Hello, friends.
Summer’s here! Aaand there it goes again. I can’t remember a time when the weather was more erratic than it has been over the past couple of months. For new readers here, I live in Sidmouth on the East Devon coast - so we’re used to unpredictable weather. But this year, it’s a little more crazy than usual.
That said, the garden is thriving! We have a couple of apple trees which have burst into life and I am very much looking forward to having an ample supply with which to cook. I’m thinking turnovers, pies, muffins, ice creams - the works. I’m sure I’ll be apple’d out by autumn.
Erm…
I think I’m stuck in a creative rut. That weird space between being bursting with amazing ideas and then doubting your ability to do absolutely anything. I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling this sort of overwhelm, so I’d love to hear how you push past this phase.
For me it’s threefold:
Setting a plan: Figuring out what I want to do and then planning the steps to achieve it.
Surrounding myself with inspiration: Whether that’s scrolling on Instagram/Pinterest or watching shows/movies, this really helps refill my creative cup.
Timeout: Remembering that it’s ok to take a breather, regroup and have some fun
I’m thrilled with my progress this year in baking (hello Basque Cheesecake) and how my space has been growing. But when I sat with the question ‘what makes my Substack unique?’, I just about had a mini existential crisis!
1 part ‘what the hell am I doing’, and 2 parts doubt
Then I remembered: there are no barriers to being a creator. I do what I can do with the skills that I have. And they’ll get better over the years as I put in the time and effort into growing them.
The Plan
Food illustration. It sounds so simple now I think of it (of course), but sometimes the most obvious ideas are the most elusive! A little-known fact about me is that I used to spend a lot of my free time illustrating. It’s been quite a while since I last put pencil to paper, but I think now could be the perfect time to add that ‘ingredient’ into the Taisty Bytes mix.
Whether it’s drawing my own kitchen creations or using reference images, I’m excited to share what I create - alongside my cooking and photography.
From realism to concept art, I always enjoyed exploring different illustration styles. I thought I’d dig out some of my old work to give you a taste of what I used to do:
Peach Crumb
Notes: This week, Ben brought home a bag of deliciously plump peaches, so I decided to try making my first ‘crumb.’ I didn’t realise what a great flavour combination peaches and cinnamon are — I will definitely be incorporating this into other recipes.
The Shot: Since the crumb is quite… chaotic, let’s say, I wanted to keep the shot simple and focus on the dish itself without any background props. I was blessed with some lovely cloudy weather, allowing me to take this closer to the window than usual, which created some nice contrast.
Well, friends - that’s it for today’s post. Thank you for reading, as always, it’s very much appreciated.
-Mark
Oh my gosh, I want all the illustrations!🥰 Full transparency: I started my food blog in 2010, and I still feel all the doubt even after all these years and 100’s of recipes. Give yourself grace and step into the uncomfortable. I love your message of learning about cooking through your blog. Share all the good and bad. Let us learn from you!🤩🙌🏻
Lovely to see your illustrations. It's always fun to see more of the person behind the food.