Starting a new job!

I'm glad to announce that I'm starting a new job tomorrow as a multimedia designer in the healthcare industry! It's an industry I really wanna work in and God fulfilled my dream! 

The job offer came as a surprise because I was almost certain the serious interviewer, also the corporate communications manager, wasn't impressed with my childish answers and skittish demeanour. I'm guessing she hired me purely because of my wide range of skills, which include illustration, graphic design, web design, content management, videography, photography, copywriting etc. 

Pretty nervous about re-entering the corporate world because my last job experience wasn't too pleasant. But I've also grown so much as a person to be more empathetic, flexible, firm with boundaries. Hopefully I can navigate new waters more easily now.

My only prayer to God is: 

1. I am able to get along with all my colleagues and cope with the daily workload. 

2. If my mental and physical health remains well after 6 months, may God allow me to continue as a permanent staff. Otherwise, may I be transferred to another position that gives me full autonomy as well. 

I hope to update this space at least once a week. Excited for a new season in life!!! Praise God!!! 🎉

Maitoparta's first exhibition in Singapore

Headed to Heartware Gallery to check out  Japanese artist Maitoparta's first solo exhibition in Singapore! It features mostly food and kawaii characters. 

Heartware Store is located at 350B Joo Chiat Road! It usually features unique art!

What a random doodle. It's selling for $48.

This money doodle is selling for $88.

This fist doodle is selling for $55.

I'm kinda inspired because her art style is very simple and whimsical, yet popular with many viewers who found them cute and instagrammable. Some also purchased her prints and shirts. I can definitely put something out there too. 

More existential animals art

Been busy creating more relatable cute art recently. 

Drowning in Depression

I really like this piece! I like anything to do with reunion meals. Also experimented with a vibrant psychedelic colour scheme and I must say I prefer it more than pastels, through it's harder to coordinate the colours.

Big Bad Corporate World

Another fave piece because it's a cute concept of corporate disguise. Used a psychedelic colour palette again and I realise I like pink and blue combi.

Corporate Burnout Toast

This didn't turn out too well, maybe because the burnt toast doesn't look cute or pitiful or funny, just generic. The office building doesn't resemble a toaster either, so the concept of corporate burnout doesn't register immediately.

Cactus in Therapy

Love the colours again. I'm starting to think this is my signature colour style.

Experimented with some grainy texture in the background. It probably looks better adding grain on all the elements, but I'm too lazy for that. I wanna keep my art kinda simple so I can move on to creating new art quicker. Currently it's taking me up to 4 hours per piece.

I recoloured this piece to make it psychedelic and it's not winning me over. The pastel one looks more... eye-pleasing? This one is just unique and eye-catching. 

I'm not sure if I'm on the right track creating so many random art. But I'm pretty sure since God has called me to use my art skills, then I hope He will make something out of this. 

This morning I went for a job interview at Raffles Hospital for a multimedia designer role. I know, I've lamented about design jobs, but no comms or marketing department wanna hire me after applying to at least 50 of them already! I have no choice. Again, if God allows, may He lead me to the right company and role that may utilise my skills for His glory. Otherwise, I'll continue creating my art.

Catsus? Meowsiah?

Chanced upon some art exhibition at Bedok library featuring St Stephen and Damai Primary Schools' student works such as ceramics, sculptures, paintings, photography, paper crafts etc. I like how fluid and unrestricted these kids' creativity can be.

Here are my own art! Both featuring Catsus doing miracles in the kitchen, particularly the 5 loaves and 2 fishes, as well as turning water into wine! 

Despite spending 3 hours to draw each one, I'm not very satisfied with the outcome. It's kinda out of brand with my cat character used to represent fatigue from work, and Jesus seem weird as a cat. 

Here's my new idea for subsequent art: to represent MYSELF in different animal forms. E.g. overworked cat, depressed frog, panicky duck, introverted rabbit, friendly dog, steady turtle. 

