20 seconds of courage,

“Sometimes all you need is 20 seconds of courage, and I promise you something great will come of it.” 

Revisiting a simple quote by Benjamin Mee from "We bought a Zoo", which truly packs a punch in challenging us to embrace spontaneity amidst our caged up stability. School's out for the year and it has been a good semester - discovering the undiscovered, brain wonders and life inspiring little talks. But the greatest takeaway thus far has seen me plucking the courage (all 20 seconds of it) to sign up for oil painting art classes at LASALLE college of the arts, and juggling academia while assimilating into the world of the artsy fartsy aka assignments and art critiques. Mondays and Tuesdays saw me scuttling around my classes in the University town campus with my big black folder and blank wooden canvases, which sparked off tons of conversations with curious onlookers and a spectrum of responses from "What, are you serious, you're doing this during your senior year in university?" to the much appreciated "Wow, proud of you, good luck!" responses. 

It baffles me on how stifling our environment can be when it comes to learning or appreciating any form of art. At least a quarter of the acquaintances I spoke to genuinely thought I was mad for even wanting to try this out during my senior year in college. "Why now? Aren't you worried about your grades?" they ask, but why not. When I was young, art lessons mesmerized me because I could freely express myself using an array of mediums. I loved school art competitions or any form of art classes, and took part in Batik painting and Chinese calligraphy at a young age (flourishing on compliments and constructive criticisms alike, my mum said the tadpoles I drew in calligraphy classes looked ambiguous if you get my drift). Even through Secondary class, I took each piece of artwork with pride and I would enjoy working on it at different parts of the day! It was safe to say that I always had that art streak in me, but don't raise that eyebrow of yours because it doesn't necessarily mean I have the flair for it, that's a different story. And alas, when it came down to making my choices of subjects, I wasn't courageous enough to take on Art and like any other model Asian kid, went down the path of ignorantly taking up triple sciences. In pre-university, I decided that Medicine/Law was definitely not my cup of tea (sorry mum) because I enjoyed something more outgoing and engaging. I was young, free and serious about challenging myself and taking up Theatre arts in IB but once again thrashed the idea because I was reminded harshly that that would severely close my doors for college. Merely missed opportunities? I think not.

Of course, that didn't stop my creative urge run so I turned to DIY projects and baking, which I simply adore doing in my free time. But instead of harping on what I have missed out thus far, why not look forward and putting those regrets behind. You need to start somewhere right? Taking that 20 seconds of courage to fill up the registration form for my first art class was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life thus far, God given. I love the element of fervour in my teacher's voice that resonates with each and every "Get rid of your inhibitions, this isn't a science course, it's an art class - BE FREE", for it makes me feel so alive in the studio. It's a structured course so techniques, conceptualization, process, bits of history here and there are all covered, and we get to experiment with different styles of colour palettes and paintings i.e. realism, surrealism, abstract, etc. I have yet to complete a full artwork as of yet so below are just snippets of pieces during studio practice. I'm also really blessed to have met a whole bunch of amazing people from all walks of life, shenanigans and singing in the studios is therapy I look forward to every week! Even though some of them clearly have the makings of a professional artist, it's really humbling to learn from them and to witness firsthand how Art does not discriminate and it is not always about how precise your calculated techniques are but how fresh your concepts may be or how receptive you are to new ideas. And of course, gobbling down my dinner whilst people watching on the green before Tuesday classes is something I would really miss.

Hopefully I get to marry the entities of Art and Psychology for clinical art therapy in the future ♥ So here's a push to those with aspirations and those who dream of plunging into fine arts but don't have the full courage to. Like what my teacher always say, "Stop questioning on the exact proportions, painting is an art and the magic of the colours can only be experienced firsthand" - isn't that the same with life at hand? Stop questioning, take that 20 seconds of courage and you won't regret when your palette holds a myriad full of colours.

It's my first time dealing with oil paint, I'm currently working on Survival of the fittest: adaptation of nature amidst barren circumstances, as well as experimental art in the artpiece of Hair-voc (end piece will look nothing like the above because I'm still waiting for the first layer to dry, will be drizzled in dark violet and have fine strokes). I love the movement it exudes now though, but couldn't finish it in time for my art critique! And also even though I'm barely half done, it looks ambiguous already - surrealism at its best.

