The Long Way Back to Art

JULY 14, 2026

WRITTEN BY

Zeba Ziad

I wasn't planning on writing an introduction.

I thought I'd just quietly upload paintings, maybe share a few behind-the-scenes photos, and call it a day.

But then I realised... if you're going to spend time here, you should probably know who's behind all this.

So, hi. 👋

I'm Zeba. I paint, I design, I make things with my hands, and I have an unhealthy relationship with buying art supplies.

Let's start from the beginning.

If you had met me as a child, you probably would've wondered if I could talk.

I'm not joking.

Every parent-teacher meeting, my English teacher would look at my parents and ask,

"Does she ever speak at home? I haven't heard her voice even once."

Poor Ammi would smile and say, "She talks all the time at home."

I don't think my teacher ever believed her.I was painfully shy.The kind of shy that would rather lose marks than raise her hand in class. The kind of shy that would rehearse a sentence in her head before saying it out loud.

Looking back, I think I was saying everything......just not with words.

Because while I wasn't talking much, I was always drawing.

My cupboard door never stood a chance.

I covered it with drawings I'd made, cartoon characters, random little people, flowers, anything that came to mind. I was probably six or seven years old.

Some of those papers are still hanging on. Some are ripped. Some have faded with time.

But every time I look at that cupboard, I can't help but smile.

Little me was convinced every empty space deserved a drawing.

Honestly... I still think she was right.

Like a lot of desi kids, I thought I'd become a doctor.

That was the plan.I applied to Dow University, studied hard, and waited.

But around that time, I was dealing with health issues, and I didn't score well enough to get in.

Back then, it felt heartbreaking.

Now?

I think it was one of the greatest blessings I've ever received.

Funny how life works.

Instead of jumping straight back into studies, I took a gap year. During that year, I enrolled in Sadequain Institute of Art for a three-month course.

Three months. That's it.

It doesn't sound like much, but those three months quietly changed everything.

For the first time, I wasn't just the girl who liked drawing.

I was surrounded by artists.

People who talked about colours the way other people talk about cricket scores.

I loved every second of it.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by.

ROBERT FROST

Life, however, has a funny habit of taking the scenic route.

After Sadequain, I went right back into academics.

I completed my Master's in Biochemistry. I even published my thesis in Bioinformatics. Something younger me would've thought sounded very impressive. And honestly, I'm proud of that chapter. It taught me discipline, patience, and that coffee can, in fact, become a personality trait.

But if I'm being honest...

My heart was never in bioinformatics.

Every time I imagined my future, I didn't see research papers.

I saw paint.

So I started posting my artwork on Instagram.

No business plan.

No strategy.

No content calendar.

Just paintings.

I still remember the excitement every time someone I'd never met left a kind comment.

People started sharing my work. Encouraging me. Following along.

It's such a strange feeling when complete strangers believe in your work before you fully do.

I'm still grateful for every single one of them.

Around the same time, my sister, who's a software engineer, introduced me to UI/UX design.

She taught me the basics.

I started freelancing.

One project turned into another.

And somewhere along the way, I realised designing apps and websites scratched the same creative itch that painting did.

Just with fewer paint stains.

Today, my life is a bit of both.

By day, I work a 9-to-5 as a UI/UX designer.

After work, and sometimes before work, and definitely on weekends, you'll usually find me painting, sketching, filming reels, packaging orders, or convincing myself I absolutely need another sketchbook.

Some weeks I'm working on commissioned paintings. Some weeks I'm experimenting with new ideas that may never see the light of day. Some weeks I disappear from Instagram completely. Not because I've stopped creating. Usually because I'm creating so much that I forget to post. Oops.

So... why Zeba Studios?

Because I wanted one little corner of the internet that felt like me.

A place where I can share paintings, works in progress, creative experiments, mistakes, tiny victories, and everything I learn along the way.

Not just the polished finished pieces.

The messy middle deserves some love too.

If you're an artist, a creative, someone who wants to make more time for hobbies, or you're simply here because you like pretty things...Welcome.

I'm really glad you found your way here.

I hope you stay for a while.

There's plenty more to make together.

-Zeba 🍂