We recently connected with Alexandra Shytsman and have shared our conversation below.
Alexandra, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a recipe developer, food photographer, and creator of the plant-based recipe site, The New Baguette. I created The New Baguette because I believe in the healing and transformative power of plant-based whole foods. My mission is to inspire fellow home cooks with global flavors and unique ideas, and teach them recipes and cooking techniques they can turn to for years to come.
I’ve been intrigued by food and cooking since I was a child, and have always loved expressing my creativity in general (be it through a fun outfit, an essay, or a painting). When I was in college and craving a creative outlet, I started a food blog to share my recipes and food photos with the world. The year was 2009 so this was before Instagram and way before blogging could even be considered an actual career!
Shortly after graduating college, I started working in marketing at a plant-based culinary school here in NYC (the Natural Gourmet Institute, which is now part of the Institute of Culinary Education). After a few years there, in 2017, I went off on my own to pursue blogging and freelancing in food media full-time.
In the years that followed, I wrote a book called Friendsgiving and co-authored Natural Gourmet Institute’s The Complete Vegan Cookbook. These days, my main focus is growing my website, creating new recipes for my community, and ultimately writing another book. I also teach vegan cooking and food photography classes whenever the opportunities arise.
Alexandra, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
My job today consists of a multitude of functions, which is what I think mainly distinguishes it from working at a “regular job”. I develop recipes, shoot photos and videos, and write all the copy for my website, social media, and newsletters – these all require different skills. Not to mention, pitching brands and media, bookkeeping, and reviewing contracts, all of which I do myself as well.
While I am primarily self-taught, I did take a handful of courses at the beginning of my journey. To learn how to use a DSLR camera for food photography, I took a few courses in person here in NYC, as well as some online. These were immensely helpful, but really mastering the skills came down to a lot of practice – and I still learn something new with every shoot I do.
Back when I was still at my full-time job at a culinary school, I was able to complete a recipe development course taught by Dawn Perry, a veteran of the food media industry and a fantastic teacher. She taught me basically everything I know about developing and writing recipes for home cooks.
I do wish I could’ve had the opportunity to intern at food media companies back when I was starting out, but unfortunately, those positions were notoriously limited (and unpaid) at the time.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
I’ve found that the most important resource in my business – and for any creative career, really – are my connections. For me, meeting and staying in touch with fellow bloggers, cookbook authors, and entrepreneurs is essential. There’s only so much I can know and accomplish on my own, so benefiting from others’ knowledge and experiences – and sharing mine with them – is key.
I can’t tell you how many times a casual conversation at a conference or industry event has led to massive growth, just because someone happened to mention a specific WordPress plugin or obscure online course! So this is my number one advice to new creatives: nurture your connections and never burn any bridges.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
The one book I recommend to absolutely everyone is The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It’s essentially a self-guided course that helps you figure out your mental blocks and sources of resistance, and pushes your creativity into gear. It’s honestly life-changing. I also highly recommend Simon Sinek’s TED talk, “Start With Why”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thenewbaguette.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenewbaguette/
Image Credits
Alexandra Shytsman Lanna Apisukh