chocolate-inspired creativity
I was part of a successful Valentine’s Day event yesterday in which we combined a chocolate-inspired show of original art pieces by members of the WAVE Artists Group with my chocolate-inspired books, and chocolate creations by Constance Popp Chocolatier of Winnipeg and a chocolate buffet inspired by the chefs at the Selkirk Golf and Country Club. The collaboration of all these creative talents resulted in an incredible day of sumptuous chocolate-inspired bliss.
A small sampling of the chocolate-inspired art by members of the WAVE Artists group of Manitoba. The painting in the centre is the masterpiece of Gordy Driscoll of Sandy Hook, Manitoba. The bright red lips are embedded in a sea of textured chocolate. The chocolate-coloured ottoman adorned with ‘chocolate twists’ was created by his talented wife, Sandy Driscoll. The variety of pieces produced by the artists was astounding.
Chocolate is like that. You can go virtually anywhere in the world, say the word “chocolate” and you will immediately see a smile on the faces of all within hearing distance and a light in their eyes. Chocolate does that to people. It inspires and entices us. It makes us feel good. And it ignites creativity.
chocolate-inspired creativity
I first witnessed the profound effect of chocolate on the creative world in 2009, when I attended the Salon du Chocolat in Paris. The chocolate sculptures and chocolate-adorned couture blew me away! Who would have thought of adorning haute couture fashions with artisan chocolate? Or creating intricate sculptures out of chocolate?
Chocolate-inspired fashion show in Paris at the Salon du Chocolat.
Chocolate has inspired many authors and movie makers as well. Chocolatour was inspired by the movie Chocolat in which the beautiful chocolatier (Juliette Binoche) entices handsome Johnny Depp with intoxicating chocolate, explaining that she can predict the type of chocolate a person will crave based on intricacies of their personality. I firmly believe that to be true, and believe that you can best serve your chocolate fantasies by aligning yourself with the chocolatier or chocolate maker that makes the type of chocolate you are most likely to enjoy. Why waste time and calories eating chocolate that doesn’t alight your senses to the fullest?
I hope this post has got you thinking about the power of chocolate. Please share your thoughts on how chocolate has inspired you, or tell us about chocolate creations that have blown your senses out of the water.
hi, really chocolate make all things better for us. Decoration, design, clothes, food, every things. Delicius!!!
This made me love chocolate even more.
Very much surprised by such Passion towards chocolate , especially Salon du Chocolat.
From beginning to end….the portraits are just mind blowing and perfectly executed 🙂
That sounds like an amazing Valentine’s Day event. And those chocolate dresses look incredible. Truly a new way to wear chocolate without eating it and putting it on your hips!
Hello; I love reading about chocolate not so much because of the chocolate itself but because of the passion you obviously have for it. Also because you are like my hero. I would love to have sponsors so i could travel and do posts and videos on the amusement industry. i even added a donate button to the site hoping that might help me raise the funds for my first on location post/show. being a blind blogger and podcaster i need someone to go with me and also need to raise the additional funds that extra person would require. have quite a few opportunities locally but still need a drive. smile thanks again for sharing with us. take care, max
Chocolate…yum. 🙂 It brings a smile to my face. I love the chocolate couture!
I LOVE the haute couture, so unexpected. All kinds of thoughts went through my head as I stared at the designer images. I wondered if the room smelled of chocolate. Would the large blocks melt quickly or would they stay in place? What a feast for the eyes and a nice switch from focussing on the taste.
Hi Debra. Yes, I’m always amazed at the many facets of chocolate! As Paul A. Young told me when I visited his fab chocolate shop in London … chocolate should excite all 5 senses. It’s not just about popping a truffle in your mouth and enjoying the flavour. Chocolate should get you pumped from the smell, the look, the texture, the sound of the snap of the bar or the opening of the package/box, and then the luxurious taste.
And yes, when you put a lot of pure, fresh chocolate in the room it definitely does fill the air with a most irresistible aroma. 🙂
It doesn’t take much to get me thinking about the power of chocolate! I always love to see what’s happening in the chocolate world through your posts. I don’t know about the dresses though, I’d rather just eat the chocolate!
Thanks for your comment, Meredith. I’m glad you’re enjoying my posts. I hope you’ll subscribe so you don’t miss a beat!
Great idea, I will right now!
Aw, how true this all is Doreen. I can’t think of a time when chocolate didn’t but a smile on my face. It has that magical affect and how lucky we are that it does that. How has chocolate inspired me? I would say it in my love for cooking, especially in chocolate.
I love the idea of finding my personal match to chocolate and need to put some thought into that. Any ideas?
Have an awesome time in Hawaii my friend. 🙂
Susan finding the right chocolate that’s perfect for the person or occasion takes some reflection. Are you wanting to create a playful experience? Are you wanting the chocolate to be sensual and exotic? Or sophisticated and elegant? The chapter in my book on personalities matches those moods with chocolatiers that have the right type of chocolate creations to meet any situation or need. Enjoy!
And thanks for the good wishes about my trip. I’m really looking forward to it.
This place sounds like heaven. I would have wanted to taste every chocolate if I was at this show.
I just ate a small chocolate bar when I saw your post. I don’t know that you can make a beautiful dress using chocolate. Is that 100% made from chocolate? What happened with the chocolate after the fashion show?
