Jax's Artistic Journey...

Hi, I'm Jax--and I'm a food-a-holic. Yes, it's true... I LOVE TO EAT. I've always been influenced by traditional Vietnamese cuisine. I'm sure I mentioned my father was a gourmet chef and served Presidents, Generals, Ambassadors and top military officials ... my mother is a natural at soul cooking and she has always been a bold experimentalist when it comes to my homeland cuisine. No wonder, I get my risk-taking attitude from her. Did I mention she was infamous for making moonshine in her youth? The best at it too! I can't believe I admitted to that, but it's one of those things that you have to say, "Mom is kick-ass!".

Ahem. Yesterday was an interesting day which included the Top Chef marathon, doodling in the sketchbook, a tornado passing through, and catching up on emails. Yes, I had a productive day. I'm thankful to be back online and maybe that spurred the creativity on.

Okay, so when you're watching amazing, mouth-watering cuisine as an all day food-a-thon, it really is SO inspiring. It's an explosion of senses even if I'm not actually tasting the food. It's culinary crack! Seriously, I started thinking about how easily I am mesmerized with all this--especially because I believe food, art, and writing to be interconnected. Well, each project requires skill, hard work, imagination, and a high degree of love for what you're creating. The end result is usually a masterpiece and whether you're enjoying the meal, eying the artwork, or finishing the last word of the written manuscript--everything is absorbed and appreciated because of those emotions it invokes. As a writer, I truly believe that when you find yourself stuck...go outside the box. Not just think it. Do something challenging and artistic whether it's painting, knitting, baking, or photography because what you'll discover is that you're opening up to the creative part of your brain. By doing something other than writing and researching, you're exercising your mind and tapping into areas outside of the conventional thought processes and techniques you've learned in books, workshops, etc. Some things you can learn but some things are best to experiment. I've found that when I paint or draw or sew or cook, I start to plot better. My concepts become more solid and I see the manuscript as a colorful trail that will lead me to a better product.

Today, I'm working on Project X at Starbucks but my mind still conjures up the visual images I absorbed from yesterday. A mental break goes a long, long way...