Every creation starts with a lump of useless clay. The potter leaves a part of himself in every creation. Only the potter can hear the clay. He listens to know its breaking point, to learn its limitations, to reach past them or to accept them and make them a thing of beauty.
regina brett
It is always scary to put ourselves out there for the world to see. Many writers, artists, singers, lego-builders, doodlers, cartoonists…sometimes remain in the closet because they don’t want to be judged.
Regina Brett shares that when someone points out her flaws it’s difficult for her to accept the ‘unseen order’ in her life because she wants to be perfect. Yet in reality, most of the blessings that come to her, and most of the blessings that come through her, come through the imperfect.
Two creatives caught my eye this week. Zucca Meals and Decadence in a Jar.
What was it about these two products that stood out for me?
Their story.
For Zucca, whose pumpkin soup I’m about to try it was the tagline
Inspired by Italy, made in Trinidad.
This one line drew me in. I wanted to know more. This is the power of story.
In the last 24 years, no other writer has likely lured more travellers to Italy than Frances Mayes. Her 1996 memoir Under the Tuscan Sun tells the story of how she fell in love with a rundown 200-year-old villa outside Cortona, and how she painstakingly restored it alongside her Italian neighbours.
When asked what still fuels her love of Italy Mayes said:
From the first trip until the last one, I experienced exactly the same sensations – the feeling of being at home. Who can explain how you can sense a metabolic connection with a foreign place, when you have no genes, no ties? Colpo di fulmine – “love at first sight”. I travelled to Italy originally to see the art and architecture. I live there now half of the year for about 1,000 reasons, but the most profound: I open the door and say aloud, “I’m home”.
Maybe that was why Zucca’s tag line drew me in: the allure of Italy and perhaps the gift of being able to get a taste of Italy right here in Trinidad and Tobago…delivered straight to my home!
Necessity is the mother of invention and Tami needed an alternative income stream when because of Covid, she could no longer work as an aesthetician. Zucca was her answer to many of the challenges faced in these turbulent times and the consistent positive reviews keeps motivating her to make small batches of pumpkin soup daily.
Decadence in a jar was lock down inspired by a 17 year old Chelsea, in Chaguanas. She decided to put her love of baking to create a brand that helps her anxiety and channel her creativity.
Cooking or baking has become a common cure for stress or feeling down, but there might actually be some science to why small creative tasks might make people feel better. According to a new study, a little creativity each day can go a long way towards happiness and satisfaction in the bustle of daily life.
In order to put together a good meal, cooks have to be constantly in the moment, adding ingredients, adjusting the heat of the stove and tasting their food to make sure everything will come out alright—all of which can be helpful techniques in treating some forms of mental illness.
“A lot of us turn to baking when we’re feeling low,” Melanie Denyer, the founder of the Depressed Cake Shop, a bakery designed to draw awareness to mental health conditions says.
Baking may not be a be-all-end-all cure for mental illness, but anyone in need of lifted spirits should consider pulling out the flour and warming up the oven.
In Chelsea’s own words…
Creativity sparks resilience.
What have you been too afraid to share, to let the world know about? Start today, and who knows – you might catch my eye!
P.S
I’ll be writing the stories of both Tami and Chelsea. In order to get those stories – subscribe here.
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