I develop recipes and shoot food photos, too.
Having said that, I can say that its the best work Ive ever done.
My posts are always of food, and usually feature dishes Ive made using fresh ingredients.
On the porch in my pajamas trying to get the perfect Instagram shot
Then I check my email and social media feeds.
I special-ordered the red-veined sorrel, then had to buy the vegetables.
Aside from the ones you see, I bought others I decided not to use.
A typical breakfast: yogurt with roasted rhubarb, strawberries, and granola
That background is a board from Erickson Surfaces that I ordered from the USit cost me about $300.
Eventually, I got the shot I wanted.
All in all, I took 94 images and chose four favorites.
Roasted vegetables with wheatberries, crispy tofu, and red-veined sorrel (which I ordered specifically as a garnish for this shot)
Four out of 94 sounds like a ridiculous ratio, but its pretty typical.
When potential clients see my Insta feed and like it, they hire me to get their products featured.
Then its all worth it.
Spaghetti with ricotta, peas, and lemon on a “marble” surface
Those are perks of my job.
That said, these perks still demand that I be in full-on R.D.
mode at all times, which is still work.
Here I am on the set of Breakfast Television Montreal to do a sponsored segment for Splenda Stevia
Its just more enjoyable (for me, at least) than working in an office.
One thing about working for yourself is that it sometimes takes a long time to get paid.
And by long time, I mean months.
I threw this salad together from whatever I had in the fridge that day: roasted sweet potato, arugula, tomatoes, pickled turnip, avocado, black rice, mint, and basil, with a tahini-hummus-lemon-apple cider vinegar dressing
I maxed out my credit cards and my credit lines waiting for the money.
When you own your own business, your debt tolerance really rises!
I still lie awake sometimes though, worrying about being paid or where my next job is coming from.
Dinner I threw together for my family when we were staying at a cabin in Montana: pork cutlets with tomatoes
Its a totally normal part of the job.
I gulp down my favorite homemade salada 5-oz.
box of arugula mixed with Italian-style tuna, avocado, feta, croutons, and balsamic vinegar.
Ive been called a bitch and been given one-star reviews on my pages.
People are shitty sometimes, but 90 percent of the feedback I get is actually really sweet and positive.
As my husband says: Im eliciting emotion from people, and making them think.
Ive picked the kids up, but my workday is far from over.
The tradeoff to my weird schedule is that I have the luxury of being with my kids more.
I wont lie, its a struggle sometimes.
Were watching Netflix, during which Im still working.
This is my time to shut down, read my book, and sleep.
