I’ve always loved competition reality shows—not the cutthroat ones (well some of them), but the kind where people are pouring their heart into something they love. Top Chef, The Great Pottery Throw Down, Great British Bake Off, Blown Away... I cry over pots. I get chills when someone makes a perfect puff pastry. I feel it when their soul is in their work.
Because it’s not just about who wins. It’s about what it costs to make something meaningful—and what it means to be truly seen.
Recently, I watched the Canada season of Top Chef, and I was completely undone by the journey and ultimate win of chef Tristen Epps. He’s talented, yes—but what moved me was his authenticity. His artistry. His trust in the creative process. The way he refused to make anything that wasn’t true to him. The way he cooked with memory and lineage and feeling. Afro-Caribbean cuisine, elevated with reverence.
There was one episode I can’t stop thinking about. Everyone was sketching and planning, and Tristen had no idea what he was going to make. But he didn’t panic. He didn’t fake it. He went to the grocery store. He wandered. He touched ingredients. He trusted the process. And the idea came. He cooked something real, something his, and I’m pretty sure he won that challenge.
That’s how creativity works. Not with clarity first, but with movement. Not by force, but by faith.
This episode of the podcast is about what it means to not know—and keep going anyway.
To create from truth instead of performance.
To let the process be messy, sacred, and full of self-discovery.
It’s also about the deeper layers:
Knowing yourself as an artist.
Healing the parts of you that were told your truth was too much.
Making not just for impact, but from your identity.
Showing up so others can see themselves reflected—and know they belong, too.
As I said in the episode: Tristen didn’t win because he played the game. He won because he played it honestly.
And that is what we get to do, too. Whether you’re painting, writing, cooking, making zines, or just trying to find your way again—
go to the grocery store.
Pick up the first ingredient.
Let the art come to meet you.
Listen to the full episode here or wherever you like to listen to podcasts.
If this speaks to you, I’d love to invite you to:
Join the waitlist for Becoming Art, my new creative program: cindyingram.com/becoming
Book a 1:1 curiosity call if you’re craving deeper creative coaching: cindyingram.com/coaching
With you in the ache & awe,
Cindy
