en route: A Zine

What is a zine?
A zine (pronounced "zeen"; short for magazine or fanzine) is a small-circulation self-published work of original texts and images. Zines are made either by a single person or a very small group of people, and are usually photocopied into physical prints for circulation.

Why did you make this zine?
One of my Art Teaching lecturer at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) asked our class to create zines with the theme "en route" to describe our experience at NAFA so far. 

en route
To mean; "during the course of a journey; on the way". This is a little walk-through of my zine, to show you the thought process that went into it.

Cover Page - "en route // A journey to self-discovery"
I gave my zine the subtitle "a journey of self-discovery", because I feel that I have been learning a lot about myself through the past semester at NAFA.

Page 2 - "How do I learn to overcome my fear of failure and take more risks?
This page depicts one of the Skylight rooms in NAFA - this one in particular was where I had all of my Pedagogy Practices lessons.

I remember that day, the sunlight was streaming in through the skylight windows, and formed these beautiful shapes of shadows and light on the walls. I took a photo to capture the moment, and that photo became the reference image for this page.

Page 3 - "GPA might be an abstract concept but sweet treats are tangible and get me through tough days."
I would often bring sweet treats to class (chocolate was a favourite choice of mine) and these snacks would give me that little bit of additional motivation to complete my in-class assignments. 

The deal was "if I finish task xyz, then I get this yummy treat". :p

Page 4 and 5 - "What do I want my art to say?"
As these would be the middle pages of the zine, I wanted them to be a joint spread. I chose to create little frames, and recreate artworks from local artists that we learnt during our first semester of our Art Teaching course.

Can you name a few of the artists/titles of the artworks in this spread? (*Answers at the end of this post.)

In learning about these pioneers of Nanyang Art, I looked inward to consider what exactly it is that I want to portray in my own art.

Page 6 - "Community // Co-learning // Collaboration"
This page is a recreation of a photo of me with my classmates/friends that was taken on a visit to the National Gallery Singapore. I had a lot of fun on that visit - my favourite part of that day was visiting the Keppel Education Centre as it made my inner child really happy.

The text is a nod to the things I feel are most important in the classroom:
Creating a community that supports each other
Allowing co-learning opportunities
And fostering collaboration efforts

Page 7 - "What does authenticity mean to me?"
I've visited the Peranakan Museum so many times already, but I never tire of it. Especially since its special exhibition changes often. The teapots depicted on this page are from the museum.

Authenticity is something that I highly value. It is an ongoing practice of embracing your genuine self. It is not about perfection but about accepting and showing up as you are, making choices that reflect your true self, and inviting others to do the same.

Authenticity in art is intentional in its motivation to convey the unfiltered expression of an artist’s unique perspective. It pushes boundaries and shows vulnerability in a way that often sparks emotional or intellectual responses that feel rooted in something beyond mere aesthetics.

Back Cover - Where to find me on various platforms.
Fun fact: There is a ghost of an image on this page that is actually an aerial map of NAFA, to really tie in the theme of "en route." After all, this school will be where I'll be continuing my journey of self-discovery.

I hope you enjoyed this little walk-through of my labour of love. Thank you for listening to me yap about all the little details I've included on these pages. I'd love to connect with you on Instagram. If you have any questions about NAFA's Art Teaching, I'd be happy to answer them in the comments section below! 

(*Answers for Page 4 and 5 - by order of appearance:
Top row, left to right - "Self Portrait" by Georgette Chen, "Drying Salted Fish" by Cheong Soo Pieng, "Peace" by Choo Keng Kwang.
Bottom row, left to right - "Gratitude" by Lim Tze Peng, "Front vs Back" by Wee Beng Chong, "Gibbons" by Chen Wen Hsi.)

Sixth Scents: A Zine

 "Sixth Scents" is a zine that I and five of my other classmates created as a passion project, with its central theme being our favourite smell.

Smell has always been important to me - I want to smell good; I sniff my food before eating it; I use products that smell nice to me so that I add little bursts of joy to my everyday life (just to name a few examples).

I think, also, that a lot of us can agree that we associate specific memories with a particular scent. And that was the focus of my chosen subject for Sixth Scents:-

When I was younger, on some weekend mornings, my mum would gently wake me up and ask if I wanted to bake something with her. A smile would spread across my face and I'd excitedly ask what we'd be making.

Sometimes it'd be a chiffon cake with some strawberry and cream filling. Other times, it'd be a sinful tiramisu. But my favourite thing to bake has always been chocolate chip cookies.

We'd take out our trusty mixer, and get to incorporating the dry ingredients with the wet ones. The recipe was simple to follow and soon enough, we'd be adding scoops of batter onto a tray, and then popping the tray into our warm oven.

I love the way the smell of butter would fill the house as the cookies turned golden brown. And with a "ping", I'd be bouncing to get the yummy tray of cookies out of the oven. The most difficult part was giving the cookies time to cool.

That memory got locked in my brain as a pocket of happiness in my childhood - one of the many that I share with my mum.

And now, when I feel nostalgic or miss my mum, I bake a tray of chocolate chip cookies. The smell of warm butter offers me a glimpse into a simpler time when I was a child - a snapshot of joy that I hold close to my heart.

What is a scent that makes you think back to a happy memory from your childhood?