Meet Tina Dawson of Love is in my tummy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tina Dawson.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My story begins with a midlife crisis, except I was in my late 20s when it happened. But I still continue calling it my midlife crisis, because it clearly demarcated my life into a ‘before’ and an ‘after’ and in many ways, I feel like my life truly began at 29. My father passed away in Dec 2014 after succumbing to the cancer he fought so valiantly for 5 years. I grew up in Southern India, in a close-knit family that is the stuff of dreams and stories, but I was on a year-long work assignment in the United States when he died. His passing and the fact that I wasn’t there for his final days destroyed me.

Grief sent me spiraling into clinical depression and for many months, I didn’t even know that I was depressed. I had also been in a long-distance relationship with my college boyfriend for 6 years and finally gotten married a month before my father passed. Yet, we continued to live in different time zones, because our jobs kept us apart – he worked in Atlanta and I worked in India, being sent to the US for short-term assignments as a Data Analyst/Programmer. I struggled with the oppressing onslaught of grief, having the support of my new husband only through phone calls.

My body crumbled, shot with pain for no reason and waking up in the mornings was a chore. I trudged through the day with smiles that were only superficial and felt like I was playing a part in a play that I didn’t want to be in. This went on for 6 months, until one day, I woke up from a swill of self-pity, painkillers and tears and told myself that I deserved to be happy. For the next few days, I kept telling myself just that, over and over again, until I began to believe it to be true. I quit my job and moved in with my husband, hoping that this little break from routine would heal me. It worked, and for a few months, I did nothing but enjoy the simple bliss of domestic life.

But soon, it grew a little too mundane for me and a lack of purpose troubled me. So, I combined my love of food and writing and started ‘Love is in my tummy’ in June 2016 – a food blog with stories and unique recipes inspired by flavors from around the world. I was already a pretty decent cook and baker, but blogging meant that I needed to learn to work a camera, and so, I bought myself a basic DSLR and spent a year teaching myself photography and trying to find my style.

My innate love of all things creative steered me into the visual space, particularly dark food photography, where you’re not just looking at the food, but rather a visual story. The settings were elaborate and the food wasn’t just sustenance, rather an experience. It called out to me, and 6 months ago, I began to spend more and more time styling my photos into artful pieces. I had always been a closeted creative, and this style of photography let me unleash a part of me that had been long subdued into silence. It took over my world, consumed me with a raging passion and jolted me back to life.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Through life, I am chasing a story and an easy life doesn’t make for a great story. No, it hasn’t been easy and that’s OK.

Creative work can be extremely challenging – it’s easy to feel burned out. It’s also a competitive field, where it’s hard to stand out and be seen. There are days when I feel stagnant and question my every move – I traded a life of financial independence for a life of fluctuating paychecks and a whole lot of instability. But because I am driven by a blinding passion for my craft, it doesn’t keep me down for longer than a day. I pick myself up because I love what I do, it makes my soul sing and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

They say that you need to take 10,000 awful pictures before getting that perfect one. I am still working my way towards perfection – after every photo shoot, I have that ‘wow’ moment but it doesn’t last very long. Soon, I’m finding fault and trying to see how I could have made it better. I hope I never stop chasing perfection, because if I’m not always learning and trying to improve my work, then I lose my purpose. It might sound a little vain, to chase perfection, but I choose to see it as evolution – and evolution is the purpose of life.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Love is in my tummy – what should we know?
Love is in my tummy is a collection of recipes, visual storytelling and memories for those who desire unique inspiration in the kitchen (think Baked Churro Eclairs, Fried Gingerbread Cookies, Herbal Chocolate Tea, Truffle Lentil Curry etc.), and seek to view food as more than just sustenance; it’s a bridge that connects civilizations and cultures throughout time and shapes all life. Having transitioned to a vegan diet since 2017, the food and my reduced waste life hope to inspire others to live life to the fullest, while preserving the planet we call home.

I’ve also begun to enjoy creating elevated outdoor experiences around food because some of my favorite moments in life revolved around casual dining outdoors and I aim to re-create that feeling with a touch of elegance. Today, I am re-branding myself as a Food Photographer and Stylist, trying to step outside my blog and learning to navigate the world of visual media.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
The choice to give up a career I was educated specifically for to chase a gut feeling doesn’t happen without an incredible support group. It begins with my family who ate my rock-hard cakes and mushy brownies with a smile when I first taught myself to bake. My little brother once ate a chocolate loaf off the kitchen floor – it broke my heart to see the hot loaf shatter, but he came in with a fork and ate the whole thing just to make me smile.

When I was struggling with the choice to quit, my mother-in-law told me to follow my heart and do what makes me happy. And I cannot do what I do without my husband, who never lets me give up my dream, who cheers me on every day and who I run to for counsel and critique. When the going gets tough, my husband is the wind beneath my wings and on rare, extremely great days, he’s the anchor that grounds me and pulls my head down from the clouds. He makes me want to be the person he sees in me.

Very few people know this, but the blogging community is extremely supportive – there hasn’t been a single person (yet) who I’ve reached out to for guidance that didn’t take the time to help. Some of my biggest cheerleaders are my peers, and I am so incredibly grateful for their support.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.loveisinmytummy.com/
• Email: tina@loveisinmytummy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/loveisinmytummy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loveisinmytummy/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/loveisinmytummy
• Other: https://in.pinterest.com/loveisinmytummy/

Image Credit:
Tina Dawson

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