People

“Art and painting has always been my thing, but trying to make ends meet has distracted me from my passion all these years. I’m now a full-time artist at 58, and it’s great to be back doing what I love again, living my dream before I get too old.”

“My family came to Singapore from Tokyo five years ago for my husband’s job, but we’ll be moving again to another country in a few months. I’m sad to leave as I love the warm weather, blue skies, and people here. To me, Singapore is paradise!”

“My favourite garment that I’ve created is Moss Coat, a wearable living sculpture I made that was featured on National Geographic. When I was living in New York, I noticed that there weren’t as many greens in the city as compared to Singapore, so I was inspired to incorporate nature into this body of work.”

“After watching The Secret, a documentary about the law of attraction, I started to study ancient, scientific, and religious texts to find recipes that can upgrade the lives of others. Now, I’m a Transformation Strategist in my company, Botanic Minds, guiding individuals on a subconscious level to become the best version of themselves.”

“I'd say I’m an anti-fashionista in a sense, since I like to go against popular trends and fast fashion. Instead, I’ve been practicing sustainable fashion by thrifting and upcycling unused clothes. This way, I can save money and create my own identity with my unique dressing!”

“My friends (who are also a bunch of oldies) and I run a skateboarding account, @planktoy, where we document our progression as older skateboarders. We used to skate together 20 years ago and now we’re all dads with different priorities—it’s quite beautiful lah.”

“ My spine is my favourite part of my body. It’s like a long ridged rope that on my back juts out like the spine of a book. As a tall dancer with long limbs and a slim frame, I’ve grown to recognise my body’s potential for very nice lines, shapes, and form.”

“Having worked in the fashion industry before my latest stint in marketing, I’ve always navigated to small companies instead of bigger luxury brands because it’s important that the company I join has a good culture and aligns with my values, even if they’re not as high-paying.”

“A lot of my art is inspired by nature as I grew up in a small tropical island in the south of Thailand called Ko Pha Ngan. I was surrounded by trees, waterfalls, even geckos and snakes that found their way into my home! Needless to say, my works greatly explore the relationship between human and nature.”

“One thing I’d advise budding artists to focus on is the development of their thoughts and ideas. To me, that’s more important than skill. While it’s important to take inspiration from the art around you, you should be careful not to copy others in the process.”

“Financial Consultancy was never a career I foresaw myself pursuing. It was a huge leap of faith on my part because I’ve always been unconfident and shy, but as the sole breadwinner of the family, I saw the need to step up and provide for the people who matter to me, and I’ve since grown to love what I do.”

“When you’re interested in something, be it math or art, the innate passion to explore is exactly the same. As a math and science educator, I see so much beauty in even geometric shapes and numbers, although my students will tell you otherwise!”