Yes, reading about chocolate usually makes you want to eat it!
No, the dresses were not made entirely of chocolate. They were made of fabric adorned with chocolates. And I don’t believe the mannequins were made of chocolate. But they were chocolate-coloured. I really don’t know whether the chocolates were eaten after the fashion show or not!
I used to have a lapel pin that said, “If found depressed, administer chocolate immediately. I love your photo from Salon du Chocolat in Paris. Though chocolate is better in some parts of the world than others, I think I would gain a lot of weight if I were a chocolatier.
Hi Michele and thanks for your comment. I’ve been researching chocolate for 4.5 years now and definitely concur that it’s tough to keep the weight off. I consume a natural form of green bean coffee extract blended with cocoa extract to keep my weight under control. It helps keep me from getting fat, but I know I could easily drop 10 pounds if my chocolate intake was to decrease significantly. But I must tell you … it’s worth the added challenge I must deal with as I absolutely adore my chocolate, and sharing my research with all of you.
P.S. the chocolate lapel pin sounds like it was made for me!
This post has me wondering what kind of chocolate matches my personality. I married into a family who adores chocolate of any kind. Although I didn’t dislike chocolate, I’d never thought of myself as much of a chocolate lover. Maybe I hadn’t found my match. I am discovering some now that I really like – dark chocolate in particular.
Donna, I’d love for you to check out Chocolatour and discover your chocolate personality, and that of those you love. It really make the chocolate-buying process much more fun!
Dark chocolate is generic. But the dark chocolate creations from one chocolatier to another can be vastly different. Discovering your favourite is half the fun. Eating it is the other!
All I can say is, YUM! So creative, they look too good to eat! I am on a meal plan (not a diet) and sugar is out for me for a while. But you know what, I don’t miss it. When I am able to introduce it back into my eating again, dark chocolate with raspberries will be the first thing I eat!
PS May I suggest you use a different color than orange for your links? I am a social media consultant and I offer this tip only because the orange distracts from your other words and is difficult on the eyes 🙂
Thanks for your tip about the orange in the links, Laurie. It is orange by default. I didn’t make it so. I will see if I can figure out how to change it!
And re sugar in chocolate: Fine artisanal chocolate often has very little sugar in it if you go for cocoa content of at least 70%. And many chocolatiers are making sugar-free chocolate so good you can hardly tell it doesn’t have any sugar. You may wish to check some of these out. Chocolatour has a global “A-Z Guide for Chocolate Lovers” in the back of the book that lists chocolate artisans from around the world.
Chocolate is definitely a common language. More and more I find its like red wine. I have a couple of standbys, but really like to pick new varieties every other week to broaden my scope of what’s out there. Then every so often one totally takes me by surprise, and thus the search continues.
Thanks for your comment, Jeri. I hope my book has been partly responsible for encouraging you to search out new chocolate brands. And you are very right! Fine artisanal chocolate is indeed very much like fine crafted wine. Which is why they pair together so nicely!
Doreen, those two ladies in red are superb, I’ve never even thought that you can do such beautiful things with chocolate, and now I wonder if this is a crime to eat them!
Indeed, Oksana! Sometimes the chocolate creations are too beautiful that it seems a share to eat or disassemble them. But chocolate is meant to enjoy and inspire, so we’ve got to do our bit and dig right in! Enjoy your chocolate!
OMG…those mannequins are absolutely off the chart! As is that exquisite artwork with the lips by Gordy Driscoll! All of them, really. If anyone could look at this fabulous art and NOT be inspired by chocolate, one would have to wonder about them! Wonderful post Doreen. Thanks for sharing these.
Those mannequins are fabulous Doreen – thanks for posting those. What a great experience to be involved with the Wave artists. I think other artists of all media can be surprisingly inspiring. One of the chocolate shops in Brighton would create some incredibly elaborate sculptures made out of chocolate, but these mannequins are the best I’ve seen.
Thx for dropping into the blog, A.K. Yes, I’ve been awed by some of the incredible chocolate sculptures I’ve now seen. Chocolate is quite the medium for creation!
The “Inspired by Chocolate” show of art was a great idea, Doreen. Thanks to you for inviting WAVE Artists to join in the celebration of all things chocolate. The best taste of the evening was the beet-infused chocolate by Constance Popp. Several people I spoke to will be visiting that chocolatier’s shop! The Truffle (functional art) by Sandy Driscoll was dreamy, and the other works made the whole evening delicious! Thanks!
Thanks so much for the opportunity to collaborate, Gayle! It was indeed a fabulous event. And I was truly inspired by the talent of the WAVE artists — as I always am. I’m glad everyone enjoyed the chocolate of Constance Popp Chocolatier. She is truly talented.
You make a very interesting observation. Chocolate and personalities do have something in common. Find the chocolate that aligns with your personality and it will be heavenly. As always, your posts get me to craving my favorite food group. 🙂
Thanks so much, Cheryl. I really do try and focus on that theory in the “Personalities” chapter of my book. It was fun to research. Have you determined your primary chocolate personality based on Chapter 3 of my book?
Absolutely love the picture of the mannequins, Doreen. Great way of being creative with chocolate.
Thanks, Catarina. I was blown away when I was first introduced to the magnificence of artisanal chocolate, and the creativity it brings out in the talented and passionate individuals who work with it.