Head In The Clouds

Tell us about yourself and what you do for work.
Hi, I’m Jolyon, andI’m a designer but I’m still kind of new to it.

Before this, I was teaching art for about six months. I got into teaching because I thought it would be a good step into design as I wasn’t making much headway in the industry. I also thought it’d be nice to inspire other people to enjoy art and have a good time. In the end, it didn’t really work out, but it’s for the better because I figured out what I was really interested in and what I really wanted to do though this experience.

Are you a self-taught artist?
Not really. I studied art in JC and secondary school, and afterwards, went into architecture, but I ended up not pursuing architecture as a career because it just felt a bit too real for me (laughs)—I think my head is a bit in the clouds sometimes.

To me, there’s a bit more freedom in how things are expressed and communicated in graphic design as opposed to architecture. With architecture, I enjoyed the sketching processes and the ideation, but not so much the 3D-modelling or computer-generated drawing part of things. At the end of the day, I wanted to try and reconnect a bit more with drawing, which is why I chose to pursue graphic design instead.

But as a graphic designer, there’s still that aspect of digital work, right? How is that different for you?
I think it’s different because there’s the aspect of illustration, which allows me to express my creativity a bit more freely. Of course, graphic design has its own rules and things to worry about, but at least the stakes aren’t as high as they are in architecture.

What do you like to do outside of work?
I used to dance quite regularly, but I’ve been cutting down a bit because work keeps me quite busy. I’ve been trying to find a balance between the two because dance is something that I want to keep in my life for as long as I can, and part of that involves going to a dance class at least once a week. My girlfriend is also a dancer, so we’ll meet up for what we call “sessions”, which is where we’ll dance together and freestyle. Sometimes, I’ll do sessions with my friends too if our schedules line up.

Other than that, I like listening to music and just walking around, exploring new spaces. Sometimes, I listen to music and walk around HDB estates to find a nice spot to sit and chill, with my head in the clouds. I do enjoy those slower, quieter moments a lot.

Sharing an interest in dance with your girlfriend must be really nice!
In a way, it’s easier for me to spend time with her this way. With similar interests, there are a lot more things to talk about, and it feels like I got to know her faster through dance as both of us have very similar views of the art form—it was clear that we were on the same wavelength early o.

Tell us a bit more about enjoying the quiet moments. What would you say is the best me-time activity?
I quite like to turn on videos on YouTube as white noise. I also very much enjoy going for walks on my own. It helps a lot to remove myself a bit from the here and now, and from people. I mean, we all need to recharge our social batteries once in a while.