I never guessed making a blog would be so complicated.
Let me revise that. Creating a blog does not have to be complicated. There are multiple great websites on the internet that offer a variety of ready-to-go templates. All you have to do is choose one, plug in your own pictures and content and press play. But if you’re me, Miss “I-Overthink-Everything,” it’s just not going to be that simple.
I had relatively little trouble choosing a blog website and, once I was there, finding a template that I liked. But when I started uploading in pictures and playing with background wallpaper, fonts, and photography, I ran into a major snag.
The problem was that I knew just enough about what I was doing to realize that I had no clue. I knew I was creating my own brand. Every decision I made while designing the blog said something about the project, and, ultimately, me. I wanted a blog that reflected myself and my project correctly.
The problem was that I had no idea how to do that.
I listen to a massive number of podcasts, most of them about food.
The very same week that I spent a ridiculous amount of time flipping through color charts and toggling between this and that font, I discovered a podcast called Blogtacular. I discovered it because the host had interviewed Edd Kimber, one of my favorite bakers and bloggers of all time (and also the first winner of GBBO). But, while I was scrolling through her other episodes, I discovered that she had one titled “Creating a brand with Fiona Humberstone.” I knew I had to hear it.
As it turns out, Fiona Humberstone owns a consulting company called “Style Your Brand” and her website is a treasure trove of resources dedicated to self-branding. I downloaded and spent several hours filling out her Brand Planning Workbook, answering every question from “who is your favorite client type” to “what values does your business have?” I then used my responses in conjunction with her color psychology seasonal personality resource to determine what sorts of colors and style would appropriately reflect my brand.*
Why do I bother to mention this part of the process?
Website wallpaper color choices aside, working through Fiona’s branding resources also made me think again about why I was writing the blog. I was clearly concerned about putting out the right image of myself. Who did I want to impress? Who was I writing for? Who was my audience? And what did I have to offer them that was in any way unique?
These were questions that I had in the beginning, questions that I neatly sidestepped by
deciding that I was “doing this for me.” But now that I was putting all this effort into branding myself, I had to admit that I was doing this for someone else.
Who? And what did I have to offer them?
In the nearly-three years that I have lived in NYC, I have met many young adults who choose not to cook because they think it’s too hard or time-consuming or expensive. I have seen many others—close friends, including my fiancé—attempt and then fail to integrate cooking into their lives. They make resolutions, but lack the structure or inspiration to actually succeed.
I decided I would cook for these people—my friends and many others like them—who lacked inspiration or knowledge to cook, or just didn’t know how to fit it into their lives. As a millennial like them, I understand. They come home late to an empty refrigerator, and going to the store to buy groceries to cook dinner seems exhausting. Seamless is just easier. They’re late to work so they grab a granola bar they can scarf as they run up the subway steps—never mind packing a nourishing lunch. They’ll pick up a sandwich from the deli.
It doesn’t have to be like that for you. There are practical solutions: fabulous meals that you can batch cook and take with you to work, meals that are good at any temperature and don’t need to be kept in the refrigerator all morning until lunch. There are grab-and-go breakfast options beyond the carb-loaded “energy bars.” There are easy-to-assemble recipes that you can throw together when you get home from a 12-hour day at 7 pm and you’re exhausted.
In this blog, I will seek to offer practical recipes for crazy busy moments and to inspire you to keep cooking by introducing new techniques and ingredients that will your kitchen life interesting and fresh. In the spirit of balance, I will include recipes for all palates and diets, as well as all seasons and moments of your day. And if the idea of new techniques or strange ingredients gives you a panic attack, breathe. Whenever I introduce a new ingredient or technique, I will also include a deep dive into it in a separate post so that you can learn as much as you want to about how to utilize it . . . or you can just ignore those posts and stick to the recipes.
Suddenly this project that began as something “just for me” has become more about you.
I can’t wait to share it with you.
*I found this entire branding process fascinating. I never knew there was so much theory and process that went into it, and I could go on and on. If you want to know more, check out Fiona Humberstone’s website and read her fabulous posts for yourself!
Originally posted June 5, 2020.
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