Striving And Thriving

Tell us about your field of study. Is it something you wish to pursue as a career?
I’m currently in my final year of Design Communication at LASALLE College of the Arts.

I’m working towards becoming a lecturer to teach the arts, because I experienced firsthand the impact a good role model can make. When I was in ITE, I was inspired by my lecturer who had such a great bond with his students. Likewise, I want to motivate my own students in the future as well.

How would you define art, and what kind of art do you personally like to create?
Art to me is anything you create or make. I consider everything around me art, even if we might not see the value of it. What I like about art is its subjectivity, and how things are not always what they seem.

As for myself, my favourite designs to create are publications as I enjoy typography, and placing image and text together.

Tell us about your favourite work thus far.
It has to be the publication I recently created that was brought to the Bangkok Art Book Fair on our school trip to Thailand. My book actually sold out there!

How did you find Singapore Art Week 2023?
There were much more artworks than there were last year, and I found the new works this time round to be really fresh and appealing.

What are your thoughts on hustle culture?
I think it’s necessary at my age (22). If there’s something you want, then you need to work hard for it.

As you know, the arts and design industry is very competitive, so you need to be unique and stand out in order to get in and ahead.

What are your thoughts on ageing or growing older in general?
I’m starting to feel the pressure of growing older as my brother, who is 25, just got married. I want my parents to see my children grow up, so I do worry about it sometimes.

That said, I still have a lot more that I want to achieve and explore before I finally settle down, so I’m not in a hurry.

We need to know how you achieved that iconic hairstyle!
The key is to pray five times a day… Just kidding! (laughs) My hair is all natural, actually. It’s taken three to fours years to reach this length.

But I’ll be enlisting in the army this year, so there’s that.