Meet illustrator and graphic designer from Singapore, Beverley Ng.

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I am an illustrator and a graphic designer. In the day, I work as a designer and video editor. I run a small creative business called HEROINE on the side, offering design and illustration services. I also started Print Shop in January, which is a dream for me. I wanted to sell a hodgepodge of things I personally love to collect and create, like printed matter, patches, and collectibles.

 

Describe the city you’re living in and what it’s like to live there.

Singapore is a great place to live in, I always feel safe. Our art and design scene, although small, is full of very talented and inventive people who are always looking to make the scene more inclusive. I am also seeing a surge of younger creatives who are creating more alternative platforms for their work. That sort of initiative is encouraging and makes me have a lot of hope for the future in our local arts scene.

 

Our art and design scene, although small, is full of very talented and inventive people who are always looking to make the scene more inclusive.

 

What is the best and worst thing about living in your city?

Best thing: security, convenience, being accessible to a lot of cultures apart from our own.

Worst thing: excessive bureaucracy and red tape areas.

 

Give us 3 words that describe what it’s like to be a creative in your city.

Innovative, disciplined, exciting

 

How did you start your career in art?

I wanted to become a web/graphic designer after playing Neopets. I was really obsessed with making blog layouts when I was a teenager. That sense of obsession really stuck with me for a long time. I was always creating work for myself, and I am not so good at marketing it. In university, I took a gamble and started selling my illustrations, and it was a success. It helped me to connect more with my schoolmates and other artists outside of my network. 

 

I don’t always feel that I could do this for a living, because I wanted to keep my work to myself. But my commissions and work relationships do give me a sense of confidence that maybe I can pull this off. I struggle with self-doubt, but it really helps to know that people believe in you.

 

There is always love and appreciation for everybody’s journey.

 

Were the people around you supportive of your decision on working as a creative?

I am lucky to grow up with a supportive family. There is always love and appreciation for everybody’s journey. So I do work hard to take care of them in return. I am also fortunate to grow up with my talented cousins, who made me appreciate print matter and design when I was younger. They help me to see that success is defined on our own terms, and comes with a lot of time and dedication. My cousins became really successful in their fields after decades of practice, and they never stopped creating, which reminds me that the journey is more important. Just have lots of fun on the way!

 

What are some goals and ambitions you have for your future work?

I want to remain true to what I believe in and be really genuine in the work that I produce. So I want to be making work that I really enjoy, and not worry about things like money and status. For now, my day job takes care of my necessities and other responsibilities, so I want to make use of my free time to explore projects that are meaningful to me. One of the things I want to do is to create an Internet exhibition/conference, focusing on Net art and aesthetics, and invite other artists to participate.

 

I want to remain true to what I believe in, and be really genuine in the work that I produce.

If you could collaborate with any person in the world who would it be?

I want to collaborate with my family. My cousins and I are trying to kickstart a project about growing up in our estate. My neighbourhood is undergoing a redevelopment process, and we want to use the opportunity to explore stories of our home and family, and to share these with the community.

 

How would you describe the women around you?

The women in my family and my own friends are very strong and independent women. They are good at taking care of themselves and others and are always my source of encouragement and support.

 

The women in my family and my own friends are very strong and independent women.

Were there any local female creatives that you looked up to when you were growing up?

I don’t have any local female creatives that I look up to, growing up. A lot of the creatives that I looked up to had been male. Female designers never really had much spotlight until recently. It was until much later that I found female artists that I really respect. Like Sarah Thursday. She embodies a lot of values that I personally subscribe to. She works hard and she has a consistently strong vision. She doesn’t rely on any platform or organisation to be successful, and she creates her own path. She really loves what she is doing, and people can connect to that.

 

Are there any challenging aspects of being a female in your industry?

Female designers still need more recognition, not just in the fields of design but in other creative areas, like film for example. In the past decade, creative/artistic directors who are publicly recognised locally or have been given awards have been male. But I think this is definitely changing.

 

Focus on doing the best work that you can and let others find you.

Do you have any advice to young women who are aspiring to work in your field?

Focus on doing the best work that you can and let others find you. Originality is not dead, you just need to pay close attention to the things around you, because no one will look at the world like you do.

 

 

Photos courtesy of Beverley Ng.