career change anyone?
Helo everyone, sorry about all the negative post these couple of days. I think I am going through an episode of self-pity and mild depression. Dun get me wrong, life isn’t any better, I just feel a wee bit better after I went running with Junhao the other day. I needed some outlet for venting and what better way then venting it out physically. When I was running, I tired not to think about anything else but the next step and my finish line, and in a way, that was extremely therapeutic for me, although I wouldn’t have finish the run if not for junhao telling me that there was 200m more to go and that I should not give up just yet.
Me: “wah…..*pant…….junhao…*attempts to wave hand, but turn out like arms flailing around……I cannot already……no breath…….*pant pant…”
Jun: “dun give up!.....its just there only *points to a turn very very far away….2oo meters more only!”
Me:*think( WTF so far! 200 metres is so far away?!?!)*pant…pant
Jun: “breath in with your nose and breath out with your mouth”
Me: *think( I cant tell the freaking difference from breathing thru my mouth or nose!!! I am grasping for air as it is!!) ouch….blister pain….
Jun: ok….100 meters more…..
Me: *think (100 meters…..each step is about 0.5 m, *calculate amount in my mind…..a long long time later….wah….that’s a lot more steps to go….) *pant pant…..
Finish run…..
Me: *think(its over!!!! Whooopeee, I am never doing this again…..)
I have plans for a healthier lifestyle to distress and keep fit. Hope I keep to it.
I have been looking around the works from the new graduates from the various design schools in Singapore, they look good. I have not actually stepped into the market yet although it does feel like a long time since I graduated, I actually feel stale….haha.
Anyways, I saw lots of interesting design that aren’t exactly new but one could tell that they were from students being all attention grabbing and stuff. My friends and I were once like that, always frustrated with the usual design and trying to bring something young, fresh, inventive and original to the table. When I look at the new batch of Singaporean designers coming out, i almost feel a sense of lost, what we once were, these enthusiastic bunch of designers dreaming to take the design world by storm, and now, almost half the classmates that I once knew have given up on design, in less the a period of 3 years, in fact, some of them have totally changed their career direction and decided to change job line. Maybe for the better, reasons that I feel are more than justifiable. And to have seen these things actually happen and to talk to some on their frustration really does put some things into perspective.
Of course there are a handful of friends who actually stick to designing as a career. I applaud them. For me, I too have changed my career direction, like you all know I intend to do photography, an even riskier career move I presume.
After all that I have said, I cant help but feel that the same thing would happen to this batch of students coming out this year. A large group of them would try and go on as long as they can but would eventually give it up as well, who would blame them really?
But I do wish in my heart that a few strong and stubborn ones will really take the design world by storm, to not be afraid of losing their jobs, to be in heart, a true designer. Stubborn, a tad more proud then usual, passionate about their work and will not settle for any less. These are the quality I feel designers in Singapore lack. They are too afraid, too afraid to lose their jobs and not be able to find new ones. Too afraid to do anything different for fear of their work being rejected. When this happens, not only do the company or organization as a whole suffer but the designer himself will ultimately lose his sense of creativity. A designer who is afraid cannot attempt to claim himself a designer, he would just be a worker churning aesthetics, nothing more. I believe designers have to fight to get themselves respected in Singapore, it may be hard….but it’s the only way I can think of so far, to take an initiative in design, bring new ideas to the table, make the design your own, take charge and ……..never settle.
Good luck to the designers graduating. Don’t let the creative industry in Singapore go any lower then it already is.
guowen
Me: “wah…..*pant…….junhao…*attempts to wave hand, but turn out like arms flailing around……I cannot already……no breath…….*pant pant…”
Jun: “dun give up!.....its just there only *points to a turn very very far away….2oo meters more only!”
Me:*think( WTF so far! 200 metres is so far away?!?!)*pant…pant
Jun: “breath in with your nose and breath out with your mouth”
Me: *think( I cant tell the freaking difference from breathing thru my mouth or nose!!! I am grasping for air as it is!!) ouch….blister pain….
Jun: ok….100 meters more…..
Me: *think (100 meters…..each step is about 0.5 m, *calculate amount in my mind…..a long long time later….wah….that’s a lot more steps to go….) *pant pant…..
Finish run…..
Me: *think(its over!!!! Whooopeee, I am never doing this again…..)
I have plans for a healthier lifestyle to distress and keep fit. Hope I keep to it.
I have been looking around the works from the new graduates from the various design schools in Singapore, they look good. I have not actually stepped into the market yet although it does feel like a long time since I graduated, I actually feel stale….haha.
Anyways, I saw lots of interesting design that aren’t exactly new but one could tell that they were from students being all attention grabbing and stuff. My friends and I were once like that, always frustrated with the usual design and trying to bring something young, fresh, inventive and original to the table. When I look at the new batch of Singaporean designers coming out, i almost feel a sense of lost, what we once were, these enthusiastic bunch of designers dreaming to take the design world by storm, and now, almost half the classmates that I once knew have given up on design, in less the a period of 3 years, in fact, some of them have totally changed their career direction and decided to change job line. Maybe for the better, reasons that I feel are more than justifiable. And to have seen these things actually happen and to talk to some on their frustration really does put some things into perspective.
Of course there are a handful of friends who actually stick to designing as a career. I applaud them. For me, I too have changed my career direction, like you all know I intend to do photography, an even riskier career move I presume.
After all that I have said, I cant help but feel that the same thing would happen to this batch of students coming out this year. A large group of them would try and go on as long as they can but would eventually give it up as well, who would blame them really?
But I do wish in my heart that a few strong and stubborn ones will really take the design world by storm, to not be afraid of losing their jobs, to be in heart, a true designer. Stubborn, a tad more proud then usual, passionate about their work and will not settle for any less. These are the quality I feel designers in Singapore lack. They are too afraid, too afraid to lose their jobs and not be able to find new ones. Too afraid to do anything different for fear of their work being rejected. When this happens, not only do the company or organization as a whole suffer but the designer himself will ultimately lose his sense of creativity. A designer who is afraid cannot attempt to claim himself a designer, he would just be a worker churning aesthetics, nothing more. I believe designers have to fight to get themselves respected in Singapore, it may be hard….but it’s the only way I can think of so far, to take an initiative in design, bring new ideas to the table, make the design your own, take charge and ……..never settle.
Good luck to the designers graduating. Don’t let the creative industry in Singapore go any lower then it already is.
guowen
posted by guo wen at 2:17 PM
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