Ep #120: Crush Creative Funks with Emily Caruso

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Have you heard all the podcasts lately talking about how to be productive every minute of every day? All that productivity can lead to burnout which can lead to procrastination. Ironic, isn’t it? And procrastination can lead to a big downturn in creativity. That’s why today I’m talking with Emily Caruso for tips on how to Crush Creative Funks. Believe it or not, being more productive is not always the answer. If you love discussions on creativity as much as I do, then listen in as I talk with Cara about Creativity on FriChats. Or why not read my post, Marly’s Hierarchy of Creativity, while you’re at it.

Learn how to Crush Creative Funks with Emily Caruso of the Jelly Toast blog.

If you’ve ever found yourself in a creative rut, you know it’s not a fun place to be. It’s made worse by the fact that you hate yourself for falling into the trap of it all. The funk can begin with one too many deadlines in a row, or comparing yourself to some other blogger who’s killing it on Instagram, or hating your hands in food photos, or whatever.

You know how the dissent into darkness goes, right?

The next thing you know, you’re knee-deep into wondering why you started your blog in the first place. So I reached out to Emily Caruso of the Jelly Toast blog and our conversation just kind of naturally gravitated toward how to crush creative funks.

I love Emily’s advice, which is to find other things to do for awhile. She allows herself to schedule time to draw. Brilliant!

Here are some things you can do to help crush creative funks the next time you find yourself in one:

  • Go play with your kids; they are creative gurus, so let it rub off on you
  • Plant an herb garden — working in the dirt can do wonders
  • Play the guitar, or the piano, or the flute, or even a kazoo
  • Put on some fun music and dance
  • Lay in the grass (or a hammock) and watch the clouds
  • Meditate
  • Write in your journal

There are so many things you can do to get your creative juices right back on track. We hope today’s episode is part of your journey.

One of the goals of the Chopped Podcast is to water the seeds of excitement around your work as a food blogger. We hope today’s episode about how to Crush Creative Funks is helpful to the work you’re doing each and every day.

Featured Content – Crush Creative Funks

Here are some of the highlights of my discussion with Emily about how to Crush Creative Funks. Here are some of the specifics:

  • Emily describes why she started her blog
  • We discuss Emily’s love of cooking
  • When did Emily first realize she could use her blog as an income
  • We talk about food videography
  • Why your background doesn’t always prepare you to be a food blogger
  • How to handle negotiating with brands
  • Why saying no can be scary…but important
  • Finding ways to feed your creative soul
  • Emily’s fun hobby that she hopes to incorporate in her blog some day
  • Why posting about life, rather than food, can be so scary

Show Notes

This episode on food blogging inspiration includes references to some resources you might find interesting. Here they are:

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Thanks so much for listening to today’s podcast. I hope you found it informative and helpful to the work you do every day. Make sure you don’t miss out on any of the Chopped Podcast episodes by heading on over to iTunes to subscribe to the Chopped Podcast. While you’re there, provide a review and rating is a great way to help other podcast listeners find it too! That’s it for today’s podcast. As always, thanks so much for joining in the discussion!

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Posted in Food Blog Resources, Food Blogging, Podcast