A two-part series dedicated to some of our passionate educators who strives to teach & conduct learning beyond the four walls of the classroom.
In an age where education is constantly evolving, it's refreshing to see educators who embrace change and take learning to new heights. These trailblazers are not content with merely delivering lessons; they're dedicated to inspiring, nurturing, and igniting the spark of curiosity within their students.
We’re joined in conversation with Shawn Soh: Design Lecturer, Lasalle College of The Arts.
You had a little break from teaching & now you’re back at it - what do you love most about teaching
I love design. I love meeting new people. I love sharing stories. I love the idea of empowering others. Teaching brings all that into one place. I am honestly so glad to be back at it!
Why did you decide to teach?
The opportunity to teach at Lasalle actually came after speaking to someone at an alumni social event.
She was sharing about how she moved back from London and then shortly after started her teaching journey. She told me that teaching would be a good fit for me, encouraged me to give it a go and then connected me to a friend. A couple months later I started my first day in Lasalle. Funny how life changing opportunities can just come from one meaningful conversation. Thank you Jesvin! You were absolutely right!
"I believe that my job as a teacher is
to help students find their own voice,
not impose my own."
Some challenges you faced as a teacher and how you overcame them.
I found that my students are always asking if their design choices are “right” or “wrong”.
Although it is natural for students to want validation, I believe that my job as a teacher is to help students find their own voice, not impose my own. I find that asking questions that gets students to become more introspective is one way to help them become more independent and confident in their own uniqueness.
"Teaching has allowed me to speak to
my younger self and be the role model
I never had growing up."
At this stage of your career, what does teaching mean to you? How have your views on teaching changed over the years?
It was challenging growing up in Singapore with a dream to work in the creative arts.
My peers would rationalise how working in the creative industry has “no future” and would not make me rich as an adult. The journey I took was challenging to say the least. It was lonely and I had my fair share of failures and mistakes. But I have learnt so much from it. I believe that being rich doesn’t have to be money. It can be the joy from doing the things you love.
Quite poetically, I feel like teaching has allowed me to speak to my younger self and be the role model I never had growing up. I am like an alchemist, turning the bad experiences I had and using it for good by changing it into positive learning outcomes. I absolutely love my job as a teacher. It brings me so much joy and meaning to the stage of my life/career.
Would you say that you're on your feet a lot on a daily basis?
I hustle multiple jobs outside of teaching. I run a graphic design practice, an influencer, and a social media consultant. So this means I am on the go a lot.
What would you describe to be a good pair of shoes?
I believe a good pair of shoes is both comfortable and stylish!
Fashion has undergone a remarkable evolution over the past few decades, reshaping the way we consume and perceive clothing. One of the significant drawbacks is the declining attention to detailed design and craftsmanship.
In contrast, artisanal brands emphasise quality over quantity, creating pieces that are carefully crafted with meticulous attention to detail. These brands celebrate the artistry of fashion design, valuing the unique skills of their artisans.
Today, we see a growing movement towards sustainability, which places a renewed interest on quality, ethical production, and the appreciation of good design.
We’re joined in conversation with Rakhee Shah: founder & designer of Maisha Concept.
What’s the story behind the Maisha Concept?
I am a third generation Kenyan of Indian origin. I was born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya. I worked in the financial industry for around a decade. I left Kenya for Hong Kong around 13 years ago and worked in asset management, until I decided to follow my dream and start my own business 7 years ago. That’s when the Maisha Concept was launched.
Working in finance was great, however my heart had always been in design and social entrepreneurship. My family has been in the textile industry in Kenya for the last 80 years and just growing up within an entrepreneurial family, I always felt I had it in me to start something of my own. Growing up in Kenya, we never had high street stores or huge shopping malls. I would normally get a tailor to make items for me from the local Kenyan fabrics. While living in HK, I realised that there is a lot of appreciation of other cultures and fashion is at the forefront. Whilst I didn’t have a design background, I believe I am fortunate to have an eye for design, and from the encouragement of my friends and family, I decided to launch Maisha.
