Where Creativity Lies:Chef And Author Blake Beshore Decides To Reignite His Creativity By Retreating

This post marks the first in a new series by chef and co-author Blake Beshore. Beshore will be traveling throughout Asia over the coming weeks and will be posting updates from his travels exclusively on The Daily Meal. He is the co-author of James Beard Award-winning book "Notes From a Kitchen: A Journey Inside Culinary Obsession," and is the co-founder of Tatroux LLC, a growing culinary arts publishing company.

Stagnant creativity — getting stuck in the same routine and keeping your opportunities narrow — is almost like tunnel vision. We're all guilty of this when we get trapped within our daily lives and routines. This can be bad for us — and for the people and things surrounding us — and it's important that we recognize when this happens and do something about it.

This doesn't just apply to chefs or owners in the restaurant industry, but to people from all walks of life. Changing things up and getting inspired — in other words, to evolve and innovate — can only happen when we engage in a variety of experiences. The more we experience, the more life we live. Experiencing more of the world's cultures, perfections, and challenges is how we find out how we are able to change the world. That change can truly impact people.

Swimming Away From the Shore

To combat this curse of stagnation in my own life, I've decided to embark on a trip throughout Asia. This voyage won't just teach me new things; it will shake loose the cobwebs that keep me tied to doing the same things I've always done.

For me, this trip is more about sparking creativity and reigniting the flame inside me after life has taken hold and put a damper on that flame. I understand that getting away, for most, isn't that simple due to schedules, commitments, spouses, and children — but everyone can choose to go off the grid for a few days. Whether your trip is local or distant, it's worth it to find your inspiration again and reinvigorate your passion.

Avoiding Burnout

Passion is where happiness lies; without staying true to yourself and realigning your thoughts every so often, routines can create complacency and mediocrity. I'm in a transition in my life. After co-authoring Notes From a Kitchen with my best friend, Jeff Scott, I was dazed and confused, to put it lightly. I needed new direction after getting caught up in the process of publishing my first book.

What would become of the next chapter in my life? Would I continue to follow my passion, or would I choose a different path?  I wanted to travel and push the reset button.

Don't be pigeonholed by trips like this. Set goals, but let things happen organically. By not planning, you may stumble upon new ideas and people. You're more likely to stop reaching for the things that resemble the things you've known before. You may hear a new voice of intuition take hold.

Plotting My Retreat

I reached out to many chefs, entrepreneurs, and restaurateurs I knew so I would be guided in the right direction for once-in-a-lifetime experiences. After discussing my idea to go off the grid and experience a different culture for a few months, my good friend, photographer Julius Pickenpack, admitted he was feeling similarly. He, too, was caught up in his routine and in need of inspiration and creativity. We talked about where we might travel; we settled on a place neither of us had been: Asia. 

After assembling the list of cities that piqued our interest, the next question was how long we should travel. We could either see more cities with a shorter amount of time in each, or we could explore fewer cities for longer amounts of time. We chose the latter to really experience the cities and their people, spending a week in each. This would allow us to develop new relationships with locals, chefs, farmers, and families — and cultivate existing ones — so we could immerse ourselves in each culture.

The schedule was set: Singapore, Phuket, Bangkok, Saigon, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. Over the next several weeks, you will hear me discuss a range of experiences, issues, people, and trends. I may find inspiration — or I might not — but I know one thing to be true: My path will be reset, and I will be better for it.

Because this article was published, one book will be donated to Reading Is Fundamental.

Connect with Blake Beshore on Twitter and Google+.