Meet designer and illustrator from Singapore, Adeline a.k.a. Mightyellow

 

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m Adeline, a full-time mom, and part-time illustrator.

 

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

Singapore is a modern city-state that people call the “garden city”. It is really like a garden, lots of arranged greenery and manmade stuff, not a lot of naturally occurring forests. The landscape changes really quickly too. Have you ever went out in your own city and realize you don’t quite recognize it? That’s what happens to me, and I rarely travel out of the country.

 

Singapore is a modern city-state that people call the “garden city”. It is really like a garden, lots of arranged greenery and manmade stuff, not a lot of naturally occurring forests

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

Best: efficiency

Worst: apathy

 

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

Sponsorship Censorship Relationship

 

How did you start your career in art?

I used to be a designer with a side gig as an illustrator. Then after I had my little boy I left the job and drew pictures at home. He is now old enough to draw with me and it is an incredible experience to just make stuff together.

 

I used to be a designer with a side gig as an illustrator. Then after I had my little boy I left the job and drew pictures at home.

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

Initially not really, but I think they are ok with it now.

 

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

I hope to have more work that has a direct positive impact. It can be for education, housing or environmental causes. I find a lot more satisfaction in work that helps build a better world because our children are going to be living in it.

 

I hope to have more work that has a direct positive impact. It can be for education, housing or environmental causes. I find a lot more satisfaction in work that helps build a better world because our children are going to be living in it.

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

Greta Thunberg

 

How would you describe the women around you?

Strong, smart, funny and beautiful.

 

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

Not really, I only got to know of local female creatives when I was already working. The internet was a new thing then, and being introverted I don’t really go out much. I had amazing role models though, not necessarily in the “creative” line and not all are women; for example my working grandma who gave up her job to help look after us and encouraged me to follow my heart, my mom who devoured storybooks with me, my brother who filled out sheet after sheet of drawing paper with his baby sister and built robots out of empty tissue boxes. These people fuelled my imagination, and even though not all of them were keen on me taking on this line of work, I think that was a big part in why creative work became so attractive for me.

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

I think the challenges are similar in many industries. For me specifically, it was juggling the time between being a responsible mom and being a responsible worker, and also finding that little bit of extra time to work on my own projects. I have been privileged to have encountered mostly generous, hardworking leaders both male and female. They always had my back if I was treated unfairly by clients.

 

You do you.

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

You do you.

 

 

Photos courtesy of Mightyellow.