Early last month I made the difficult announcement that I had separated from my husband and moved out of my home. In that announcement I also shared that my apartment’s small kitchen inspired a new creative project that I would share with you all soon. Well, the time has come. I am excited to share my brand new Youtube channel, ‘Big Appetite. Small Kitchen.’ with you all!
Minimalism has been one of the primary themes of this blog for many years; a topic I know many of you appreciate. After countless #minsgames and experiments with #project333, moving in to a small apartment wasn’t terribly difficult (in terms of stuff, that is.) But as someone who finds so much joy in the kitchen, I struggled with my new small space. My minimalist principles were put to the test as I was forced to examine what I truly needed to sufficiently cook and bake.
Despite little space and room for only the necessities, my passion for cooking returned in no time. I realized it didn’t matter how much counter or cabinet space I had, or how fancy my oven was. All that mattered was how I felt as I prepared delicious food for myself and the people I care about. And let me tell you… I felt happy.
A Creative Seed
One evening soon into living in my new apartment I gave an enthusiastic (and impromptu) tutorial on how to prepare an authentic caesar salad. It was in that moment that the creative seed for ‘Big Appetite. Small Kitchen.’ was planted.
I’ve shared so much over the years through the written word — sharing via video didn’t feel like that much of a departure. The wheels started turning and my co-creator, Devin and I bounced around ideas. What if we could show people that a small kitchen doesn’t have to be limiting? What if we could demonstrate how to prepare low-cost, yet health-forward food with minimal tools and ingredients that complement the realities of a small kitchen? Maybe we could even help people save money by showing them how to make things most people spend money on, like cold brew, for example.
Lucky for me, Devin was equally excited by the concept… and had most of the necessary equipment… and had dabbled in videography… and editing… and obtained all the other skills required to put together a Youtube show.
We decided to put our money where our mouths were, commit to the project, and see where it goes.
We launched ‘Big Appetite. Small Kitchen.’ (B.A.S.K.) with three videos:
Nurturing the Seed
We learned so much in a short time and continue to improve and be excited by the project. Not only has it been a fun creative outlet, it’s turned out to be an aid to my disordered eating recovery. I cried the first time I saw myself on camera, disgusted by the woman staring back at me. There was a part of me that wanted to tell Devin to delete everything — that I was nuts to think I had any business whatsoever being on camera.
But we had worked hard. And I believe there is value in what we created. And I am who I am and this is what I look like at the moment.
I’ve wasted so much time and missed out on so many things choosing to wait until I was comfortable in my skin. I may NEVER feel comfortable in my own skin. But I have a life to live and creative endeavors to pursue. My limiting beliefs are LOUD and MEAN, but I continue to challenge them.
So I agreed to put our first few videos out into the world. And so far… so good.
And now I’m sharing them with you! I can’t wait to hear what you think and would love it if you would share some requests for future videos.
In the meantime, “Thanks for watching. Like and subscribe for more.”