Toya Boudy on Obeying the Flow
Keeping your ambition tied to the mission
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When I hear writers and artists talk about being in a flow state, I question if I even know what that feels like. I am easily distracted. Always have been. Even on my most productive days, I can sense the noise and busyness around the periphery of my focus. And on my worst days, I succumb to the distractions, falling into my own trap of believing it frivolous to write about food and cooking when there are so many more important issues facing us. Lately, with the world feeling extra weighty, maintaining focus has been especially difficult.
What a joy then to re-listen to our conversation with Toya Boudy, a multi-hyphenate creative who spoke with us so openly about the work it took to make space in her life—and mind—to write her 2023 cookbook, Cooking for the Culture.
Writing a cookbook can be a huge lift, and the more time spent being distracted only adds to the work. Here are some of Toya’s strategies to find—and maintain—her flow state.
Declutter. Toya takes this to an extreme by repainting walls, trimming hedges, buying monochromatic outfits, but the point is well-taken. Providing yourself with a clean, well-ordered space can reduce the clutter inside your brain.
“You have shit running in the back of your mind that’s taking up creative space all of the time.”
Remind yourself of your creative capacity. One of the stickiest traps for many writers is fear. Fear of not being able to get your thoughts down on paper. Fear of your prose not living up to your ideas. Fear of failing. Toya overcomes these fears by surrounding herself with her own art and workmanship (paintings and furniture) as a reminder that she’s succeeded creatively before. In my case (since I don’t paint or build things), it might be keeping other books I’ve written on a shelf nearby. Toya calls this “breadcrumbing your way back” to the place where you have confidence in your creativity.
Consolidate your energy. Creativity requires energy, and we all have different levels of energy reserves. To do your best work, you need to conserve energy for where you need it. Easier said than done, I know. But Toya has solid advice here, too. When she’s creating, she intentionally avoids anything that takes up space and distracts her. She shuts off the news, avoids negative people, and strives to rid herself of things that threaten to deplete her reserves.
Of course, it’s one thing to list these tactics and another entirely to put them into action, but when I listen to Toya talk about her process, acknowledging the serious effort and work that goes into it, I understand that these are more than platitudes. These are hard-earned strategies that work.
Toward the end of the interview, Kate remarks that this is a conversation she will return to anytime she’s feeling a little stuck. Same here, Kate. Same here.
Links from the episode:
Toya Boudy’s Website and YouTube Channel
Visit the Everything Cookbooks Bookshop to find books mentioned in the show. (Buying books here supports the show, independent bookstores, and authors. A win-win-win! 🏆)
Next week on EVCB:
Next week is the last of our summer break, so we’ll be re-releasing one more favorite conversation from the archives on the topic of Voice. The new season starts on October 1st.
Bye for now. We’ll be back next week and hope you will be, too. In the meantime, keep on writing, reading, and cooking. ✍️📚🍳
Molly and the EVCB gang
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