'Geeky' teenager is now a confident polytechnic graduate
Former 'geeky' teenager blossoms into confident graduate
As a teenager, Lim Xin Yu had few people she could call her close friends.
Not many people in school shared her interests or understood her "geeky" quirks, like obsessing over paper textures.
It was only when she entered Temasek Polytechnic (TP) to do Visual Communication that she finally felt like she fit in.
"I met people who were on the same wavelength," she said.
The new TP graduate will be speaking at the Beyond O Level Seminar next Saturday. (See event information below.)
Miss Lim, 20, first found herself drawn to digital art when she was in Primary 6.
SELF-TAUGHT
"I was 12 when I saw people making digital art while browsing the Internet and playing online games.
"I remember thinking, 'I want to try to make that'," she said.
"So I downloaded some software and taught myself how to do it."
As she gained more knowledge about design in TP, it became more than just pure aesthetics.
"Throughout my studies, I realised that all lines of design are starting to blur. It's no longer just a design on a poster. It actually affects culture, society and other things, which I found is a very interesting aspect of design.
"(The way different elements of design interact) is quite invisible and it's everywhere. So when I see it, I'm inspired again," she said.
Miss Lim's final-year project is also inspired by this train of thought.
Called Repurpose: The Everyday Creativity, the publication explores the relationship between repurposing and creativity.
The project won the Gold award and the Best of Design category in the Crowbar Awards.
This is an annual platform for emerging young creatives to showcase their best works and learn from their peers and is organised by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents.
Miss Lim said: "I didn't think it would go very far. It was very different from what others were doing, like rebranding an existing product."
She said she is thankful to her lecturers for their help and trust in pursuing her project.
Miss Lim, who has recently completed her stint at an advertising agency, is taking a break before the frenzy for scholarship applications starts next year.
She plans to pursue an overseas degree in noteworthy design schools in the UK, in part due to her parents' "fixation with university".
The only child of an engineer dad and a manager mum said: "It will be interesting to experience culture outside of Singapore."
EVENT INFO
WHAT: Beyond 'O' Level Seminar 2016
FOR WHOM: Exclusively for parents and students awaiting the O-level results
WHEN: Jan 9, 10am
WHERE: Temasek Convention Centre, Temasek Polytechnic
HOW TO REGISTER: Register online at www.tp.edu.sg/beyondolevel
FOR INQUIRIES: Contact 6780-6027 or 6780-6556
E-mail: outreach@tp.edu.sg
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now