A Recipe for Balance: Cooking, Music, and Mindfulness

Welcome back to my blog! This week, I want to share some of my other hobbies. While playing the piano is a huge passion of mine, there are times it feels like work - mainly because I rely on it to pay the bills (just about). That said, I’m incredibly grateful that my art is both my passion and my livelihood

Anyone working as a music artist - or in the wider music industry - knows the dedication it takes to succeed (or maybe I should say survive!). It’s not a 9-to-5 job; more often, it feels like a 12-hour (or more!) day. When I’m recording for instance, I’ve been known to work 16-hour stretches - very unhealthy, I know! But success in this field requires balancing multiple responsibilities. Not only must you practice and hone your craft, but you also have to manage all the non-creative demands that come with the job.

Right now, I feel like I’m wearing three hats. There’s the creative hat - practicing, composing, recording, playing live, and creating content. Then, there’s the administrative hat - handling emails, invoices, bookkeeping, and managing my schedule. And finally, the parenting hat, which is easily the busiest of all!

Amongst all of this, I often forget to take a break. The days feel too short, with so much to do, and parenting isn’t exactly a “break” either. If anything, it’s just as manic as everything else! But I’m lucky to have a strong support system. Katie and Alfie. (Alfie is like ‘hey, come and play with me for a bit now!’) Katie, especially, has a gift for sensing when I’m burning out. Whether it’s helping take the responsibility with Alfie or making sure I stop to enjoy a cup of tea, she creates little pockets of time for me to stop.

So, what do I do when I’m not working or parenting? I cook! Cooking is perfect for me because it serves two purposes. First, it’s part of the routine - especially now that Alfie relies on set mealtimes and prep. But it’s also a source of pure joy. It’s creative, yet it doesn’t feel like work because I’m not getting paid for it (I’m not that good!). From around the age of six, I remember helping my mom with the Sunday roasts or baking cakes with my grandma. Those moments are so vivid - I’d help her in the kitchen, and while waiting for the cakes to bake, we’d play the piano together. It was a perfect blend of creativity, family, and joy - something that’s stayed with me ever since.

Cooking reminds me a lot of making music. They both require an understanding of basic elements and how to balance them into something harmonious. In cooking, it’s the balance of sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami that creates a great dish. In music, it’s the balance of harmony, melody, rhythm, and form that creates a great composition. Without understanding these fundamentals, whether in the kitchen or the studio, you’re just left with raw ingredients.

Take Italian cooking, one of my favourite cuisines. It’s all about making something complex out of simplicity. The best Italian chefs don’t rely on fancy ingredients or excessive seasoning; they achieve richness and depth by knowing how to balance the basics. The same is true for music. A skilled musician can take the simplest of melodies and transform it into something deeply moving through balance and nuance.

Cooking and Mindfulness

For me, cooking is also a deep mindful activity. It’s a chance to step away from everything else, focus on the present moment, and immerse myself in the process. When I’m cooking, it’s just me, a knife, a pan, and some ingredients. It’s an opportunity to disconnect and reflect - a moment of calm in an otherwise chaotic schedule.

Maybe one day, I’ll find the confidence to share one of my own recipes here. But for now, I’ll leave you with a recommendation: my grandma’s famous Chocolate Crunch. If you haven’t tried it, you haven’t lived!

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