Matthew Evans on creative lessons from farming and cooking

Matthew Evans is a former chef and food critic, turned Tasmanian smallholder, restaurateur, food activist and star of the SBS television series Gourmet Farmer alongside his family.As the author of over a dozen books including On Eating Meat: The truth about its production and the ethics of eating it, Matthew also has a lot to share on the writing process, but what struck me in this conversation is the wonderful overlaps between life on the farm and the creative process.We talk about what happens when productive work loses its meaning, daily life on the farm and how there is always more to do, accepting your limitations, how being behind is inevitable and mostly a good sign, the beauty of boredom, and how sometimes you have to launch in to avoid getting stuck in a research phase or perfectionism. * * *Thank you for listening to Routines & Ruts, a labour of love fuelled by time and curiosity. If you'd like to support the podcast, please share with a friend, or say thanks with a coffee!To stay tuned, please subscribe to the show wherever you hear your podcasts and sign up to the semi-regular Extraordinary Routines newsletter.This podcast is produced and edited by Madeleine Dore. Special thanks to Nelson Dore for the theme music and Ellen Porteus for the cover art.