Xinnie (34) & Letting Time
This is the first article of Don’t Mind if’s collaboration with Stella from Our Tender Deeds to document and archive creative journeys of those who labour within Singapore’s Communication Design industry and community. Each interviewee answers 10 questions and documents part of their lives with a film camera.
Words from Stella
“I wish I were better at documenting,” is what I thought after parting ways with a friend at a crossing in Katong one night. I wanted to remember the exuberance we felt from our 3 hour-long conversation about all these possibilities(!), and how we smelled like Korean barbecue while waiting on the light to change. This idea has taken up real estate in my head of late- so much so I acquired a book titled ‘기록의 쓸모’ which translates literally to ‘The Usefulness of Recording’.
Someone I know who documents like second-nature, almost a disposition, is Xinnie. Ten-eighty by nineteen-twenty, are stories on Instagram - but hers let you in on a joy much larger and sizeable than that. I finally had the opportunity to catch the recent Uniqlo collaborator(!) for a coffee the other week and was thoroughly moved by her trust in the seasons and penchant for letting time do its job. And perhaps this is what allows her cheerful approach to work, the leeway to truly play in creation.
Xinnie at her desk
“While I design at a full-time job in the tech industry, I run X Spots the Mark where I take on illustration projects and Everyday Canoe, a woodcarving passion project I started right after my first job as a way to carve out my own identity as well as creative exploration outside corporate work. It’s all still a balancing act now, with the arrival of my baby daughter and spending quality time with my husband and dog but I’m slowly getting back to ideas that have been on the back burner.”
“I studied Industrial Design at NUS and took Art in Junior College. I think these two chapters really came together to inform my intentions with craft, putting things out into the world, learning to think critically and working with my hands. I also developed a love for immersing in both design and art, so I’m always drawn to creating, and beyond that - ruminating on its purpose.”
“(On design school) Being in a creative environment around mentors and peers who share the enthusiasm was an invaluable experience. To sharpen one’s senses, make crucial mistakes, pat off the dust and get up again for a McDonalds supper at 2 in the morning.”
Uniqlo Summer in Japan Collection
“I’ve always had an inkling that I’d be in the creative field but it’s been quite an unexpected journey to this point. Even now, I do find that I need to take some more courageous steps in order to answer to my future self. I ask myself this a lot, “will I look back at this and wish I took the other option? What would you do if you knew you wouldn't fail?”
A Clockwork Toast
“When I left my first job and was at a crossroads at what to do next, I asked myself what would make me happy? And I concluded it would be something that would involve crafting with my hands, my faith in Christ. My soul had to be nourished but I knew I had to still do commercial bread-and-butter jobs so Everyday Canoe and X Spots the Mark were born.”
Through Everyday Canoe, Xinnie has worked with brands like Fleurette and Our Second Nature.
“These two outlets have opened up different doors. A slightly odd analogy would be - one part of me is walking on earth and the other on a boat out at sea. Different terrains and experiences but I find it hard to put either down. It’s slightly counterintuitive to compartmentalise the two so maybe someday they’ll merge in some form but for now, I’m happy to spend a few more years figuring that out.”
Peekabook
“(On practical issues such as money/housing and creative needs) It’s a very real predicament because we’re all limited by time and energy. I am in a season of needing to shoulder more monetary responsibilities for my family, and so am learning to tell my inner artist that it is okay to work a 9 to 5 and enjoy the rest of the night off so I don't burn out. Creatively I am back to sketching, brewing, plotting ideas on paper, waiting for the next season where I can realise them as real objects. There is always going to be a right time to create the right thing. It doesn't have to be all the time.”
“When I work, I sketch and let my mind wander on paper. It could be a phrase, a doodle, that unfettered stream of consciousness. The ‘flow’ during uninterrupted time is really precious.”
“I also enjoy watching life a lot; people-watching, driving by different neighbourhoods, traveling, films. Catching thoughts while I observe and wander. In other words, daydream and procrastinate. The temporary relief of not having to complete the task sometimes lends you space to uncover better ways of getting it done. Beyond pure outward production, I find that listening, resting and being still are also necessary for staying creative.”
Off We Go
“(On resilience) When put in uncomfortable positions – non-negotiable terms, lack of transparency, misaligned expectations – while it’s difficult for me to be in a confrontational situation, I believe it’s important for us to walk away from some projects. Experiences like these can make us doubt our value as a collaborator, whether we’re simply a means to an end. It’s still a struggle for me to give a firm ‘no’ but I know that a ‘yes’ that brings you down a long painful road is simply not worth it.”
“For me, each project is like a fingerprint, and I can trace the course and challenges behind each one. I’m very sentimental and always feel the happiest when clients take the time to update me or when I see strangers interacting with my work in the wild. That the work is now being enjoyed by someone else, enriching someone else’s life, is what I feel any form of work should be about. I also occasionally relish challenging projects because they’re humbling and grow me mentally and spiritually.”
Illustrations by Xinnie
Xinnie enjoys:
Classic millennial music ”Nostalgia helps me in my creation process, especially when I’m sluggish but need to be in a happy motivated place”
NHK programmes, the Chef's Table series, and Midnight Diner ”I play them in the background while I work”
Podcasts like Makers & Mystics and Commoner's Communion
And just started reading Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.
“Creativity to me is — A perspective or lens to make possibilities out of limitations. You can open up your fridge and whip up a meal with whatever you have left and that's super creative to me.”
“I’m looking forward to finding what I can do for the rest of my life. I don't think I'll retire, I'll still be super happy being restlessly creative.”