Under the Influence

This week, I came back to Bermuda, having been invited to attend a Culinary Experience- a full day event at The Loren at Pink Beach, introducing their farm and sea to table cuisine. I presumed that I would be in the company of other writers; little did I know, at the time, that we are all actually 'influencers.'

We met early in the morning at The Loren for an introduction by our two Chef hosts. A new, modern boutique hotel, The Loren is located on the South Shore of Bermuda with spectacular views of the rocky coastline. 

I had been under the misimpression that the hotel was owned by Stephen King, the writer. To the contrary, it is owned by a hedge fund magnate from New York, who happens to share the same name.

As one might expect, of a posh new hotel, no detail was sparely aesthetically. The ambience evokes 'nouveau Bermuda'. Meticulous thought has gone into the vibe, which manifests itself in lots of earthy natural textures- utilizing, wood, stone, metal, and glass. 

You will not find a traditional Bermudian ambience here; for splashy pink decor, you must go elsewhere!

On the morning of the culinary event, our small group headed to western Bermuda to visit two farms. Lunch and free time followed, before a carefully curated dinner meal served to us at The Loren- utilizing ingredients from farm and sea.


Just as interesting as the content of the tour was the content of the discussion amongst the participants of our gathering. We all hailed from different creative outlets.

I had never been assembled with other artistic souls- all attempting to photograph the same thing- in this case, Hydroponic lettuce- each in a way that would be unique.

As I move along in life, it seems that generational differences are becoming accentuated. This event stirred up such differences, in my mind.

I frequently make mention of the Millennial Generation, having studied them in my Master's Degree program (Higher Education) and also having two of them in my very close knit family. My niece, Daisy, is twenty-four. Her brother, Peter, is twenty-six. 

We hit it off smashingly. Yet, on occasion, I feel so 'dated.'

During our Easter vacation, we stayed at a beautiful Air BnB, here in Bermuda called Gairlochy- an old home that has been newly renovated with all of the amenities that we could wish for, including Alexa. How wonderful! 

Yet...did I know what to do with Alexa? 

No...

I had seen commercials, so I knew that I could ask her whatever I wanted. "Play Collie Buddz!", I would say. When she failed to play Collie Buddz, I would walk over to her, and tell her sternly (in her ear), "NO Alexa!"  

Daisy and Peter told me, "You don't need to yell at her, or to get so close! Just stay where you are and speak in your normal voice!"  

In no time, I was the joke of the house...
...only to be outdone by my sister, Nina, who put on a riotous show at Dockyard, belting out Blondie's "Call Me!" in an old British phone booth. She had no idea that a group on the dock was watching her performance, until they asked for an "ENCORE!"

What do we need Alexa for, I wonder. Our culture is getting lazier by the day... Yet, the younger generation is growing up with these things. Will they turn out alright? Sometimes, it makes me distressed. To them, the phone booth is a foreign concept!

Amongst the young professionals in the group at The Loren were two brilliant entrepreneurs- a New York City food blogger, Laura Jung (who has over 60,000 followers on her Instagram called @cityfoodie) and a Bermudian photographer/ author/model, Rachel Sawden, who is on the verge of self-publishing her first novel about travel writing, entitled "Runaways." It is safe to say that both ladies were not in my generation- no disrespect to myself.

More than once, I was asked what the purpose of my blog was, and what I was in pursuit of. Who is my audience? How many followers do I have? Did I get my hotel comp'd? Do I have Instagram? 

The ladies discussed strategies for hash tagging things, the importance of engagement with followers... "You should ask a question at the end of every post, so that your engagement goes up!", Rachel told me.

The day and evening gave me great pause, as I began to feel like a living, breathing anachronism. 

Of course this was not the first occasion on which acquaintances have asked me what the purpose of my blog is. In fact, a guest at Salt Kettle had urged me to think about 'where I want it to go' and what I want to utilize it for. "It's time that you think about it", he said.

Honestly, I started my blog as a creative outlet to express myself, and share what inspires me- not to sell hotels or restaurants or experiences.

If I were to share something in order to influence somebody else, it is strictly out of passion- not with an agenda to falsely communicate that I like something- in order to get it for free. 

So, where do we draw the line between creativity and artistry vs. social manipulation?

Nowadays, the Millennials are growing up in a society that is manic for Social Media. What often influences them is what they see on their devices- yet these influences are from others' eyes. 

What influences me, on the contrary, is what I see with my own eyes. Perhaps this makes me 'old school.'

I feel that if I have to add twenty strategic hash tags to a photograph, in order to reach ten-thousand people, I am losing the impetus that motivates me to be creative. 

Granted, things would be different if I was employed in Public Relations; I would need to spin and spin and spin. In that case, I would likely feel stifled. How to strike the perfect balance? Needless to say, I came away from my day at the farming event realizing that I, too, was organic. 

Along a similar vein, I am intrigued by the trendiness of quotes and sayings these days. There are motivational words of "wisdom" on just about everything- everywhere you look, and this signage is wickedly popular.

What does this mean, when we need reassurance from a wooden sign that we are a good person, or a mug that makes us laugh, rather than a friend? 

I am guilty of reading these products, in much the same way that I relish the greetings on greeting cards. If something resonates, naturally I will buy it! 

Back at Easter, I surprised my sister with a gaudy pink sign that reads, "PMS! PACK MY SUITCASES! I am going to Bermuda!" It might be the tackiest thing in our home (indeed!), but it made me laugh, and continues to do so.

Honestly, I marvel at people who can make a living- making things such as PMS signs. 

With all of the messaging that influences us on a daily basis, are we losing our ability to convey our own thoughts? Or just letting someone else express them for us...

If someone else can be witty for us, though, aren't we in trouble? If we need only "like" and "share", rather than look, listen, create and write, we will become cookie cutters.

I always appreciate humor, wherever I can find it. Lately, I also relish a good quote to help me with my grief. Even though true self expression comes from originality, there is something uniquely gratifying from reading words that strike you viscerally- whether they are utterly cheesy, or seemingly sent from above.