T：When did you start your art journey and when did you have the idea to turn it into a career?

M：My mom used to tell me that the easiest way to keep me occupied as a kid was to get me colouring books. I loved them and would spend hours just colouring the pages. I guess I've always known that I wanted to pursue a creative career. I was toying with the idea of doing interior design or even graphic design but my parents convinced me to go into engineering instead as it was perceived as a safer and more "stable career" choice. About a year into my engineering job, I just couldn't shake the feeling that I was meant to do something else. On impulse, I decided to sign up for a night course in multimedia design with the intention of making a career switch eventually. Upon completion, I got my first job as a graphic designer and I have been working as a graphic designer ever since. It was not until recently that I started illustrating regularly again. Right at the start of the pandemic, I wanted to create a routine that helps me center myself. I would illustrate every night on my iPad to help me deal with all the stress, anxiety, and uncertainty that was going on around me. As I shared more of my works online and on social media, interest grew and for the first time in my life, I realised that I could actually make a living out of my art. I'm currently, not full-time on my art yet, but I hope to pursue it full-time in the near future.

T：What inspires you mostly throughout the creative journey?

M：I draw inspiration from my idyllic childhood in Penang, my son, and the natural world around me. I'm often inspired by how free, silly, and full of life my son can be and I try to capture that mood and feeling in my illustrations. All of us need a little reminder on how to be a child again.

T：What story and philosophy are you trying to create and tell through your artworks?

M：Most of my artworks celebrate harmony. It is really important to me that everything just gets along with each other. People living in harmony with other people, people living in harmony with nature, people living in harmony with the environment, people being in harmony with themselves.

T：How do you wish your audience will feel when they see your artworks?

I just want everything to get along. I hope my audience will be showered with positive energy whenever they see my artworks.