For my thesis, I created a food publication entitled “Feed Your Magic”. The publication functions as a meal guide, helping young college students create quick and simple meal prep solutions. I focus on encouraging healthier food practices while keeping in mind time and financial restraints; this one week meal plan for students won’t involve fancy cooking appliances. It includes a shopping list, examples of how to plan a week’s worth of meals and strongly promotes the benefits of batch cooking. The seed for my project grew from my own personal struggle with new found food allergies that left me sick and helpless. My love for package design, marketing, and branding has lead me on a quest to empower those who walk the halls with me at PNCA, as well as reach out beyond the campus into the community.

This publication is primarily aimed at the young creative who is starting to learn how to cook. It is made to be basic and simple in order to cultivate the groundwork of food education. The hope is to introduce a new perspective to batch cooking for those who need support while maintaining a busy schedule. With the use of paced layout design, funny miniatures to tell a story and lots of color, the core of “Feed Your Magic” is helping engage my audience’s relaxed state of being while attaining self-care. Creating a link between the way we approach art we make and the art we eat could help shift the perspective of my audience and how they go about feeding themselves.

Preparing food for oneself is often seen as a chore, while making art is a constant passion we love to feed. I personally don’t see a huge difference in these two things. If we could learn to value these two ideas as equals it could become a major catalyst for behavioral change in the way we care for our bodies and earth. Creativity is an essential aspect of cooking and artists are the perfect conduit for bringing this skill to the table.