Step by step

A paint tube squeezing itself out - super eager to contribute to wider society

In Han
Illustration and Visual Media

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​I tend to prioritise traditional painting and drawing mediums when creating my artworks. I amaze when observing other people’s digital creations, but my hands don’t just get on my tablet and Adobe creative tools when it comes to making my own stuff. ​

As I am enrolled in a design discipline based in graphic communication, I usually feel a lot of pressure about the use of digital mediums. That’s how most designs displayed in advertising medias and many powerful companies seems to have been created using. They really are powerful and refined with graphic perfection that only digital tools could make possible…Or perhaps with an excruciating amount of effort and time spent by human hands.

While I am putting effort time to time in bringing myself to sit in front of my laptop and open up Adobe creative tools, I have been gathering my physical portfolios and sending them off to different work places. Places I’ve been seeking most are advertising agencies, galleries and auction houses.

In my personal practice, with the broad and flexible concept of illustration, I get a freedom to create works of more fine artsy forms or more planned, design like images. People have different criteria and expectations when it comes to judging whether their work satisfies themselves or not. In my case, it comes clear when I realise that I am convinced by the outcome. Genuineness, sincerity of the image, I guess. Those kinds bring up natural appreciation within me, whether other people get it or not. Usually things that are too specific or personal don’t recall much common experience from others. It’s a criteria difficult to control, others opinions doesn’t bother me much here and there’s no point holding on to them (aside from general advices that help) and stressing on how to make them understand my viewpoint.
The case is different when it comes to professional work. I am seeking to adapt my style to the needs of a bigger community, to contribute to their operation. These past few months of seeking internships and work positions was a bit tricky. In the beginning, I put my focus in selecting works from my portfolio that I thought are likely to be chosen by employers. The chance of getting rejected worried me so much and I kept obsessing over perfecting my cover letter, resume and portfolio documents. But as time went, I have realised successful landing on a job is a result that is not achieved solely through my own effort; the employer takes a portion also. My part is just doing my best in what I must take action on. The remaining bit of ‘will they like my work, will I not get chosen’, is the employer’s bit to consider. They have perfect right to refuse after all, for whatever reason.

I started to feel more ease, getting off that stress. I began planning what I could do during the time I wait for employer’s responses, and I thought I’d spend these times to start creating digital portfolios. While I’ll still work hard to broaden my skillsets in the digital areas, I am confident about my biased creative practice of using traditional mediums. Even in the most digitalised work environments, I could contribute in the initial design processes. As I know that most creative process in creating a quality digital outcome, they always have stable foundation of physical drawings/designs and mock ups to build on the final digital form.
Most exciting potential I look forward to achieving with my creative practice, is that it could be used in therapeutic way. The prime requirements are paper and any mark making object (or could be even less of that) which grants easy access to anyone. It’s definitely more fit than digital tools for audience in special circumstances such as those in hospitals. The act of expressing themselves, feeling the colours, textures and the entire process with their own hands. Creating is powerful, it heals and redeems humanity.

So I’m hopeful and thrilled, ready to plunge into my first DPS experience.