Do you need a low stress way to include seven minutes of creative contemplation into your week? Consider this your helpful nudge towards a slightly more creative life. If it helps, come back every week for a quick hit of creative contemplation. Each week I’ll share a new nudge. It will include a Thing (T), a Place (P), and a Sense(S) for your focus, a TPS creative nudge.
Last week we listened to our noses. Did your nose nudge you to recall a childhood memory or remind you it had rained? Perhaps that experience inspired you to draw a picture or write a few lines in a journal. I hope it scent you in a creative direction.
This week? Let’s push our taste buds beyond the limit of good taste with too much of a good thing. Your creative nudge: choose a favorite food (condiments don’t count!) and use it in every meal for a day or longer. I tried this with peanut butter and discovered a new hot dog topping. Get creative with your selection - , sprinkle it on your salad, fold it into a dessert, or put a kink in that classic chili recipe. Take risks and take the occasional bad bite in stride. Use that care less attitude into a more creative space for yourself with some other unique and delicious activities:
- Pen a poem or flash fiction about your favorite food and how you discovered it. Was it a childhood favorite or a recent discovery?
- Create an assemblage of the packaging materials from your meal. Choose colors and shapes to represent the different flavors and textures. You can still throw it all away, but this step counts as reuse!
- Write a pop song about food just like these from The Cooking Channel.
- Do I really have to suggest you take a picture of your food? Better yet, take a picture of your food photo-bombing other plates of food.
By taking risks and embracing some carefree playtime with food, you can open yourself up to new possibilities and maybe even tap into your creative potential. So go ahead, indulge in your favorite food to excess and see where your imagination takes you.
Remember, creativity is not just for artists and writers. It is a fundamental part of being human and can be found in every aspect of life, especially food. Taste your way into a more creative you.
Note: Portions of this prompt were created using the tool ChatGPT.
