Mandy CJ

1. What are you currently busy with?

I’m currently busy with expanding and trying to grow The Finery Report, my media and handling all the clients and of course still working as a producer and making sure that we produce great contents both in TFR and USS and I am also busy with painting and creating work. So basically, creating.

 

 

2. How do you start doing art?

I started painting at age 9 when I was failing at my school. I was not the smartest most book-smart kid, in fact I was known to be the stupid one in class and I felt really really sad and unexpected so I wanted a medium that was open for me to express my feelings and for me it was painting.

 

 

 

3. How do you define your genre of art?

I don’t know what my genre of art is. I don’t think art should be categorised that way. I think what I’m doing now which people say is expressionism or whatever, I can definitely find another genre the next day and still do it. I don’t want to limit myself to any single genre.

 

 

4. Who/what is the inspiration of your art?

I do take inspirations from a lot of people.

 

5. Do you have any background story for your arts?

Personally, I think art is not that deep for me. I just do it because I connect with it and that I have fun with it and I need to do it. I don't find any meticulous concepts or thought in a painting. If I overthink it, it's going to take away the fun and the enjoyment of painting for me. So, I don't have any message behind it. I just find it pretty and I find it to be like a good sport.

 

 

6. What do you think about today's conflict towards plagiarism?

Plagiarism, I mean you know it's going to be a long way. Because to defeat plagiarism we need to start educating the younger ones about critical thinking, creating original content and not copying what they see abroad and apply it here. So I think it's gonna take a long time to defeat plagiarism at its finest especially that we live in a capitalistic nature of a country. But then I do find a lot of improvement in local brands like Sassh for example, who creates original sustainable and ethical pieces. Or Saroong Atelier. I see their products and I see originality. Plagiarism needs a long way to defeat but I do see improvement from where we're standing, especially in the creative industry and those people are starting to be taken accountable.

 

 

7. What is a message you want to tell the world?

Be brave with whatever you do in your works or anything.

Don't seek for validation, seek for validation in yourself. If you love it, then that’s it.