Hey World 👋
The start of my creative life began in the kitchen.
It was 2020. I (Becky) was a banking reporter in Hong Kong, writing about core banking platforms and private wealth management for a tiny trade publication. Work laptop from nine to six. Netflix from six to nine. My then-partner and I had eaten our way through every takeout menu within walking distance.
I was already cooking (literally), but only had two recipes in my rotation (shakshuka and chicken stir fry). So I just started putting a spin on things. Garnishing my spaghetti with various herbs. Watched YouTube tutorials for mapo tofu and Hainanese chicken rice. Swapped ginger powder for freshly minced ginger. Dropped a raw egg yolk in the middle of a rice bowl so it melted like a tiny volcano when you dug in.
It started with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and a thought: what if I did this differently?
I renamed my Instagram to “Becktaurant.” I started talking about recipes with my manager instead of interest rates. For the first time, I was revealing something about myself beyond “Rebecca the banking reporter.”
Then something weird happened. The confidence from cooking carried over. If I could learn Hainanese chicken rice from YouTube, maybe I could learn to paint. I bought tiny 3x5 sketchbooks because anything bigger felt overwhelming. I’d sit on a park bench for 15 minutes before a lunch appointment and try to capture what I saw. I took the long route to the gym so I could paint the harbour. I arrived early to restaurants so I could draw the turnstiles.
By 2024, I’d made 526 paintings. I scanned them, picked the best 10%, and self-published an art book.
From sesame seeds on a stir fry to a published book of paintings. The snowball is real.
And it started because I garnished my spaghetti.
There are 168 hours in a week. Subtract 40 for work and 56 for sleep, and you still have 72 left. Creativity doesn’t need a getaway in the woods. It needs 15 minutes of what you’re already doing and a willingness to put your own spin on something you already do.
So.
What’s your spaghetti?
Becky & Bhav x
🚨 P.S. We host free Creator Office Hours every two weeks, where anyone can drop in with creator questions (writing, YouTube, newsletters, Claude rabbit holes… you name it). Join the next one here.
🎙️ ICYMI - here's our latest episode of the Small Creator Big World podcast, where we talk more about Becky’s creative unlock, and how you can apply it to your own creative journey 👇
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