What I Published in July 2022

Photo courtesy of Kelly Dawson

Have you seen the Hulu show The Bear? It’s a series about the cut-throat pace and, um, colorful personalities clashing within a Chicago restaurant’s kitchen, and I watched it over the course of a few nights this month. There was so much to love about it. The soundtrack, for one, and particularly a Van Morrison song that always reminds me of summer in London. The characters are all tough and sarcastic, intense and relatable, and my favorite part about getting to know them was how they’d give a certain look to someone and it would do just as much as dialogue would to push the story forward. 

Reviews of The Bear have tended to underscore just how much it accurately portrays restaurant life, almost like Kitchen Confidential did way back when. (I can’t help but think about what Anthony Bourdain would have to say about the show.) But as I watched it, I also thought about how similar working in a kitchen can be to freelancing. It felt like I was spinning multiple plates and firing up every burner this July. There were days that I wrote more than two articles, edited numerous stories, tracked down payments, considered pitches, and published things on this site. Phew! It was a lot. Too much, maybe.

And yet, I love to write and edit. Truly, I’m enjoying it this very minute. I love figuring out the chase of this job — how to wrangle it, how to tame it, how to keep it alive. It’s almost like how some of the characters in The Bear relish the taste and appearance of a dish, knowing how much effort went into crafting each ingredient. I have fun building a story and seeing where it ends up, even if it also leaves me exhausted and sprawled out on the couch when it’s all over. I wouldn’t have it any other way.  

These are the stories I published this month:

• Real Simple’s Space of the Week: Floral Wallpaper Becomes the Defining Feature of a Formerly Bland Bathroom

• Real Simple’s Space of the Week: This Kitchen's Island Was Expanded and Stocked With Storage—No Major Demo Necessary

• Real Simple’s Space of the Week: A Brilliant Laundry Room Reno Maximizes Storage and Counter Space

• Architectural Digest’s This Rundown Silver Lake Home Had the Square Footage, It Just Needed the Right Style

• Architectural Digest’s Tour a Midcentury Farmhouse Kitchen in Saskatchewan

• Apartment Therapy’s 6 Things You Should Know Before Starting a Bathroom Remodel, According to Reddit

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