From one artist to another.
Saying you want to be an artist in Singapore usually warrants a Salem-esque "Burn the Witch!" reaction from most people. It's just such an absurd idea because we're a small country with a lot of focus on financially fulfilling jobs that promote our ever growing economy. You'd usually pick something stable, not choose to create and broadcast art from this tiny little island. Being told to give up on your dreams of becoming an artist is extremely common, but shazza (and myself) were lucky enough to have supportive parents that didn’t defer or diminish our passions in hopes of something more traditional.
The main thing that resonated with me from this session was when shazza talked about how stupid it felt even just saying that you want to be an artist - a universal experience for any aspiring creator. We were both lucky to have support from our loved ones, but it’s necessary to talk about the pushback there is when one aspires towards becoming a local artist. shazza points out how Singaporeans often feel that successful media (art, music, movies) can only come from overseas, and how anything locally produced never gets the same support as overseas media. I personally am guilty of a similar mindset, often looking beyond our shores for new shows or music to support.
She quotes, ‘Delulu is the solulu’ and I concur that ‘delusion is the solution’ to pushing through and creating art as a professional. Sometimes, you have to take a massive gamble and believe in yourself and your passion and force your way into creativity. Often, it can feel like a bleak prospect that forces you to consider any possible option to make your dream even a partial reality: for me personally, as an animator, I’ve tried deviating from pure animation to product design or marketing. Likewise, shazza acknowledges the favourable prospects of singing solely in Malay though it might not be the direction she is most aligned with; another example of the tension between an artist’s instinct and what is successful.
*A TikTok catch phrase along the lines of manifesting and ‘faking it till you make it’.
I believe it’s really important to create a fostering, nurturing environment in Singapore for the arts. Art and design is often viewed as the stuff in museums, but really, it's all around us. The interface of your Grab app, the ads in MRT stations, the layout of your HDB; there are so many things around us that use art and design to make life more vibrant, and it’s so possible to create in house; there should be more support of what we can make here. By encouraging artists, we could even come up with more artworks uniquely Singaporean.
shazza brings a perspective to creating that isn’t just Singaporean, but also youthful and Gen Z. Because art is such a difficult and skewed field in Singapore, she mentions the sense of community artists feel, bonded by a similar struggle. While we’re able to find that support with other creators, a wider education about the art and music scene in Singapore is crucial to making our home a hub for local creations.
