Ah, a new year, new goals. Not to brag (but it is my site, so I can) but 2015 was awesome: I completed and ended up loving my capstone project…and conquered that mammoth thing called graduate school. I learned how to drive a school bus and drove one across country with my brother, which is sorta weird, but I learned to just go with it. I went to Oaxaca. I spent valuable time with family and friends. I found time to meditate, learn that I’m good in a crisis, and actually read some non-food related books (none of those things are necessarily related, but that’s how my brain works). And, above all else, I have my health intact.
For the record (and because my boss may read this), my day job keeps me very, very busy. I’m fortunate that I get to grow food, experiment with marketing and publicity when I’m not growing food, travel, take photos, and have a fair amount of creativity built into my responsibilities. In short: I’m not looking for more work, and I’m not making a radical career change, so don’t freak out.
Get to the point, Al. You’re burying the lede here. Well, when I started this site in 2008, it was a placeholder for articles or new ideas on environmentalism, food politics, recipes, rants about the injustices in our food system, and a spot to process everything I was learning about food and farming. I’ve peppered in some special features, including music, food and travel finds, and used it as a way to self-publish commentaries and photo stories.
Now, in an attempt to dust off my writing chops and give myself a new challenge, it’s time to add another another element to the site, which I’m super psyched about: a new feature called speak with your craft.
What is speak with your craft? It’s my chance to interview the many makers, crafters, cooks, bakers, food growers, woodworkers, herbalists, photographers, writers, actors, musicians, painters, fiber artists, and creative forces in my life. For some, creativity is their career, but for most, it’s a joy-filled hobby. Selfishly, it’s really just a chance for me to write more (**maybe** dabble with podcasting at some point...), chat with my talented friends, pick their brains about the process of their craft, and give them a little publicity in the process.
At first, I’ll be starting with creative folk whom I already know. My goal is to publish interviews (à la my Aunt Terry***) twice a month - but hopefully more. We’ll see what happens. If you have suggestions about some interesting craftspeople, I’d love to hear! (e-mail: speakwithyourfood [at] gmail [dot] com). Remember, makers or creators need not fit into a neat box to be featured. So, here’s to more creating, crafting, listening, learning, and collaborating in the upcoming year!
(***Fun fact: Terry Gross is NOT my aunt, although we do share a last name and people assume we're related. But, I do <3 you, Terry, and I do wish that we were related!)
And, now, a song to share, because I can:
