Dawn (23) & Head-First Diving
Dawn and I went to design school together – we were classmates as freshmen and would later spur one another on over the years. She was someone I knew who, as cliche as it may sound, worked hard and played hard. Whether it was to do a good job or to have a good time, she was one you could trust to step up to the plate.
As we graduated and she catapulted into a career in advertising, having won a D&AD New Blood Pencil for her Final Year Project, I thought about how nice it must have been for her to be surpassingly talented and so evidently clever. It was not until I caught up with her in early June, that I learned of the many unspoken heartbreaks behind taking on the exacting industry at such a tender age and how everything came with considerable effort. She shares more about the many risks taken and head-first dives that have led her to being an Art Director at 23.
“I work as an Art Director at Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH). I conceptualise, design, art, experiment, but mostly, I have fun at work. I love what I do because every project is so different and there’s heaps to learn from each brief we tackle.”
The BBH office on Magazine Road
“I have many hobbies outside of work, some are phases and some stay for long. I’m a HUGE insect and animal lover so I like to raise caterpillars into butterflies, find microscopic organisms, research on how to keep frogs in Singapore and spend time with my family + my 3 dogs! I like to read and pick up my guitar whenever I feel like it too.”
Dawn identifies shrubs where common caterpillar varieties are found and inspects under leaves
“I studied Communication Design back in school, and I feel like whatever I’ve learnt is applied almost directly to what I’m doing here at work — just at a faster pace, with real clients and of course I get paid to do it haha!”
Past work for Nike
“I found my interest/love for what I’m doing now through the advertising modules I took back in school. I didn’t know what I was getting into, just that advertising looked interesting and I wanted to try it out! So I applied for an internship at BBH and here I am 4 years later!”
Past work for Absolut Vodka
“I think coming straight out from school and diving head first into a full time job at an ad agency gave me a lot of anxiety. I probaaaably had a serious case of imposter syndrome as I learned how to “adult” and struggled with feeling good enough to be where I’m at.”
“Am I good enough?”
“These people around me have more than 10 years of experience, are my opinions even valid?”
“Holy shit, i have not spoken throughout this meeting, I feel like a lizard on a wall.”
“Ok, I sounded stupid, maybe i should have just kept quiet.”
“I need to work faster, I took one whole day to just do THIS?”
“Maaan, anyone can do this easily, faster and even better than me”
“I think our twenties are some of the hardest years because there’s so much about life we’re expected to figure out. We go from being carefree students to needing to have answers to “grown-up” things like what we want to do, who our life partners will be, what makes us happy. Or learning to say no without coming across like we’re closed off to trying new things. Suddenly we’re expected to be interesting and have stories to tell, to socialise and drink but also be healthy and fit. Allll of these on top of making sure we’re good (or look like we are good) at our first full time job which we’re probably clueless about.”
“3 years into working though, I’m starting to see things in new perspectives. I see that while what I feel is completely valid, instead of allowing these thoughts to negatively affect me, I ought to use them to push myself to keep growing. I’m no longer so hard on myself and I’ve learned that it’s okay to not have it all figured out. That I am where I’m supposed to be.”
Past work for Riot Games
“I feel like I’ve always chosen the ‘wrong’ path by other’s standards. I chose the normal acad stream instead of express when presented the option after PSLE; I chose the (then) new Poly Foundation Programme instead of taking the O levels after my N levels; I chose a design course over a business course despite not having a background in art and the risk of becoming a ‘starving artist’; I chose to work full time upon graduating despite being accepted into local universities.”
“I don’t think I made these decisions because I ever knew what I wanted to do. I just went with what felt right and what I wanted at each pivotal point even if it meant puzzling or even disappointing those around me. Things always work out even if not at first.”
“I get inspired by reading, talking to people from all walks of life and watching things, anything from films, ads, random youtube recommendations to bird watching.”
“Books that I’m reading concurrently:
Someone Who Will Love You in All Your Damaged Glory – Raphael Bob Waksberg
The Art of Making Memories – Meik Wiking
Three Days to See – Hellen Keller
Finding Chika – Mitch Albom
Think Again – Adam Grant”
Neon sign at the BBH office
“Whenever I struggled with a brief as a student or a junior designer, I would remind myself to trust the process that I know, which was to sketch, write, try, and expand my search for ideas. It was important that I learned to trust the process. Ideas are always there, we just need to find them.”
“A really important quote to me is from this article on It’s Nice That“
Be kind to yourself, learning is hard, design is easy.
— Ben Longden
“If there’s anything I could tell my younger self or fellow budding creatives, it would be
Keep making and collecting memories, try anything new then decide whether you like it or not.
Trust the process but keep growing.
Don’t be so hard on yourself.
Be present and in the moment.
Be nice.
Surround yourself with good friends & family.
Mistakes happen, it’s just the way we are, and mistakes always happen when you are learning.
There will be many days where you feel that you’re not good enough, and that’s okay. Sleep and start the next day fresh again.
Have fun and laugh more.
At her work desk
“Moving forward I hope I never stop loving what I do. I’m looking forward to the future where I’m experienced enough to share what I’ve learnt and to help teach and be a good mentor to the people who are on a similar journey.”
Off to find more butterflies
“Creativity to me is: Being open, experimental, taking inspiration from ANYTHING. Having fun and being willing to try new things.”
