When James Came Calling
Beating back impostor syndrome so I can thrive in 2019
This blog has been radio silent for months.
Early last year, I was in the middle of a series of posts recounting the best things I ate in 2017, and I…just stopped.
In the past, I’ve gone longer without updating Tiffany Tastes. Sometimes life just gets in the way; you’re too busy living to sit down and type out all of the things you did, consumed, experienced. I wish that was the reason I haven’t put pen to the proverbial paper since last February. But, the truth is, for the first time in my life, I had writer’s block caused by the fear of people thinking I’m a better writer than I actually am.
In November 2017, I wrote a piece that had been percolating in my mind for over a decade, and when I was done, I knew it was likely to be one of the best things I had ever written. It was so important to me that I pitched it, unsuccessfully, to some of my favorite food publications. Every response I received said that my story was good, but it wasn’t what they were looking for at the time. After a brief pity party, I posted it right here on my blog and went on my merry way. The hard part was done. I had written it. I put it out there.
Then, a few months later, something crazy happened:
All of a sudden, I’m a James Beard Award nominee. My little blog that could was in the same conversation with Food & Wine and Nevada Public Radio’s Desert Companion Magazine. I mean, I’m certain that before this happened, the main readers of this blog were my husband, my mom, and the little old ladies at my mom’s church back in South Carolina.
Now, some of the amazing food writers that I’ve admired from afar are following me on Twitter and subscribing to my blog, and I…don’t have anything to say. What if they think I’m a fraud? That I didn’t deserve to be nominated? This is the type of recognition that can be critical for a food writer’s success and longevity, and what did I do to earn it?
It’s taken me months, but I’ve finally realized something. Even though I don’t write about food full time, I’m a darn good writer. When I set out to write about the day that shaped me while working at Sonic Drive-In, I knew it was likely going to be one of the most important things I’ve ever written. But, I’ve got a lot left to say. And nothing I write may ever be as good as my Sonic piece, but I’m finally okay with that.
In 2019, I’m committed to doing the hard work. I am going to write, and it won’t be perfect. But, I’m going to put it out there.
You’re going to hear more from me very soon. I promise.
Thanks for sticking with me.
Also, this is pretty cool:
(Side note: if you get nothing else from this post, please take a few minutes to read the amazing essays from my co-nominees. Nashville-based pastry chef Lisa Donovan discusses the culture of sexual harassment prevalent in the restaurant industry in “Dear Women: Own Your Stories.” Kim Foster explains what happens when she finds out a man she’s hired to renovate her house is suffering from addiction in “The Meth Lunches: The Care and Feeding of a Drug Addict.” These pieces are poignant, deeply personal, and I’m honored to just be mentioned in the same breath with them. I also got to meet Lisa and Kim at the James Beard Media Awards ceremony, and they’re super, awesome, kick-ass women.)
