Posted on October 11, 2009 - by melinda

I wanna get creative – thanks Julie & Julia!

I finally saw it this afternoon, the movie Julie & Julia. www.julieandjulia.com I walked out chatting with a woman who was beaming, declaring she’d made some of Julia Child’s recipes in the past. I admitted I hadn’t. If a recipe has certain words in it, like ”French,” I’m usually too scared to try it! She couldn’t believe it, and I felt sheepish. I’ve always prided myself (there’s the first problem) in simple and easy cooking. What’s the need to “fuss,” to search for odd ingredients? Even capers scare me off – besides, I’m practical. Why purchase an ingredient I’ll only use for one recipe and leave the bottle to decay in the fridge for the next couple of years? I’ve left the Junior Women’s League cooking to my freinds Terry, Joan, Sarah, Beth, etc., etc. But – oops – somehow I got a little smug about it too. Where’d that come from? Author and speaker Janet Davis says it’s easier to say, “I’m not creative,” than, “I’m scared.” I have to admit – I’m scared. “It might not turn out. ” That’s the big roadblock to my creativity in ALL areas…so I often just don’t try.

I walked out of the moving smiling and wondering, “What’s the harm in expanding my horizons. What’s wrong with creating a culinary work of the heart that requires hard work, forces me outside my comfort zone and makes me face possible failure?” Enough of constant “30 minute meals.” What’s that saying about my lifestyle and spirit of play?

My daughter Kelly and I did cook Christmas Eve/Day meals out of the Williamsburg Holiday Fare cookbook. We were exhausted and declared next year will be simpler. Is that part of  it  – Julia Child-style cooking is (like inthe movie) both exhausting and requires A LOT of one’s focus?

I’ll be talking about diving into our creative selves at the DIVE! Conference on Nov. 7 – I know I’ll be adding a pinch of Julie & Julia to my talk! Check out the conference dive.soulcare.com And I hope, that by Nov. 7, I’ll be able to report that I’ve cracked open my White Gull In cookbook, popped in my Pride and Prejudice movie soundtrack cd and created…and smiled.