by Marcus Lopés

The creative thing I do just for the pure joy of it is to cook and bake. It’s always great to play without feeling the pressure that the world will judge it. So far this week I’ve made apple turnovers (using puff pastry) and Coq au vin. It’s a great release for me to be in the kitchen. While I still aim for perfection, I know it doesn’t have to be perfect. And I can always make it again; it’s not like rewriting a novel that involves weeks or months of work.

I think it’s a simple concept that’s difficult to remember when you’re constantly challenging yourself to be better. We become so focused on the goal because we are trying to be at the top of our game, out do our competitors. We want to be that bestselling writer or world-renowned painter or Grammy award-winning artist. And because we’re aiming for the top of the pack, we don’t want to let ourselves play, fearing we’ll miss out.

I had to let go of one of my Instagram feeds because of the pressure that was beginning to mount from showing my culinary creations. People were contacting me about participating in TV shows or inquiring if I was interested in the restaurant business (not bad for a guy with no formal culinary training!). That was never my goal. If I just wanted to have fun with cooking/baking, I had to keep it private. And, for me, it has made all the difference.

 

 

 

 

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