Inside Out

What’s something that surprised you when you first joined your industry?
Maybe how young it is. The creative industry is generally driven by young people, and they bring a lot of desire for change. And that’s changing the creative industry as a whole, as it’s creating a desire to pursue not just product-centric approaches, but to do better for the world.

What’s an occupational hazard that you have?
I tend to want to think of creative solutions for everything. Even simple things, like when I get a cup of coffee, I’ll think about how to make the marketing for the coffee better. My boyfriend and I are both in the creative industry, and we’re constantly thinking of how to improve brands for the better. Rather than just giving a CSR spin to whatever that they’re doing, can we change the product from the inside, and make the product itself more ethical?

What’s something that you do in your free time?
I’m actually volunteering with Action for Singapore Dogs, which is a local shelter with a strict no-kill policy. I’ve been with them for five years, and I manage all the operations at their Action & Rescue Centre.

How did you get started with volunteering with them?
I’ve always had quite the heart for animals, but I think it started with also wanting to do something on my weekends that was different. The thing about these dogs is that they just need people to be there for them. At the shelter, we try to go down as much as possible to shower them, feed them, and walk them so that they can get some sort of socialisation and human contact. When they eventually get adopted, they’ll know how to better interact with people, babies, and even other animals.

Something you’re grateful about in your present:
I’m grateful for job stability—I think that’s something that, in the past year or so, has been a bit uncertain. I’m also grateful to be in a space of privilege where I can have the ability to look beyond myself, to think about things like social justice issues or how to make the world a better place, rather than day-to-day things like how I’m going to put food on the table.

If you could be a part of any TV show, which one would you choose and why?
I recently really got into watching this YouTube channel called Snake Discovery, which was started by an American couple who breeds snakes in Wisconsin. They also had the opportunity to open an educational facility to teach people more about biodiversity in their region. Watching their videos, I always think to myself, “Damn, I really want to do something that excites me like that”. So I don’t know, maybe I could fly there and try my luck to get hired by them (laughs).

What’s a trait that makes you a good friend?
I would say that I am very in touch with emotions, both mine and the people around me. I always pride myself in being able to listen and understand what people are going through, and find ways to help them unload and give them the opportunity to work through whatever it is that they’re feeling, just by talking to them.