Catching up with Heather K Purdy

With summer in full swing, I am feeling the creative pull… The sunshine, the long days, and the blossoms all around always spark something in me that needs to create. While photography is both my passion and profession, I firmly believe having another sort of creative outlet is essential. Though I am a wedding and elopement photographer by trade, cultivating a practice where I can let my imagination run wild has been vital. Over the years, I have experimented with different mediums, however it always comes back to cooking for me. Creating a nourishing and tasty dish, with beautiful ingredients, that I dream up scratches that itch like no other. It makes my heart so happy to be able to share with those I love as well. To feed my little village brings joy.

Then there is the act of sharing a meal… Conversation always seems to flow so naturally during the warm summer days and nights, when eating outside with friends who love to chat about creative concepts big and small. It reminds me so much of a photography session where every element is coming together perfectly—The light, the chemistry of my subjects, and the overall feel full of collaboration and inspiration. Collaboration often occurs during dinners such as these, as well… Everyone brings a special dish to share, to savor together, to discuss… There is also so much ability to dream up whimsical tablescapes, turn menus into hand drawn art, and the presentation of the food itself is a wildly gorgeous endeavor full of possibility to let your imagination take the wheel.

It always feels refreshing and brings a renewed sense of excitement to get busy with client work, as I truly believe creativity is a muscle that needs to be exercised through different mechanisms. While cooking may seem like a far cry from photography in the sense of creative mediums, I have found that creating in and of itself spawns more ability and desire to create! Finding inspiration in new and magical ways is always something we should foster and I encourage you to take time to reflect on what helps to feed and spark your creative soul!