Those of us involved in the creative process can run ourselves ragged searching for OUR niche. Particularly if you're serious about the process. Creativity starts with emulating, and some are content with this for a few reasons. It's easier to use someone else's creative ideas rather than coming up with your own. This sounds a bit snide but it's true. The question is do you want to stay there? Some might fear that their ideas aren't artistically interesting because they lack confidence. The bottom line is it takes work to be an original. Years of effort, study and experimenting. Years. Some don't care and just create and aren’t concerned if it's new, fresh, old, used or their idea but any great artist, in any genre, finds their way of doing it. Love or hate it...it's their idea they’re presenting.
Professionally, I do a few different things. Many of you know I'm a producer/host in radio broadcasting on WHRV FM and have been for 32 years. I'm also a 35-plus-year veteran performing professional musician. Cooking too is a serious passion and isn't new for me either. I've been cooking for over 30 years and the last 10, professionally. My point is that with all the years of experience I have there are moments when I'm still searching for myself. My sound. My flavors. My concepts. That reflects passion and love and the reason I still do all these things.
In music I've found areas of "me" as a performing artist and music radio host and producer. My sound, style and concepts. It took years to get there. In cooking, with over 200 of my own recipes, numerous cooking events under my belt and a cooking show, I still feel at times, I'm searching to solidify my approach to flavor profile creation. I'm not interested in serving you meat molecules or citrus foam sipped out of halved bones emptied of their marrow. Might sound impressive in chefdom and for the critics that write about it but for me, no thanks. At some point in your life, how and where you choose to expend energy and place focus becomes front and center.
Regardless of what you do, along the way you’ll try things and let many of them go. At times you might throw something out there to see if it sticks but this can be deceptive. The best art is least appreciated. Always has been with music, food and art. Someone once asked, "How do you know when you find your voice…your sound…your style?" Your voice or style will only develop after years of intense study, research, demonstration, emulating, challenging yourself and simply, doing it without fear of taking the chance. Doing it without fear of perceptions and not being overly concerned about what others think. You need to believe you can do it and get to a place where you've learned to intelligently embrace disappointments and critiques. You're patient. You have great intuition and vision, and it must remain fun. When it all feels like work, the interest tank will empty sooner than later.
Jae Sinnett hosts Sinnett in Session, The R&B Chronicles, and Students in Session on WHRV FM. He also shares his love of the culinary arts on Cooking with Jae on Facebook every Sunday at 6 p.m. Plus, catch up with past episodes.
