Baking
I began my career producing experimental film and video art. Like many experimental works, fully appreciating an artwork often requires the audience to bring some prior knowledge to the experience. There’s an entire ecosystem of interpretation around this kind of art: artists and curators write statements, historians and critics publish books and essays. I don’t mean to dismiss or devalue this process. Art is essential to the human experience, and truly understanding a complex work demands effort from the viewer. That’s a good thing.
But there’s another kind of good thing: handing someone a still-warm slice of sourdough with cultured butter that requires absolutely no explanation.
Art-making demands patience, precision, education, and a drive to grow. Baking is similar, but, at the end, you can eat it.
What I have learned from baking:
2019 onward
I began my career producing experimental film and video art. Like many experimental works, fully appreciating an artwork often requires the audience to bring some prior knowledge to the experience. There’s an entire ecosystem of interpretation around this kind of art: artists and curators write statements, historians and critics publish books and essays. I don’t mean to dismiss or devalue this process. Art is essential to the human experience, and truly understanding a complex work demands effort from the viewer. That’s a good thing.
But there’s another kind of good thing: handing someone a still-warm slice of sourdough with cultured butter that requires absolutely no explanation.
Art-making demands patience, precision, education, and a drive to grow. Baking is similar, but, at the end, you can eat it.
What I have learned from baking:
- Recipes and bakers are works in progress.
- For dough to rise, you must let it rest.
- There is no substitute for time.
- Even ugly loaves usually taste good.
- Baking is a way to feel connected to your loved ones.