Finding balance has meant different things to me at different stages in my life. I remember my father’s words: “Dom, the world is yours, be the warrior that you are my beautiful daughter, just know that no one is better than you, keep humility, and go kick some ass.”
When I was younger, the idea of balance felt so alien. I wanted to find myself in the world. I moved to America, and landed in San Francisco, unable to speak the language, yet I knew nothing would stop my curiosity and desire to discover myself.
At that time, balance would have ended my dream. I worked in an industry that did not invite balance; some would sneer at those who were tempted by it. To be an excellent chef required sacrifice, living in a space far beyond exhaustion; these were the badges we longed to wear on our white coats.
I am grateful for the aptitude to achieve what I have, to be able to lose balance and survive.
Today I still push, but there are now other parts of me that are important; my family and my desire to improve my industry’s role in environmental stewardship. I still find myself off balance, however, this is how I engage and create; contact and change. As an artist, I cannot always live in balance. I am also pulled as a committed partner and co-parent.
When I feel the need to toy with this idea of balance, I walk in nature, pause for the sound of a bird call, stride barefoot in the sand, or surrender to the sounds of my favorite singers.
Dominique Crenn is the first female three-star Michelin Chef in the U.S. and founder of Atelier Crenn. @atelier.crenn
