Better known as *manda to her peers, Amanda Ang has shown art can be pursued as a career in Singapore. At the tender age of 22, she’s already decorated the house of MediaCorp artist Chen Han Wei who was impressed with her brand of innovative art. Who says business and art don’t mix together? Hold that thought now!

Amanda’s works are rather spontaneous. She draws inspiration from other artists’ works. When she looks at their work, she wants to do something similar. The tiniest details, like a baby crying in his pram, clouds in the sky, and browsing through magazines allow her to draw ideas. By drawing things that are familiar to her, she feels that her works are extensions of her. People who know her often find traces of her in her art work. Her works change over time as different experiences in life and moods affect her work. Trivia: Pandas are easily identifiable in Amanda’s works, because ‘panda’ is actually short for ‘Amanda’!

Youth.SG: What do you have to say about the current art scene in Singapore these days as compared to 10 years back?
*manda: With platforms like Noise Singapore and *scape , I guess it’s really good. Being young really brings out the creative juice in you. It’s really sad when young artists with great talent don’t get the exposure they need just because society sees creating art work as a job that doesn’t carry the money home. Now with society looking to art as a lucrative advertisement medium and more people being receptive, it’s really great for people like us. It may not pay much but at least we get to do what we love.

Do you think that art and the harsh reality of paying the bills can go hand in hand in Singapore?
You have to be really diligent when you start out. I have never met a designer who had an easy life the moment they graduate. When you are in school you have the freedom of doing whatever you want but once you step out to the corporate world, you have to change that mindset. If you can persevere and make it though this period, you have the chance of being successful. There are illustrators I know who have successful career and makes load of money while enjoying their work. If you really love what you are doing, just stick to it and persevere.

What are the risks involved in running an art related business?
The difficulty I face is when the company here that engages designers like us, even with the growing art scene, we still feel short-changed at times… they underrate us. They pay us really lower (fees) which I feel is not justifiable. Freelance work also doesn’t come by very often. You have to be more thick-skinned at times. You can’t expect people to talent scout you. You’ve got to shine if you want people notice you. When you do works for a corporate company, you have to do the work they want. You have to compromise your style in the beginning but after some time companies do engage you for your art style. Once you prove yourself, you would gain more freedom to convince the client of your own art style.

How would you encourage youths out there to take this leap of faith?
It’s very tough for people to pursue their dreams. You have face things like your parents’ objection, and the way that society views you. When you do art, you spend a lot of time and effort but you don’t really get paid much whereas in fields like banking, you do earn a lot of money. The industry for art is really tough. Despite of all this, I believe that if you really love what you are doing, you will always come back to it at the end of the day. At times I compromise on the stuff I love because I thought it would make things easier for everyone and myself  but at the end of the day, I still come back to my illustrations. There’s no point constantly trying to switch and ending up with no direction. So stick to your convictions.

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