or transportation that leads to the city) filled with history and culture is absolutely vital to me. I can’t live in a super-slick, ultra-modern city. I mean. Well. I could. But I’d rather not.

Beneath the old school, classic charm of the space would be – naturally – state of the art facilities, technology, and equipment. Everything from the best Mac computers to fantastic wifi signal and all the programs I’d ever need for design and photography. Adjacent to this desk would be my library, containing my hundreds upon hundreds of cookbooks and history books and food history books. Easy access means perfect research materials. Speaking of research — the last part of my workspace would of course be the test kitchen. Stainless steel appliances, marble counters, deep double sink. Double wall ovens, dishwasher, and a professional grade KitchenAid. My walls would be in shades of blue-grey, as would the furniture. Calm. Serene. Relaxing. With occasional pops of colour, like eggplant, or butter yellow. The art on the wall would be a mixture of classical and something likely Tolkien related. Oh, and there’d be a map on the wall, for sure.

Together, all of these elements create the perfect workspace for me, where I can write, cook, bake, create.