When Sara Zin had an emotional breakdown—a "quarter-life crisis," as she puts it—she turned to something many do in times of need: food.
"There was a lot of transition and unknowns in my world, and for some fortuitous reason, food became my escape," Zin says. The change was a significant one; Zin had grown up without learning to cook, and often satiated herself with fast food and pre-made options. In learning to experiment with making her own meals, she says, food became her medicine. "I literally did nothing but cook and get my life in order for a full year, if not more."
At the same time, Zin—an oil portraitist and graphic designer—had become "creatively burnt out," turning away from the art she once loved. It wasn't until after that full year of cooking and transition that she again found her artistic voice. The result? An illustrated cookblog, Starving Artist Recipes, featuring watercolor images of the meals that helped change her life.
The blog is a reminder of the power of creative pursuits like cooking and art. In times of breakdown, these passions can be nothing less than redemptive.
Here, Zin shares a few of her favorite illustrations:
