Looking for some fresh inspiration as you go about your day to day?

Here are five things/artists that have brought me inspiration recently, and could be a great place to dive in as you begin 2022.

These thinkers, creators, and ideas are all things that may inspire you to slow down, live with more intention, and celebrate the small things. Now more than ever, we need more of that!

As a visual artist, I find myself more inspired when I venture outside of visual art (does that sound weird?), so what you are about to read is a delightful arrangement of actors, chefs, entrepreneurs, and music.

Sometimes it’s hard to be human, but there is so much joy to be found in the day to day, and I think you will love a few of these ideas!

1. Stanley Tucci

   Topping the list right now is actor, writer, producer, and former fashion model, Stanley Tucci. Like most television influences, my husband introduced him to me, and he has quickly become one of our favorites.

   
   

   It has less to do with his films (although one tops the list!) and more to do with his affinity for food, which is incredibly endearing. Here are three of his creative productions that I have adored this year:

   
   

   Searching for Italy

   We fell in love with his work on the pilot season (2021) Searching for Italy. It’s currently (writing in January 2022) available on multiple streaming platforms and if you have any interest at all in food, Italy, or just good and passionate storytelling, you will love this series.

   
   

   In Searching for Italy, Tucci visits one Italian region an episode and digs deep into the culinary nuance of the area. From my novice perspective on Italian culture, he seems to take a pretty holistic and wide angle view of how each region came to what it is today.

   From why one Italian chef only cooks with the “offal” to the near artistry of growing tomatoes, you will love unwinding to these stories.
   

   You will be enjoying quite a few takes of food, from pasta to potatoes to tomatoes to butter. Plus, he has a really soothing voice, which makes it great to fall asleep to on a Saturday night. (#introvert)

Taste

Also released in 2021, Taste is Stanley Tucci’s memoir, mostly centered around his love affair with food.

Admittedly, I am still reading (listening… soothing voice!) this one, but I am including it because so far it is great and it also sparked a pasta cooking spree for my husband. We have eaten pasta carbonara weekly since he finished the book.

Part artist biography, part food memory journal, this book is a pleasant read sharing deeper insights from his career alongside his passions of fashion and food.

Big Night

As a result of reading his memoir, we finally committed to finishing Tucci’s 1996 film, Big Night.

A story about two Italian brothers who co-run a restaurant, the takes an independent/foreign style approach to tackling the tension between art and commerce.

On one hand, the business of the restaurant must stay in place in order for there to be a restaurant. On the other hand, the artistic soul of one brother in particular resists the commercialization of the beloved tradition of Italian cooking. There is a push pull throughout the entire film, embodied in not only the narrative but also the characters themselves.

In efforts not to spoil it for you, I will leave you with this:

The film ends with one long and completely uncut scene (pretty cool, watch for it!) that both resolves and leaves open ended the conclusion, all while cooking a fritatta.

I love that about art: It often asks more questions than provides answers. When we watch it again in 6 months, it will likely yield entirely new conclusions, and that is pretty cool.

It sparked both my husband Caleb and I to reflect about what we took away from the story for days. As a very sensitive movie watcher, it also succeeded in fueling my craving for art without leaving me feeling icky (anyone else?)

2. Christina Tosi, Chef and Founder of Milkbar

Have you heard of Milkbar? Perhaps seen an ad for a perfect birthday cake that is delivered to your door? Wondered what the heck “cereal ice cream” is? (It’s exactly what it sounds like…ice cream made from the milk flavored with your fave sugary cereal.)

I first discovered Christina Tosi, the chef and founder of Milkbar, through the “Milk Bar Bake Sale” episode on Season 2 of “The Chef Show,” a Netflix documentary where actor and director Jon Favreau (also the lead actor and director of the 2014 film, Chef ) explores the stories and creative vision behind contemporary chefs.

(Are you noticing a theme? I love thinking about food! It connects us and slows us down and tastes really really good.)

I had seen Milkbar advertisements but did not stop to pay much attention to them other than drooling over the sweets. However, that episode changed everything when Tosi explained her thought process behind her body of work.

While she did eventually get trained, so much of her passion for cooking originated and grew as a child in a home kitchen. It was that connection to her “self-taught” roots that informed the repertoire of baking she does today.

(I have a lot to say about the self-taught artist path, check out this blog series).