My first cat art

It took me 3 hours to draw each piece on Procreate. Pretty time-consuming I must say, but I definitely care about quality! I'll be selling these as A6 prints for $6 perhaps?

Decided to go down the cute animals path since it appeals to emotions and younger audience. I used the "technical pen" brush at 15% thickness for outlines. Incorporated lots of purples, sky blue, pastels basically, which might be my signature style. 

Gonna draw more in the upcoming week!

Chingay mural competition

Recently I've been busy with Chingay's mural competition. The winner via public voting gets their mural printed at a train station and Vivocity in 2026 + $3000 e-vouchers! I joined to try my luck, though I'm not expecting to win anything. 

My concept is an imaginary parade scene, featuring a lineup of performers wearing popular dishes. It's a showcase of Singapore's diverse food culture, coupled with iconic landmarks as a scenic backdrop. 

It took me 35 hours over a week to draw this mural on Procreate - 25 hours on sketch, 10 hours on colouring. I was so relieved upon completion! 

Closeups, from left to right: 

I have a lot to improve on my technical skills. But at least now I'm kinda used to drawing digitally on Procreate. Time to create more art!

100 facts about me

1. My full name is Chua Daphne.
2. I was born in KK Women and Children's Hospital, Singapore. 
3. My horoscope is cancer.
4. I am 162cm. I stopped growing at 12 years old. 
5. I have 3 elder brothers. I'm the youngest and only daughter in my family.
6. I have owned dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, turtles, fishes and chicks as pets.
7. I have 5 ear piercings, 1 helix and 4 earlobes. 
8. I graduated with a bachelor's degree in design communication.
9. I have worked as a graphic designer, marketer, sales assistant, clinic assistant, photographer, flyer distributor, actress, admin.
10. My first internship was a studio photographer in SPH magazines. 
11. My GCE O Level result is 10 points. 
12. I held 3 design exhibitions at Bugis+, National Library and National Design Centre.
13. I learnt HTML coding at 10 years old. 
14. I took short courses in art therapy, motion design, artificial intelligence. 
15. I use a Samsung S23 ultra phone. My first phone was iPhone 4,
16. I use a Canon G7X camera. My first camera was Olympus Pen.
17. My eye degrees are 450 and 500. 
18. I often wear brown or grey contact lenses. 
19. I use Adobe Creative Suite (e.g. photoshop, illustrator) and Procreate for my designs.
20. My friends describe me as eccentric, creative and determined. 
21. My DISC result is DC (dominant-conscientious).
22. My MBTI type is INTP (logician).
23. For makeup, I use Maybelline foundation, Koji eyeliner, Tarte eyeshadow and any highlighter.
24. For skincare, I use Biore sunscreen, Cosrx cleanser, Cosrx moisturiser, and facial masks.
25. I use my lipsticks as blush too.
26. My favourite food is Chinese food, like dim sum, peking duck, zi char. 
27. My favourite drinks are teh, teh o, milo, horlick.
28. My favourite colour is maroon and lilac.
29. My favourite accessories are dangling earrings.
30. My favourite animal is owls.
31. My favourite dog breeds are border collie and dachshund. 
32. My favourite places are my room, libraries and museums. 
33. I played the soprano and alto saxophones in secondary school's band. 
34. I learnt the piano, guitar and drums but had forgotten all of them. 
35. I have been attending Faith Community Baptist Church for 18 years since 2007.
36. I got baptised in August 2012.
37. My favourite childhood games were Neopets, Pokemon, Final Fantasy, The Sims.
38. My favourite childhood shows were Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Lab, The Simpsons.
39. I have been hospitalised 15 times, the longest being 3 months.
40. I've had at least 400 injections by now. 
41. My blood type is O+.
42. I am on lifelong immunosuppressant drugs.
43. I had contracted shingles, cytomegalovirus (CMV), pancreatitis, nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), lymphadenopathy, hematuria. 
