History Repeats Itself – Angelita Teo

Our podcast can also be listened to here.

Who?

Angelita Teo is the Director at the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage. Her work in the arts and culture sector started at University where she decided to change her major and chose to pursue what she truly wanted. Originally from Singapore, Angelita worked in various locations in the island city that then helped her to grow in her career.

Quick Summary

What is the importance of museums?

Angelita believes that there are two different types of museums, those that deliver to the local community and those that are used as locations for tourism. Angelita says that both have their own functions and purpose however, smaller scale museums are vital for shining light on new and young talent as they will have the opportunity to be showcased there. Larger museums are great for showcasing historical pieces and those that have a name to them.

How should the younger generation approach the issue of parents being against arts?

Angelita mentioned that she faced this issue herself when she first switched her major. In fact, she did not want to disappoint her family so she decided to keep it a secret and not tell them about her switch. She believes that the arts have always had a reputation of being good for a selected few, however, it is much broader than people imagine. She said that the best way to approach the situation is for younger parents to be more open minded and listen to their children.

If you could leave the youth with one piece of advice, what would it be?

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

“As a person, you should be adaptable and flexible.”

Future Cities – Sarah Ichioka

Our podcast can also be listened to here.

Who?

Sarah Ichioka is an urbanist who is currently head of Desire Lines in Singapore. This company consulates different initiatives in terms of socio-economic and environment decisions. She is originally from the United States and completed her Bachelors degree there before moving to the UK for her Masters and staying there for a while to continue her professional journey.

Quick Summary

Having worked in different countries from the US to the UK to Singapore, how have you found the different approaches to work?

Sarah shared the difference in values from different places. Older nations such as the United Kingdom tend to want to make everything about preservation of the old. In Sarah’s opinion, sometimes it stops some towns from developing to their fullest potential. Younger nations such as Singapore tend to want to create new things and do not care much for preservation which in Sarah’s opinion can sometimes be a little harsh on historic value of buildings.

What are some of the projects you worked on that were most successful?

Sarah said that she believes that it’s not the projects that are most successful that stand out but rather those that taught her a great lesson. She believes that in her early stages of her career, it was very beneficial to work with people in their older stages of their careers because they navigated her and kept her grounded. She learned that everything takes time and that every professional experience, no matter how painful, has the potential to be a learning opportunity.

If you could leave the youth with one piece of advice, what would it be?

Let go of perfectionism. 

“Lesson for a happy life: be able to understand what you are good at and when you should get out of people’s way when they are good at it.” –

Sarah Ichioka

Living Life For Yourself – Michael Huskii

Our podcast can also be listened to here.

Who?

Michael Huskii is founder of Asian Heritage Ay You as well as Valyou Xchange. Asian Heritage Ay You is a media production company which empowers Asian community leaders, creatives, entrepreneurs and risk-takers to celebrate Asian Heritage Month in Australia. He is also a current board member of Shoebox Ventures. 

Quick Summary

What inspired you to want to go into entrepreneurship? Was it always on your mind or did you ‘fall’ into the industry? 

Self discovery was a journey that Michael embarked on as he started to plan out his future to see where it will take him. As a creative individual, Michael pointed out that it was important for him to map out and see what his true potential was. It wasn’t a linear journey and had ups and downs. Being a young CEO is an inspiring role to be. Michael mentioned that being part of Generation Y doesn’t quite define him as he believes he is very mature and equipped well to have all hands on deck when it comes to building a business. 

As somebody who understands the tech world and built a business by being proficient with technology, could you suggest what we should be using and leveraging to grow our generation?

Everyone is given the same tool, Michael says. The most important thing is to investigate and find patterns of what is successful. Learn who your target audience is and who you want to market to. With platforms such as Wix, WordPress and Squarespace, it is a matter of educating yourself. However, you should always take a step back and think about what you are chasing and what you are trying to ideally work towards.  

Trying to find your lane and what you are passionate in can sometimes be tricky. However, you were able to do so with Asian Heritage Ay You. What made you want to go into that and take on that role within the cultural sphere? 

It all started when Michael worked as a music provider for a conference in the US about Asian Heritage there. Michael was then approached by a colleague who suggested that he try and advocate for Asian Heritage in Australia. Being a little apprehensive at first, Michael had to think back to his life as being an Asian born in the West. Coming from an Asian background, he had to overcome stereotypes and his family’s expectations and do this for him. He wanted there to be a platform where people of Asian backgrounds could explore themselves in creative jobs, one’s that maybe did not have the support of their families.  

Ways we earn money has changed so much over the years with the introduction of cryptocurrencies, ect. How does the music artist stock market work? 

A stock market is a portal where people online can present their money, invest that money into different companies and hope that the company is successful so that the share price can go up and you make money back. The music stock market is essentially the same thing, but instead of companies, you have artists that people can invest into. 

If you could leave the youth with one piece of advice, what would it be?

Look into what you are interested in and figure out if that is something you want to be in. 

“Instead of analysis paralysis, keep doing things until something says no.”

– Michael Huskii