Live hungry. Not only do I enjoy reading, writing and illustrating – I fall under the “foodie” category as well.

Since December, I’ve been hand-making pasta. I enjoy the ritual and really enjoy the results!
The process begins with a hard, crumbly lump of dough. I knead it a little to start with, but it’s always muscle-building tough at that point. So I wrap the dough. It sits aside for a while. I run off to walk the dog or do the dishes and return to it later.

After a surprisingly short amount of time, the tough dough has changed into something more pliable, more yielding. This time I can really knead the dough.

My creative work is often much like the dough. It starts out quite rough around the edges. I might even decide to hate it. But so many times, if I sit the work aside for a while, it’s more yielding to my touch and ready for changes and improvements when I return to it later.

As I mentioned earlier, kneading can be hard work, requiring persistence and a certain amount of strength. But thoroughly kneading the dough makes a drastic difference on the end result, providing softer, lovelier noodles. Yes, I consider a plateful of noodles a lovely thing.

Thoroughly reviewing, revising, editing and reworking creative work takes a lot of stick-to-it-ness. I’m tempted to whip it out quickly so I can feel accomplished and move on to something new. But the mark left by attention and the thorough kneading of your creative work is unmistakable. So muscle-up with me and let’s knead through it.