44. I did 6 biopsies on my kidney, stomach, bone marrow and skin.
45. My most painful surgeries were permcath in my right chest and angioplasty in my right thigh.
46. I haven't been bitten by any mosquitoes in a decade.  
47. My shoe size is 40 (UK7.5). 
48. My body measurements are 30", 26", 33".
49. My first solo trip was to South Korea for 3 weeks.
50. The first countries I visited in Europe is Germany and Czechia.
51. I listen to all music genres, like pop, rock, metal, jazz, rap.
52. I began liking k-pop only after Blackpink's debut in 2016. 
53. I have attended concerts by Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Coldplay, Paramore, Dua Lipa, Troye Sivan, Stray Kids, DPR, CL, Mayday, Angela Chang etc.
54. I learnt locking and hip hop dances.
55. I bite my nails unconsciously when stressed. 
56. I don't have a particular fashion style. I just wear what I like.  
57. I curl my bangs before going out.
58. I was featured in an art exhibition in National University of Singapore's library.
59. I acted in Jack Neo's "I want to be boss" movie.
60. I like watching ancient Chinese dramas. Some of my faves are The Long Ballad, Everlasting Longing, Eternal Love.
61. My favourite movies are Disney animations or Marvel. 
62. When I was young, I wanted to be a radio deejay and teacher. 
63. The longest marathon I've ran was 10km.
64. I feel happiest when I can think, learn and admire beautiful sights at the same time.
65. I am hypersensitive to noise. 
66. I have used a Macbook since 2011.
67. I have injected fillers a few times in my sunken tear trough.
68. My comfort activities are watching dramas, walking along the beach, karaoke.
69. I grew up in an abusive household till adulthood. 
70. I have experienced God's miraculous healings and encounters before. 
71. The only musicals I've watched were Moulin Rouge and Wicked. 
72. I love sitting roller coasters. 
73. I have dyed my hair brown, maroon, and teal. 
74. My core values are autonomy and resilience. 
75. My favourite podcasts are Hush, The Hop Pod, The Daily Ketchup, Diary of a CEO, Women of Impact, HealthyGamer.
76. I sometimes process negative emotions by writing poems. 
77. I dislike people who are emotionally manipulative, have no self-control or introspection.
78. I look for thoughtfulness and encouragement in friendships.
79. I want an emotionally stable and compassionate partner who's excited to experience life together.
80. I wanted to tattoo a sword and shield on my arms but idk what's stopping me.
81. I haven't celebrated Chinese New Year for years because of strained relations with my parents. 
82. If I had a superpower, it would be teleportation to save time. 
83. I don't believe in horoscopes, zodiacs, fortune reading, tarot readings, even traditions. 
84. I don't smoke, drink, club, gamble, do drugs.
85. I no longer do facials, massages, acupunctures due to unpleasant experiences.
86. I think my biggest strength is emotional intelligence. 
87. People tend to misunderstand that I'm demure, docile and shy.  
88. One of my favourite quotes is is "Life is about creating yourself."  
89. My favourite art medium is pen.
90. Things I carry with me everywhere: phone, wallet, umbrella, comb, key.
91. My love language is quality time.
92. My ideal self is working in healthcare sector or being an artist running my own business.  
93. If I could tell my younger self one thing: just focus on your goals, because people will say shit no matter what you do. 
94. I dislike rain because it's inconvenient and noisy.
95. I wrote a book about my life here. 
96. I wanna try many things like pickleball, kite flying, jet skiing, paragliding, hot air balloons etc.
97. I hate it when people touch my stuff without my permission, yet my mum does it till today.
98. I have cut some friends out of my life mostly because they don't realise how often they have hurt me with careless words. I'm a highly analytical person who notices every detail, but I put on a relaxed front. 
99. I want to be loved by people who care about what I think.
100. I believe in Jesus Christ.