4 Surprising Ways to Boost Your Creativity

Celebrity Chefs, Tarot Cards, and Evil Stepmothers

1. Journal for 10 minutes every morning. You can do this stream-of-consciousness or find prompts on Pinterest. I enjoy pulling a Tarot card and journaling based on what comes up.

2. De-stress and take care of your nervous system. If I don’t do the things that make me feel energized and nourished, I find it nearly impossible to be creative. I make sure to prioritize yoga, sleep, and adequate hydration.

3. Be born to parents who divorce when you’re too young to remember them ever being together. You know your father is a bad man, even though you’re seven and barely know how to read– but you have this witchy-intuition type of wisdom that tells you “This guy is going to blow up his life.” Maybe it was that time you watched him pierce a woman’s ear with a dirty earring? She howled in pain and he laughed maniacally, while you and your three-year-old sister sat on the floor of a motorcycle accessory shop. One summer, with barely two weeks' notice, he moves to Vegas with his second wife (he goes on to marry seven— or eight times? idk, can’t remember). He gives your dog away without telling you and sheds a tear as you hug goodbye in his empty Brooklyn apartment. Phone conversations and a three-hour time difference water down your relationship. The calls become less frequent, he never keeps a steady job. Food becomes comfort. You start binge-eating and sneaking midnight snacks. He gets a divorce and you cry. Because, even though his wife was a crazy bitch— who burnt your hand with a cigarette and made snide remarks about your mother— she grew on you a little? The next time he calls, it’s to speak to his new girlfriend. They get married. They get divorced. Months go by. He calls again to meet another girlfriend. Rinse and repeat. The time between phone calls gets longer. By the next year, you stop answering the phone. Your sister says “Some kids collect pencils or comic books. We collect stepmothers!” He stops paying child support. By the time you turn eighteen, he owes your mother six figures in back pay. You start dating a controlling and abusive guy who robs you of your joy and innocence. But he gives you attention. More attention than you’ve ever gotten from a man in your entire life. It takes four years before you finally leave. You find your dad on Facebook. He’s pretending to be a celebrity chef and referring to his followers as “food freaks.” You send him a nasty message before blocking him. At twenty-four, you see him for the first time in seventeen years. You’re in a courtroom. He walks right past you, avoiding eye contact. You sob while your stepdad holds you. You date a love-bomber who gaslights you and refers to himself as “The Captain”. You find him cheating. You call, email, text, and DM him every single day for the next six months. Begging him to beg you to get back together. He never does. You start partying and hooking up and disassociating from your feelings. You cry when the weekends end, reflecting on what you’ve done. You do it again the following weekend. Your dad has another daughter… with a girl who’s only four years older than you. They met in recovery. You have a panic attack. At twenty-seven, you reconnect as he attempts to help your sister get sober. You never realized how much worse off she was from the childhood trauma. You wish you could take her place. He tells you he loves you. You don’t say it back. He sends photos of his toddler and apologizes for the past. He never changes. He ghosts you.

4. Go out for a walk. Sometimes you just need to clear your head.

Thanks for reading, food freaks.