“How To Not Be A Starving Artist”: A Panel Discussion + Q&A
Most people spend their Friday nights either chilling at home, hanging out with friends and family or going out for a nice meal and a few drinks (at least, before the pandemic hit). Last Friday, many Nottingham students chose instead to attend a panel discussion featuring 5 alumni from the School of English. Aptly named “How To Not Be A Starving Artist”, the event was organised by Particle UNM so that the alumni could share their post-graduation experiences and how their relationship with writing has changed over the years.
The event kicked off with a rapid-fire introduction of all 5 panelists: Chloe Lim, founder of translation/copywriting/social media marketing company Phoenixgate Solutions; Yining Ooi, MFA student at The University of British Columbia and translator; Jonathan Sim, former theatre freelancer and current secondary school teacher; Yee Heng Yeh, translator and published poet/playwright; Lim Jack Kin, writer/podcaster/poet and current participant of the CENDARA-ASWARA Arts Writing Mentorship Program. After that, they began to describe their post-graduation journey into the workforce and elaborated on the biggest challenges they faced.
“I worked 2 jobs as a copywriter right after I graduated, but I found the long hours and fixed routine very hard to cope with,” Chloe recounted. She later switched to freelancing and working at a café to make ends meet, and established her own agency when her income took a hit during the pandemic. “There are so many options available after you graduate. You can become a corporate slave,” she deadpanned, “you can become a scriptwriter, playwright and so on. Some people will hit the jackpot on their first try, but most of us will have to explore other options.”
The reply clearly resonated with the other panelists, and their own answers soon revealed the importance of networking in navigating the Malaysian creative scene, especially since their paths intersected so often. For example, Heng Yeh was Chloe’s colleague shortly before she started Phoenixgate Solutions, and Jack founded the KITA! Podcast that would eventually feature some of Heng Yeh’s poems. Jonathan Sim was introduced to theatre freelancing by Nottingham lecturer Dr. Malachi, then went into teaching when a former coursemate recommended him to his school’s principal (Interestingly, Jack was later offered a chance to work on Chloe’s upcoming freelance project during the discussion itself, a testament to their claim that knowing the right people is just as important as knowing how to write).
When asked about their respective fields and any changes to it that they foresaw, the panel’s views were as diverse as the industries they worked in. “Teaching still allowed me to explore theatre,” Jonathan said, citing his exploration of stories with students as very enjoyable. “And teaching hasn’t changed at all for a very long time, but I can see that they’re starting to incorporate the arts and humanities into their curriculum, and I think that’s really exciting.”
Meanwhile, Yining was more skeptical of academia as a field, but was very optimistic about its future. Among other things, she pointed out that MFA programs are slowly outgrowing their elitism and allowing students to produce works in more varied genres.
Jack, on the other hand, described the struggle to pay KITA!’s contributors fairly even after securing funding from an arts grant. To drive the point home, he attached the following image as a visual aid:
The problem, Jack claims, stems from a systemic undervaluing of creatives, which in turn is caused by two things: ignorance of their financial potential (usually by corporations and the general public) and governmental reluctance to provide institutional safety nets. “We make people money when we write for them. Keep in mind that your PR agency’s boss is rich because you work for them,” he said.
After a short break, the Q&A session commenced in a much livelier atmosphere. The audience was quick to ask questions concerning publishing, freelancing or teaching, and the panelists answered with equal enthusiasm. “Not many can afford to get into publishing,” Yining responded to questions about full-time writing, pointing out the fact that many publishing professionals are overworked and/or underpaid. “I’d recommend anyone who wants to get published should get a day job before they finish their work and get an agent. There’s no guarantee you’d make it as a full-time writer.” Despite this, she encouraged the audience to pursue writing since many Southeast Asian writers have either published their works with foreign publishing companies, or achieved publication with local indie publishers.
Chloe’s answer was similarly pragmatic, but much more blunt: “It’s very important to get some money, make some bread, get some savings before you start writing.” The other panelists echoed Yining and Chloe’s sentiments, reassuring the audience that pursuing non-creative writing careers did not mean failing as a writer.
When asked about the literary scene in Malaysia, Heng Yeh noted the gradual shift in publisher interest from literary fiction to genre fiction such as sci-fi and fantasy. Zen Cho, a Hugo Award-winning Malaysian writer, was cited as proof of that growing interest. “It will take some time, but your audience is there. Hopefully, as time goes on, more people will get into genre writing,” he said.
After that, a question about activism as a writing career sparked a discussion on job searching in Malaysia. Jack introduced the audience to the MISI:SOLIDARITI group as a possible avenue for online activism, while Jonathan sent a link to freelancing site Upwork.
It says a lot about the Nottingham writers community that the panelists shared their contact information and emails when the event concluded, but stayed on to chat with each other and the remaining participants. It says even more about our community’s bond that everyone mingled as if we’d known each other all their lives, and kept the conversation going for nearly an extra hour before we parted ways.
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