"Is it something you'd be proud to put out into the world?"
If the answer's yes, says artist Huey.c, then don't be afraid to do so
These days, it’s hard to sift through all the thoughts and voices – especially if they’re not your own.
Who (or what) do you listen to? And how do you create meaningful work through all of that?
“I feel most fulfilled when I complete the ideas I like to materialise,” says Huey.c, an illustrator, art director and graphic designer based in Singapore.
“I stay true to myself by following my instincts, and trying to listen as much as possible (as cliché as it sounds!) to what my heart tells me to do.”
I cite Huey.c here because I recently discovered her work, and I like her use of colours and patterns. I also like how she easily expresses herself through her words and pieces. (Check out her Instagram.)
Because there are times when I myself can’t. I still find it tough to present and say things “out loud”, so I look to other people for inspiration and see how they manage it.
It wasn’t always like that
Huey.c has creative-directed on projects such as Origin Grill & Bar; managed her own business, Ordinary People; and designed for Temporium, a creative concept pop-up lifestyle store. She does watercolour, patterns, sketches and paintings, and accepts commissions, portraits and customisations.
“Before I found my illustrative style and ways of expressing myself consistently, I had to experiment a lot,” she admits.
“I only started to discover my illustration style when I quit my job early during my career to pursue a nagging dream I had to run my own small-batch artisan lifestyle store, Ordinary People – which is now defunct. It was a lot of fun and I also discovered a lot about myself through this process.
“Right now, it’s a challenge to find time to create new works, but I’m slowly working through this to start creating more.”
And she will show them to us soon
Because revealing her thought and creative process, and ultimately the finished product, is part of the… process. It’s something she needs to do for herself. (And it’s what we need to do for ourselves.)
Huey.c tells us why. “What’s important to me is to share a distinct piece of our narrative out with the world – the way we present it through however whimsical or logical way we choose to view it.”
She begins by “interpreting the brief and subsequently sketching a lot of ideas”, she states.
“I believe in sketching ideas as much as possible, because sometimes a combination of them will give me the magic I envision for the work.”
It also helps to sort out and refine what you have in your head. If you’re searching for “tools” to express yourself and your work better, Huey.c relies on these four:
#1 Paper and pen
“The old adage really holds true! Remarkable ideas truly do begin with a pen and piece of paper.”
#2 Words
“I’m very inspired by words. Words move me and leave me very inspired to create my illustrations.”
#3 Phone
“I save any thoughts and ideas I have on my phone. It is a very useful tool to have no matter where I go.”
#4 Memories
“I love scavenging through my memories to make the work I’ve created meaningful to, most importantly, myself.”
Along the way, these might just convince you to not stop yourself from doing something, and move forward too.
Huey.c has this to say for those of us who have doubts about expressing ourselves, and showing who we are in our work.
“One suggestion I can offer is to draw upon your emotions and memories as a guide,” she observes.
“I’ve learnt that the opinions of people towards your work will always be subjective, and shouldn’t be used as a yardstick on how good or bad it is. Ultimately, how you feel about your own work is the litmus test to truly gauge how wonderful it is – i.e. is this something you’d be proud to put out into the world? If it is, then you’ve got something really great going on there.”
It’s also simple. “I mostly really aim to put good vibes and beauty into my work, and having a part of it connect with whoever sees it.”
And that’s all we can hope for.