Meet Shelly Gilad

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shelly Gilad a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shelly, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

I haven’t. I still have days when I feel like an impostor. It doesn’t matter how many years of experience I have as a designer, cook, or content creator; my brain would suggest that I’m an impostor. I don’t think I will ever get over it. I would never stop questioning myself. I believe that it’s part of being an artist. Creativity and “I’m not good enough” go together. It pushes you to do better. Even as a mother, I sometimes feel like an impostor. Some days I act like an adult when deep down I feel like a child myself.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I have many titles: I am a recipe developer, food blogger, content creator, cooking instructor and illustrater. I develop recipes and create content for my own brand, Shelly’s Humble Kitchen, but also for food companies such as Nakano knives, Stater Bros, and Melissa’s Produce. I enjoy many aspects of the process of creating content, but the part that keeps me excited about my work is developing recipes and experimenting with basic ingredients.
I learned in infancy to appreciate vegetables and plants, and that the more comfortable you feel in the kitchen, any kitchen, the more fun it becomes. My purpose is to pass this on to other people like it was passed on to me by my parents.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

As a creative, I had to develop extra courage to overcome my fear of criticism. When I started blogging, I was terrified to click on the Publish button. I still hesitate sometimes, but not because I’m worried about what people will think of me. Now it’s because I want to ensure the recipe is clear and works well, so my readers don’t encounter problems when preparing the dish.

One trick for me to get over fears is to count to three and take action. As a reminder, I hung a poster over my desk with a picture of my small hometown in the middle of nowhere in the Negev, with the word “ACTION” over it. It helps to remember the courage it took to leave, live all over the world and do all the things I wanted to do and be.

The second quality is a cliché but is so true: get out of the comfort zone. I had never filmed or edited a video when a food channel approached me six years ago and asked if I could produce recipe videos for their channel. I was scared but agreed to give it a shot. It was difficult but satisfying and the more I produced the easier it got. I made over 200 recipe videos just for this one company.

This is where the third quality comes in. Since I couldn’t afford full-time college when I moved to New York in my early twenties, I had to become an autodidact if I wanted more opportunities. When I decided to be a graphic designer, I took a few typography classes at the School of Visual Arts and taught myself the rest. Three months later, I managed to get a job at TBWA\Chiat\Day.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

Many fiction and nonfiction books have guided me throughout my life, but the one that was always on my bedside was “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. Julia doesn’t teach creativity, aka problem solving; she teaches how to bring it out of you and keep it alive and well. For me, the most important thing I learned from this book is how to rid bad habits and “crazy makers” that stood in my way.

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Shelly Gilad

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