Routine DESTROYS La Diva's Soul

Darlings!  Well, that statement is a little dramatic, isn't it, even for a Diva?  Although, I have to admit,  dramatic or not, it's very true.  And it's a HUGE reason why I decided to work for myself.  I HATE doing ANYTHING on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.  It's not that I don't like to work every day, I work very hard on my business  and  get up and go to work each day just like a regular job.  But, I make a point of not doing the exact same thing every day and being an Army of One, I couldn't if I tried.  Each day brings a variety of tasks from marketing, to creating promotional materials, to inventing and testing recipes, writing proposals or to attending networking or industry events.

I remember a few years back while living in Los Angeles, I joined a small gym that was similar to Curves.  It was a circuit training circle, you worked out on one particular machine to the music and after so many minutes, the music would stop and you go to the machine on your right and work out for so many minutes, the music would stop and you go to the machine on your right and work out for so many minutes, the music would stop and you go to the machine on your right and.....well,  you get the drift. 

I quit after a month, I was bored out of my skull and it made me not want to work out ever again!  I felt like a little prancing poodle, running mindlessly in robotic circles, unable to think or motivate myself.  I dreaded going to that gym, so I canceled my membership and decided from that point forward to switch around the type of workouts I would do based on how I felt that day, how much time I had and what the weather was like.  Now I do exercise DVDs at home, swim laps in the pool, ride my bike around the beach and do yoga at the park.  It's good for a Diva to have variety.

And being part of a routine is why La Diva is having a difficult time writing my blog lately.  As I get busier with the responsibilities of La Diva Cucina Inc., I just don't have the time to do more than one or two posts a week.  I committed to posting about Meatless Mondays to the organization and I find it difficult to find the time to write additional posts on other dishes I make.  And Diva don't like that, not one little bit.

I love the Meatless Monday concept and will continue to be a participant.  After all, we "go meatless" at least once a week anyway; I don't find it difficult or feel the need to make a conscious effort to do this.  However, the pressure of HAVING TO POST a meatless dish each Monday IS difficult for me.   My Meatless Mondays dishes usually turn out delicious but for the most part , they are really less than spectacular, rustic and simple.  Many times, they are one-dish meals and not very exciting, so I feel they are not worthy of a post and a photo, especially when I have other dishes I've made that week that are much more interesting and successful.  Frankly, La Diva finds it boring to write about dishes that don't excite or challenge and BOREDOM is the dell knell for my creative juices.

In the past, I also found it difficult to write a daily CSA post when I was attempting to show other CSA subscribers what to do with their veggies by posting my own daily creations.  But that ended up killing my writing inspiration too,  I felt that because I had "committed' to it, that I HAD to write about it.  It made me resentful and instead of feeling like I had something I wanted to share with the blogging world and foodie friends, it made me angry that I HAD to write something I didn't really have the time to do.

And that's not good either.

I was going to start to get very serious in my posts about Meatless Mondays too.  But it was difficult to research as there is so much information (and misinformation) out there.  I also found that researching a topic at length and writing in serious style to really drain the joy out of my posts.  There are plenty of other people out there addressing serious subjects (Hello Lazaro!) and I'll leave it up to them to tell the world their important stories.  La Diva wants to be fun, silly and sassy while I continue on my culinary journey of constantly improving my cooking skills and techniques and embracing various ethnic foods and dishes.

It's not that I'm lazy, I'm just whimsical.  And yes, I have found that I DO loathe HAVING to write about something specific every week, the routine of it just kills my creativity and I find it repressive.  Could I ever write a weekly column?  It made me wonder.  Only if I had a lot of freedom within the topic or theme.  But at the same time, getting paid for something you must do can really change one's attitude!  What I DO know is that I am learning about my writing style, my own self and what I am willing (or not willing!) to do.  And that clarification, along with being "true" to myself, feels good. 

I write this blog primarily to promote my business, give me some industry cred as a chef and also promote a good internet presence, I DO write to express myself.  I blog because it's fun and because I want to teach and also because I want to learn.  I love my community and your comments.  But, if it ain't fun, it just ain't done.

And so with that, I conclude my Meatless Mondays weekly posts and they will now be relegated to a post only if I find them photo and post-worthy, just like any other dish I write about.   I have added a logo and a link to all my Meatless Mondays recipes and more on the right side bar.   

Some future post themes I am considering are the various ways to create tasty fish dishes as I find many people have a fear of cooking fish, especially whole fish.  But don't look for a weekly or monthly post on this subject.  Because if I "commit" to that, it will be the kiss of death!  Ciao, darlings!
cooking class, cocktails, parties, cocktail party, Miami, coral gables, events, bartending class, cocktail class, Laura Lafata, Miami Beach, miami cooking classes, bachelorette parties, bachelorette party, personal chef, corporate events, catering, personal chef, party entertainment, www.ladivacucina.com, top chef, next food network star