We recently connected with Amethyst Ganaway and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Amethyst, so happy to have you with us today and there is so much we want to ask you about. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others developed certain skills or qualities that we are struggling with can be helpful. Along those lines, we’d love to hear from you about how you developed your ability to take risk?
My ability to take risks has come from a lifetime of seeing those around me doing risky things. I learned at a very early age that risks can be bad, but can also be good – it’s all about what you want your outcome to be. So for me, I take calculated risks. Being unafraid to take those risks approached with a certain level of discernment, probability, and the reality that the risk may not work in your favor, has truly gotten me where I am.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a chef, food writer, and creator born and raised in North Charleston, SC. I’ve been professionally in the food and beverage industry for over 13 years, and began food writing in the past 3 or 4 years. Even though my professional career began a little over a decade ago, food has always been a part of my life. My family is full of women who love to cook, and cook well, and I’ve always had a certain level of curiosity around food. I have family that tell me how I used to stay up late watching episodes of the original Iron Chef, and I remember playing outside and “making food” from the plants around me, so food has always been a part of my life. Not only that, but Charleston and the other places i’ve lived, are very food oriented cities. We often use food as the centerpoint for many major events in our lives, we open our homes to friends, family, and strangers by offering up something to eat, and we love any reason to bring people together around the dinner table. Now in my professional career, I focus primarily on the foodways of the South and of the African Diaspora. I love weaving together the stories of people who are often overlooked despite making arguably the biggest contributions to “American cuisine”. Through my work as a chef, writer, and creator, I have a unique opportunity to reach people through many different outlets and with that, they’re able to see themselves in my work.
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?
Looking back, my ability to be unafraid to fail, ask questions, and quick thinking have led me to where i am on my journey. Failure is a part of life, and without failing you can’t grow. You won’t always be the best person in the room, and you really shouldn’t want to be because that means you feel like you have no room to learn more. Asking questions plays into this a bit as well, because I rather ask questions that others would be afraid or ashamed to ask, but this will often help you not fail at whatever you are trying to do. Thinking quickly and thinking smartly, will always be a help to push you and help you pivot. When I fail, or something doesn’t go my way, knowing how to acknowledge that AND how to work past it keeps me from getting too much into my head and helps with my anxiety.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
When I’m feeling overwhelmed the best thing i can do for myself is to physically stop whatever I am doing, and take deep breaths. It seems simple but focusing on my breath really helps relieve stress and anxiety so that I can think clearly.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.waterwhippin.com
- Instagram: thizzg
- Linkedin: amethystganaway
- Twitter: thizz843
Image Credits
Chef coat image: Paul Cheney Image of me on dock : Dru Dash
