Part 2
Hello hello, here is the long awaited part 2 of interviewing my creative friends. This time around I introduce to you two wonderful people that I have had the honour of meeting during social gatherings, a.k.a parties where all my friends bring their fun friends. They both radiate energy that makes you wanna talk to them and pick their brains, although in a different sense. If you’re lucky enough to run into them in a party, chat them up and I assure you, you won’t regret it.
First up is Chris B. an creative simply by existing (seriously his energy is contagious), but also through his illustrations, design, music, his posts, and most recently, his twitch stream! Let’s hear from the multi-talented guy who shows up to a Halloween party dressed in an Among Us costume he made on his own:
L: What's the hardest thing about being a creator in hk?
C: I think the hardest thing about being a creator in HK, is exposure and job opportunities. As an EM, being predisposed to discrimination despite knowing the language makes it difficult to retain clients, especially locals since communication is key to a high tier design job. On the other hand, in my opinion, HK prefers business or hospitality careers because it benefits the economy. As a designer, I don't feel like I belong in such career climates. Thus, I think I'd rather migrate out of HK to find success elsewhere doing what I love.
L:What motivates you to continue to create(despite everything)?
C: Design and creation keeps me grounded. It feels good to make something on your own despite mental comparison to other's work. It can act as a drive to do better and be better! I feel like no other career would suit my personality more than design & marketing. To those who want to venture into a new hobby outside your comfort zone, give it a try! You might just find your new passion :)
You can find Chris at his instagram @chris._.beau , his art account @beausart.jpg, his personal website:
https://flufiichris.wixsite.com/beaudesigns and of course his twitch stream https://www.twitch.tv/beaubies !
Next up is Kawal, someone who instantly gives you sunshine energy, and as a chatterbox myself, someone who you’ll never run out of things to talk to about. She is relatable, informative, smart and outspoken, and someone who believes in sharing people’s stories, especially those who are silenced. She’s someone I look up to because she is always down to listen to other people’s point of view, and for creating a platform(a podcast she started with her friend) to share different thoughts and ideas ranging from race, creativity to relationships.
L:What's the hardest thing about being a creator in hk?
K:There has been a lack of space for creatives of colour to share their talent and skills, but this space has been expanding over the years and I’m here for it! Our voices often go unheard merely because we are a minority and society doesn’t see the need for our stories to be seen or heard. Especially for a place like Hong Kong, some of our stories are what made it the place it is today, which gives it all the more reason for us to express ourselves and tell our stories.
I want to be able to talk about topics that are important but are often shrugged under the rug because they are seen as taboos, as a South Asian women, it is common for us to be told to act and speak modestly, this was one of my initial worries that turned into my biggest motivations, I want to open up conversations and have dialogues about everything that matters to me, even if society deems it as “inappropriate”.
L:What motivates you to continue to create(despite everything)?
K: I believe everyone has a story worth sharing, and I love being able to use my platform to talk about topics that matter to me, and give voice to those who might not necessarily have one to express themselves. Human connection is very important to me, and seeing people from different walks of life come together and share their passion for art and social issues motivates me to keep doing what I do. There’s often a misconception that you need to be “good” or “perfect” at what you do, but I believe that through making mistakes and trying different things, that’s how we learn. Being able to learn from different talented people allows me to expand my vision and think more creatively.
L: Do you see yourself doing jobs in the creative field in the future, be it full time or as a side job?
K:As a final year student, I’m constantly thinking of what I’d want to do after I graduate. After trying different kinds of part-time jobs and internships, one thing I’ve learnt about myself is that I definitely can’t work a job that requires me to sit in an office from 9-5pm, without having the space for me to be creative. I would definitely want to pursue a career that allows me to meet new people and be creative, it could be coming up with new ideas or even giving my creative inputs in the design or marketing work.
L: Is there anything you wanna tell young people/people who want to create but are too scared to?
K:One thing I always tell myself is that I don’t need to be 100% perfect at something, as long as you’re interested in something and you try it out, that’s what matters. Only then will you be able to figure out if you actually like doing it or not, how else will you know without trying it?
L: Who would be your dream person to collaborate with?
K: I’d love to collaborate with well-known talented filmmakers or producers, to work with them and come up with something of my own would be a dream come true!
I would also want to work with more local youth/talents and come up with awesome ideas to see how we can contribute to the local creative scene here in HK!
You can find Kawal at her personal instagram @kawawaals (although she is on private), her podcast’s instagram @kawalandsanika and give their podcast Roadside Rumours a listen if you wanna listen to a diverse but also local cast delve into life related topics!