Take courage, ciao!

Lazy daisy,

Hello folks! The title holds a half truth, and I would like to think of myself as the dainty flower without an ounce of inertia but of course, it's really up to you to interpret. The past month has seen me labouriously checking off my college deadline to-do lists, meeting friends who flew off for their overseas terms, starting up our LDR once again and just getting used to being in senior year. I've also gotten myself a bundle of joy in a form of a big black folder, which holds my studio essentials for art school. Juggling between college and art school can be quite a strain at times, especially the shuttling from my Psychology seminar which ends around 6:45pm @ Kent ridge to my class at 7pm @ Lasalle every Monday - and to make matters worse, the peak hour jam exacerbates my situation. But all's good because God willing, my classmates and teacher are all extremely understanding and fill me up on what I've missed out on. And studio time is such therapy ♥

Insightful talks with amazing classmates with whom I've grown close to really remind me how precious life is and how we tend to take our freedom for granted - freedom to love, freedom of speech and freedom for religion alike. To be able to share openly about grievances and intense experiences within the coziness of the studio is a blessing, and really opens my eyes to underlying issues that may not be as apparent to a layperson. Funny how Art brings all of us from different cultures, nationalities and ages together.

R and I have also started up our LDR again, which is quite a bummer because I've gotten so used to having him by my side that it felt really unnatural for him to suddenly be a thousand miles away from home. Skype and whatsapp have nevertheless been such a delight to communicate through, and we're finally down to just 43 days of reuniting, I can't wait! Sometimes I just get the urge to hop onto the next plane ride out to London....while it feels really lonely at times, I think it's part and parcel of getting used to it and on the bright side, I get more personal time aka DIY and painting time (Just made a DIY fringe shirt, keep a look out for that). Counting down really helps with storing up motivation, or making plans way ahead of time so you can look forward to them,  here's a quick shout out to couples in the same boat to have faith ♥

On a lighter note, I've recently revamped the layout here and I love the refreshing change! Many of the tabs are still in construction, and will be updated soon. My inner geek is looking for more ways to improve the interface so do let me know if you have any comments for improvement or how you think about it please :) I've also started some new upcoming personal project such as featuring young talents and their stories, for I think it's truly inspiration to hear about their journeys and aspirations for the future. If you're looking to be featured, do drop me an email at yanting91@gmail.com.

Oh and before I forget, I've recently jumped the bandwagon (I know, I'm like a mountain tortoise in this) and hopped over to Instagram, so join me on Instagram with a click of a button below! Ciao and thanks for reading, hope you had a lovely weekend, I'll surely update soon ♥

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Peek in,

Just a glimpse into my life - school has officially started two months ago which means beckoning deadlines and presentations. Oh the joy! But honours classes have been quite a delight, mostly because of having electives that are more geared towards our specific interests and we delve into them in greater detail. I've also started art school at Lasalle, and met a bunch of people from all walks of life but bonded in the spirit of art, opera and random banter. Looking forward to Monday and Tuesday nights in the studio belting out oldies and classics! They're truly an amazing bunch, and coming from different parts of the world, it's really humbling to be absorbed in conversations with them -  be it on traveling, how to eat a cheese platter right, current affairs or female empowerment. Can't wait for abstract art classes to start! And for all the scuttling around from school to school, nothing speaks of comfort more than jeans folded up in this tropical heat, worn-out moccasins, the perfect crop top to balance it all out and an embellished headband from to chase away Monday blues.

In other news, R has left for London a month back. Being in a long-distance relationship is not a bed of roses, nonetheless we're starting to warm up to the perks of having an LDR. The personal time to pursue interests individually, snap chats that pop up unexpectedly, hand written letters and sharing about our days spent in places thousand of miles apart. And not to mention the sacred countdown till the reunion :') Of course, there's just that charm about face-to-face interactions and personal touch that pixels on my computer screen cannot possibly replace. Even in this new age of technology. But with each and every goodnight and sharing of possible insecurities about the future, any faint specks of loneliness fades away with the dead of the night. So for those who share the same woes as me, seize this opportunity to enjoy personal time and take heart ♥

Moccasins, Primark; Crop top, H&M; Embellished headband, Diva; Jeans, New Future