Hwee En (32) & Her Becoming
This article was written in collaboration with Don’t Mind If (DMI) to document and archive creative journeys of those who labour within Singapore’s Communication Design industry and community. This is a preview of the entry.
As someone who has always undertaken more of a non-creative role in creative environments and now more a marketer of sorts, it deeply resonated with me when Hwee expressed her struggle with the “creative” label - having been what we traditionally call a “suit” in the ad world.
This article was difficult for me to summarise because I could feel her ardour and life in every line I couldn’t let myself omit. During our chat, we talked about the elusive “ease” that others relate to their thirties and that I’ve always coveted. What she had to say was, “as much as it seems like something that naturally happens, I think it takes hard work… it takes all these trials, detours and getting to know ourselves to almost earn.”
Things take time.
“I am currently freelancing in account servicing and project managing in a social impact communications agency. On the side, I’m a serial hobbyist dabbling in film photography and garment making / pottery at Fingerramblings. I’ve always been an itchy finger kind of person and these allow me to be tactile and offline; a great respite from work.”
“My biggest passion project would be co-directing and producing Class Acts with Deon (from Tell Your Children), a documentary film that took three years to complete, and that recently premiered at Singapore Art Week. The feature-length documentary traces the genesis of Singapore’s creative scene in the ‘90s through intimate conversations with its pioneering personalities.”
“The process was really humbling as neither of us come from a filmmaking background. Producing a documentary and exhibition was terrifying but we were met with so much kindness, generosity and patience from our talented production partners, AMOK and No Average Joe. The whole project was completely unfunded and was only possible because of the many who so kindly agreed to lend us their time and skills.”
“Creativity to me is — as much a lifestyle as it is a skill or output.”
