Everything That Is Inspiring Me Right Now As A Food Creative
+ an important note on proposed cuts to food assistance & SNAP benefits
All day, everyday I think about food. My next meal, groceries that need to be acquired, what I need to prep for my next project, filming, photographing, editing, and more. You’d think I’d get tired of it and sometimes I do but there’s just so much to be excited about. I’ve been pitching & building quite a few moodboards recently, so I thought it would be fun to talk about what’s inspiring me at the moment as a multi-disciplined food creative.
If you’re privileged enough to view food as a creative medium and not just a necessity, mealtime can be just a joyous part of the day. But that’s not everyone’s reality. That’s why we should all care about the proposed $300B cut in food assistance/SNAP benefits, which will hit Ohio & the greater midwest particularly hard.
Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin called the proposed changes "a slap in the face" of millions of people who rely on SNAP "to put food on the table and make sure their kids don't go hungry". [source]
Food is deeply engrained into every aspect of our lives, across the country. Call Senators Moreno & Husted and ask them to vote no on bill H.R.1.
Moreno: (202) 224-2315
Husted: (202)-224-3353
*They probably will not answer the phone but their staff is required to give a detailed readout every week of how many calls they received and what the person was calling about.
Everything that’s inspiring me & more!
Bright, overexposed photography
As I’m beginning to figure out how to shoot in my new kitchen with the lack of direct sunlight spots, I’m finding that I’m really drawn to this style of photo. There’s something dramatic and lived-in about that. I can really get down with that.
The pitch: A savory tomato cake styled on a long dining table with stacks of tomatoes, greenery, and crisp linens with lots of movement shots of hands grabbing slices + cutting the cake. High exposure, high contrast.
Goodies I’m eyeing: Spicy Virgin olio piccante, Laoban scallion pancakes, Mama Teav’s hot garlic crunch
Thick, chunky typefaces
I’m tired of simply boring typefaces! Who wants to design a brand like this ^ because I’m here for it. There’s just so much life within those letters and I feel like I know the ethos of the brand without knowing anything at all. Not to mention that a brown and cream color scheme will always hit.
The pitch: A cafe that serves coffee during the day, drinks at night, has some chic bar bites, and a fire CPG shelf. Called something like Juniper or Kitties.
Small bites styled on silver
I randomly picked up a silver tray at a church sale I happened upon the other week and now my mind is going crazy with all the ways I can style food on it. These types of photos are just so chic that now I want to build out a whole silver collection lol.
The pitch: Gilda pintxo styled on a silver tray sat atop two crates in the sunlight.
Goodies I’m eyeing: Freestyle lemon & garlic olives, Fishwife anchovies, O Olive Oil organic evoo
Pools of olive oil
Is there anything more glorious than something creamy & rich doused with high quality olive oil??! I also think there’s just something so summery about it. I’m particularly intrigued by labne with yummy flavored oils on top.
The pitch: Labneh piped onto a sea shell with basil olive oil drizzled into the crevices and a fat sprinkle of infused salt
Goodies I’m eyeing: Bezi OG labneh, Brightland Arise evoo, Jacobsen cherrywood smoked salt
Orange hues
You know how when you were in school and you’d get new folders for your classwork, then assign colors to the class. Yellow was English, Blue was Math, Green was Science, and so on. Well, orange is summer. Sorry I don’t make the rules!
I have been gravitating towards all the orange produce and pantry goodies at the farmers market. A weekly pickup of a bag of mandarins, ribbony carrot salads, poached salmon, perfectly seasoned pinto beans…the list could go on & on.
The warmth that orange brings to any photograph is one that I want to create.
The pitch: Grapefruit poached salmon with lots of fresh herbs from the garden
Goodies I’m eyeing: Pink grapefruit vinegar
Reversal of sweet & savory
I recently saw Hailee Catalano make sticky cherry chicken thighs which had me thinking about how much I love when sweet & savory have a crossover episode. Then I saw a recipe for roasted grapes with agrodolce and cacio e pepe french toast. Goddamn. I will be trying the french toast as soon as I get my hands on some milk bread.
The pitch: Parmesan pepper Belgium waffles with cherry glazed fried chicken
Goodies I’m eyeing: Churn parmesan pepper butter, Kooshy panko
Inspiration comes from everywhere
I’m about to go to Le Creuset’s Columbus factory sale this weekend and I’m heavily eyeing an egg cup. I’ve never had an egg in that format, so maybe I’ll hate it. BUT what I do know is that it will photograph beautifully. What egg company wants to work together?? lol
I refuse to let items pile up in my sink but a photo like the middle one is a modernized take on a still life imo. I think the utensils dirtied to make a meal are sometimes just as worth of a photo as the dish itself.
I’ve realized over the past few years that if I didn’t have my current career and didn’t go to business school, I would love to be a florist. The intricacies of floral arrangement and the modernized takes on arranging are all I’m looking at when food isn’t the focus.
The pitch: A beautiful breakfast spread featuring jammy egg cups, pillowy sourdough, radishes + butter, sausage, summer berries, tangy greek yogurt, pastries
xx,
Lauren (Hodgen)
Dear Citrus Diaries Host | @ citrusdiaries.studio
Citrus Diaries Studio | Creative Director
If you’re interested in working together, drop me a line: hello@citrusdiaries.com 🍊
If only the “Foodie” hadn’t skipped me!
Love this!