Creative blocks are real. Whether the attack happens on page four of an eight-page paper or paralyzes you at a brainstorming session, it’s victimized us all.
So, I had a chat with Hannah Brencher and snagged some nuggets of gold on how to munch your way to a creative breakthrough.
But why should you listen to this chic’s advice? Time for a qualification talent show.
She founded The World Needs More Love Letters, a non-profit dedicated to leaving letters of love all over the world for humans from around the globe. Plus, she wrote a book about it (grab a copy to feel all the feels) and has a blog full of posts guaranteed to make your heart burst.
Not only is she a TED speaker and a spokesperson for USPS, but she’s also been featured in publications like Oprah, Glamour, and The Wall Street Journal.
But the most important qualification? She’s a foodie. And she likes food puns.
Now listen to your new BFF’s advice, and try her must-have foods to get those creative juices flowing.
Spoon: What foods do you keep around for when you need to get those creative juices flowing?
HB: I make kale all the time. It’s my favorite go-to food, and I roast it. Sometimes I’ll make popcorn on the stove… that’s a favorite of mine. I really like easy to eat fruit whether that’s grapes or an apple. I’m always eating Lärabars. I eat way too many Lärabars.
Spoon: What was your favorite study snack in college?
HB: Mix peanut butter with Gold Standard whey protein. I order the vanilla flavor in five-pound buckets from Amazon. It tastes like this awesome vanilla cookie dough. It’s perfect for brain food but a guilty pleasure at the same time.
Spoon: Do you feel like healthy eating plays a part in creativity?
HB: What I’ve found in the last year is that the thing that has helped me the most with creativity, writer’s block, and pushing through personal creative ruts has been switching to a fairly clean diet… basically like paleo. I’m not the strictest with it because I think that sometimes you just need cheese in your life. But I have found that the times when I am sticking with it I feel the most energized, and I can immediately get into my writing.
Spoon: Do you think working out plays a part as well?
HB: It’s a huge part. I have a workout group that meets at 7 am three days a week. It’s become my favorite thing that I do!
Spoon: Have you found that cooking helps your creativity?
HB: I’m not that good of a cook. I’m still learning, but I’m finding that there’s something much more gratifying about preparing your meals and being able to feed other people. I also meal prep on Sundays, and I’m never sorry when I actually do it. It makes me feel more like an adult.
Spoon: What’s your favorite meal to cook?
HB: Breakfast because it’s my favorite thing, and I love to eat it at all hours of the day. So I would probably make bacon, eggs, and kale… that’s my favorite. Cooking bacon makes me so happy about life.
Spoon: What’s one of your guilty pleasure snacks?
HB: I love peanut butter filled pretzels. They’re my favorite thing in the whole entire world. And there are definitely those days where you’re like, you know what, I just need Wendy’s. I love French fries — they are my love language.
Spoon: Coffee or tea?
HB: I drink coffee in the mornings and then tea at night. There’s just some sort of comfort in a cup of tea that you make yourself. Really though, I get coffee more than anything. Coffee is way essential.
So there you have it. Add her food recommendations to your grocery list, try out her tips, and get creative. You can do this.