In the episode, she explains how it’s her goal to make her cakes taste like they came from a box at the grocery store.

SO fun! And for me as an artist, it was a lightbulb moment. Watching her unapologetically be herself helped me feel a little more brave to do the same.

As a “self taught” artist up until 2020, I absolutely fell in love with her intention. She has built not only a delicious and approachable body of work that inspires people everywhere to stop and celebrate life, but she also created a brand around it that allows her to bake cookies for a living.

Since then, I have loved following her journey, buying a Milkbar cake for my parents’ birthdays, and trying out her bake club recipe for Ted Lasso biscuits (yes really).

Here are some places you can enjoy learning more about Christina Tosi:

1. (Netflix) The Chef Show, Season 2, Episode 1: Milk Bar Bake Sale

2. How I Built This (Podcast by NPR with Guy Roz), Live 2019 Episode with Christina Tosi

3. Her cookbook with the cakes and cereal ice cream recipes, plus more fun anecdotes

4. Her Instagram, you won’t be disappointed

5. Milkbar website (buy cookies!)

6. Also on that website, the baking club! (That link will take you directly to Ted Lasso cookies, you’re welcome).

All in all, I adore how her artistic vision has morphed to go far beyond a simple recipe. Its fascinating to me to watch an artistic expression expand into a brand, an entreprenurial venture, and a community centered around the joy of celebrating life. GOALS!

3. Four Objects, the brand

Hushing things down for a moment, the next nugget of inspiration for your day is the brand Four Objects.

According to their website, Four Objects is a brand that aims to create a wardrobe where women keep it, repair it, hand it down, all while enjoying a timeless sense of utility.

While their efforts for sustainability are inspiring, both in the honest production methods of the clothing, but also in the slow paced design and production of their work, it was the concept that captivated me the most.

The brand aims to make four objects a year for four years.

That’s it. Each item is selectively curated, tested, never discounted, and done at the pace of human hands. With a significant portion of profits going right back into the communities that made them, as well as a deep attention to every stage of the supply chain and creation process.

I’ve been so inspired by the vision and commitment of this company and had to tell you about it! As a working artist, I find myself juggling the tension between the need to make a living and the ebbs and flows of the creative process. This brand navigates that tension beautifully.

4. Local artisan brands and shops

Typical of the experience in getting a masters in fine art, artists are confronted with so many different (and sometimes conflicting!) view points and influences. The point is to jumble it all up and challenge the student to consider new possibilities in their work.

Many times, I was overwhelmed at how much was floating through my head, but the experience began to be marked by tiny milestones of clarity.

One of those moments was a realization of my personal appreciation for the local, the handmade, and the value that adds to a community.

(What does that have to do with art?!? Well, as artists, we are part of that community. I see art as something that seeps into all aspects of life, and that is an exciting possibility!)

When we visit local businesses who are pouring their hearts into their work, making an experience for the patron that far exceeds the item we are looking to purchase, how does it make us feel?

Personally, I love the ritual and familiarity that comes with the intentional businesses I love to frequent. I love the way these places make me feel cozy, warm, and as a safe place to try new things and recover from the latest adventure or challenge. To see familiar faces and remember how we are all more alike than we are different, and that kindness and empathy matter.

What are some local shops, bakers, butchers, boutiques, and bookstores that you find yourself gravitating to?

5. Just Some Tunes :)

Alright friends, a confession for you: my taste in music is the opposite of sophisticated, edgy, and informed.

I have a thing for the mainstream and predictable.

(Are you the type to seek out amazing songs and bands and keep a catalogue of playlists? Be my friend and introduce me to your taste please :))

However, here are some of my favorite and most listened to songs in 2021 that brought me to a happy place in the studio, in the car, and even with my kids.

Any guesses to what my 3 and 5 year old picked out? (There’s only one Frozen song included… and at least five came from them).

Really, these just make me happy and if you need something new to listen to, then maybe you’ll like it!

(There’s a lot of Taylor Swift, don’t say I didn’t warn you. There are also some curse words, so not all are okay to listen to around your kids).

Thanks for stopping by!

Here’s to a great 2022.

About the Author

Kristin Cronic is a multipassionate artist who loves to share all things art with collectors and the creatively curious.

Before she called herself an artist, she drove ships in the US. Navy and pretended to be bad ass but really is a cuddly homebody at heart.