On Emmys and Other Creative Accomplishments
Spoiler: I have never won an Emmy
I got the most hilarious apology from Dan’s cousin when we were in Maine last October for the Damariscotta Pumpkinfest. She asked, “Wasn’t one of your books at the Emmys?”
I scanned the archives of my brain trying to think of what this could possibly mean, then finally remembered: In 2013, my first cookbook, Classic Snacks Made from Scratch, was included in the Emmy gift bags.
She said, “I didn’t even know what that was, and I’m sorry!”
Girl!
That was more than a decade ago, I had completely forgotten it even happened, and obviously it made zero impact on anything I’ve done since.
Yet Kate had been holding onto this nugget of info like it was an important career milestone that she didn’t properly acknowledge.
Well. At the time, I guess it was something that I thought would really move the needle.
I just couldn't believe she had fixated on this one small moment from 11 years ago like it was a big deal when so many other things have happened since then!
There are so many other creative accomplishments to celebrate.
How much else have I accomplished that can’t be measured by any career success metrics, that didn’t always put money into my bank account but had an outsize effect on my creative happiness?
My 2024 Surprise Songs Set ukulele project, for instance. If you looked at engagement or stats or the typical KPIs, barely anyone cared about this creative endeavor but me.
But yes, I cared. And it was the most important and meaningful thing I did last year, frankly.
All the self-promotion and book events couldn’t make me a “successful” cookbook author. All the giveaways and press mentions and trade shows couldn’t make my pop culture shop sell enough Gilmore Girls coffee mugs and 30 Rock magnets to put me in the black.
However.
In the years since my two cookbooks were published, I also:
planned and executed a monthlong coast-to-coast campervan road trip along the entirety of Route 66, and discovered my capacity for flexibility, wonder, and resilience when every day really truly is an adventure
explored Acadia National Park through new eyes with my artist residency and experimented with a new way of artistic output with my Maine Ingredients book project
experienced even more of America via so much art and travel: Bryce Canyon, Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty, Joshua Tree, Voyageurs, Big Bend and then Chinati in Marfa, Big Sur, Dry Tortugas, Glacier, Anacapa Island, Taliesin in Wisconsin….
learned to paddleboard and surprised myself with the confidence and joy of being on the water
found my Chief Floof Officer Bixby while grieving the loss of my dearest whalecat Harry — not a replacement, but an extension of the deepest and truest love I have for my cats1
was introduced to Human Design and began accepting and embracing my individuality instead of people-pleasing out of guilt and comparison shame (more on this soon; I’m finally ready to talk about it)
saw Hamilton seven times and it was worth every penny, especially the LA trip
And that’s just a few of the greatest hits! Our many trips to MASS MoCA (and the time I did a cold plunge in the name of art), our weekends in New Hampshire with the guys, the essays I’ve written here, the photos I’ve taken and drawings I’ve made, surviving and even thriving in a global pandemic…
None of this was done or produced specifically to pad my bank account, and certainly in many cases helped deplete it.
That doesn’t matter.
As Jeanna Kadlec of astrology for writers said in her post2 on re-thinking creative accomplishments:
Creativity does not have to be “productive” within a capitalist system to be good or even — dare I say it — to be useful.
That Creativity comes in seasons, and that each of those seasons, whether a flourishing spring or a quiet winter, has something to teach us.
Instead of doing something because I think it will bring me status or accolades, I’m boldly moving toward the things that light me up creatively.
And the less space I give to the asks and tasks that weigh me down, the fuller my life feels.
(Without a drop in income! That’s the magic here.)
And if you want to support creativity AND help Los Angeles pets and their families:
From now through February 28, 2025, I’m donating my net proceeds from all custom pet portrait commissions to LA-area animal shelters.
Find details here:
Pet Portraits for LA Animal Shelters
Like so many of you, I’m gutted by the impact of the LA wildfires. My heart especially goes out to all the pets and their families who are dealing with unimaginable devastation.
Meanwhile, Lenny Potatoes keeps on trucking at 17 years, 9 months, and 3 weeks old at the time of this writing!
Also, I love Jenna’s take on tattoos as an artistic collaboration with one’s own body. I’m not heavily tattooed by any stretch, but each one of mine is a personal sigil.
You are such an inspiration to me. I wish I could adopt just one molecule of this mindset. I was thinking about you over the weekend. Edible Philly hosted a seed swap. One of the women who attended not only brought some of her favorite heirloom seeds to share, she also packaged them in envelopes that she beautifully hand painted! My jaw was on the floor that she would put so much time, creativity, and care into something she not only would not be paid for but that she was just giving away, not on instagram or in the public eye at all, just a gift of beauty from one gardener to another. I thought, "this is something Casey would do."
Just to pick one little part of your great post, Big Bend is absolutely amazing. Usually once a week I'm looking at land out in Far West Texas and thinking about selling my house and just moving out there to get away from it all.