How to Visualize Your Creative Process
No, I’m not talking about some woo-woo “manifesting” talk - what I’m suggesting can make a massive impact in your menus.
Why creating is hard
I was speaking with a chef-owner last week about a restaurant concept he’s opening. In our coaching call, he was talking to me about feeling “scattered” with his creative ideas.
Not just his opening menu, but for what would become signature dishes for the concept.
I proposed an idea that I hadn’t ever shared before, and I wanted to expand on it here in case it’ll help you, too.
Quick story time 👇
The last chef I worked for opened a restaurant called Lysverket.
He was coming off of experiences at places like Alinea, Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and Per Se. His opening menu felt like a “Frankenstein” of that food, without any clear identity.
I felt the same way when I moved to Seattle and started doing my own menus - except I was doing food that looked like Lysverket (funny how that happens, huh?)
The way he solved this problem (or at least made substantial progress on it) was to consistently review menus and compare them to previous ones.
I distinctly remember watching him, after a Saturday night service (when we had just gotten done with a brutal 14 hour day) walking to the front of the dining room and removing printed menus from their wooden holders, and pulling out a 3-ring binder that he would carefully place them in.
He'd then flip through the menus, almost like a trip back in time, to see how his food was changing and evolving.
This “weekly review” of his creative output is one key factor in what I believe helped him go from having “no identity” to becoming a beacon for cuisine in his city, and ultimately earning Lysverket a Michelin star this year.
Visible creativity
Back to the chef-owner that I was speaking with in the call - I suggested he adopt this principle, ramp it up, and fold in principles of “Building in Public”. Here was my idea 👇
Set up a visually-available, IRL place on the wall where your creative ideas live. Populate it with bangers; dishes that you’re already super proud of or feel polished after several rounds of iteration.
Keep your “in progress” dishes nearby, too. Show what’s being worked on, and notice how this affects your creative process. Picture 2 white boards or taped off sections of a wall in the kitchen.
This does multiple things:
Allows for the “dish iteration” (aka “diteration”…I’m still working on it, but I love that term) process to be clearly visualized - it’s not “buried” in some digital tool in the cloud or on your desktop
Your best ideas are on display, so you provide evidence against the “I don’t have any good ideas” monster that sometimes creeps into your process
The team you’re working with can see what matters, not to mention how ideas move from “seed” to “service-ready”
It follows the “what gets measured, gets managed” framework that massive companies use to ensure that they’re focusing on the right things. Let’s ditch the idea that creativity happens in some “secret society” and make it publicly observable.
You know what your goals are, but I think you should let your goals see you. Make in-real-life representations of them and put them on display. I’ve got a clip of the call here, which is only shared here (I swear a lot…apparently I was really in my zone, don’t play around young ears 😂):
In Summary
Harness the power of visible creativity in your culinary journey.
By displaying your evolving dish ideas and refined creations, you not only combat the "no good ideas" myth but also foster a collaborative and inspired kitchen environment.
Let this open, tangible approach to creativity guide your path from scattered thoughts to signature dishes, transforming challenges into Michelin-worthy cuisine.
If you’re interested in coaching with me, it’s included in either a group setting or 1:1 through Total Station Domination. You can also apply for booking individual calls here.