Maisha means “giving life” in Swahili and was launched to create awareness of various cultures and traditions across the globe through textiles and fashion. I started out by sourcing fabrics from different parts of Africa and creating small, bespoke collections working with artisans across Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana and Ethiopia. I then branched out to partnering with artisans in India, again allowing me to forge stronger bonds with my roots.
I travel extensively to different destinations around Africa and India, familiarising myself with the cultures and traditions in order to design a collection that truly and authentically represents its origins. We aim to assist these communities of artisans by creating jobs and opportunities for work and growth as well as trying to improve their standard of living and confidence in their skills. Every collection is handcrafted by our artisans using traditional methods to create contemporary pieces.
You had a little career switch from the finance sector - what do you love most about making/designing?
I personally love watching my sketches come to life using age-old craft. I always wanted to showcase handicrafts in a more modern and eclectic way, which refreshes old traditions – so creating cuts with a modern twist is what Maisha is all about. I love being at the workshop working on colours, combinations and watching how our textiles are made.
It is a slow, hand-crafted process which involves many artisans who have passed down these skills from their ancestors. I think both India and Africa are home to a boundless number of crafts, and it’s an infinite treasure trove. Just observing and exposing myself to all these processes and cultures is truly special.
"Maisha means “giving life” in Swahili and was launched to create awareness of various cultures and traditions across the globe through textiles and fashion."
Some challenges you faced as an artisan and how you overcame them.
There are a number of challenges we face in running an artisanal brand. One major concern we have faced this year is scaling up our production whilst maintaining the quality of each piece. We are very fortunate to have a loyal and growing customer base, as well as a close relationship with our artisans. So we have spent a lot of time training our artisans, and it is key for us to maintain stringent quality control checks.
We are also known to keep our production volumes to a level where we are comfortable we can maintain the quality of each piece, and have exclusive limited edition drops to keep things fresh and interesting for our followers.
"Making and designing is all about making a positive impact on society and embracing sustainable practices"
At this stage of the brand, what does making/designing mean to you? How have your views changed over the years?
For me making and designing is all about making a positive impact on society and embracing sustainable practices. We are all about celebrating age old traditions and heritage through textiles and design. We were one of the early adopters of the slow fashion movement – over the years we have evolved our approach to ensure we showcase transparency on who made our clothes, how they are made and to really put our artisans at the centre of all we do.
We feel this is critical so that consumers can make informed choices and understand the time and effort that goes into making each and every piece we produce.
Would you say that you're on your feet a lot on a daily basis?
Yes I am constantly on my feet – either at our workshops in India where every process is in different parts of the village, or here in Singapore where we are busy rushing around for meetings or on our feet at pop-ups or at the atelier.
What would you describe to be a good pair of shoes?
I am all about comfort and style – and my go to shoes when I am on the go are my range of Another Sole shoes – they also pair so well with our Maisha garments!
The first of a two-part series dedicated to some of our passionate educators who strives to teach & conduct learning beyond the four walls of the classroom.
In an age where education is constantly evolving, it's refreshing to see educators who embrace change and take learning to new heights. These trailblazers are not content with merely delivering lessons; they're dedicated to inspiring, nurturing, and igniting the spark of curiosity within their students.
In this exploration, we'll delve into the boundless world of learning and its profound impact on personal growth and skill development.
We’re joined in conversation with Jillian Boon: watercolour artist & educator.
What do you love most about teaching?
My most favourite part about teaching is probably the interaction with students — I can show them specific steps on how to do it through the camera. We often assume that teaching has to be in person but it's so crazy that I can teach someone across the world in another time zone exactly what I'm doing. And even more incredible to think that they pick up a new skill merely through a screen.
How did Brush Movement come about?
I never thought that one day, I would trade my 9 to 5 job as a psychologist to become a ‘nap-time painter’, and marrying my 2 passions together to curate a space for people to gain clarity in the chaos of watercolour. I believe that you don’t need to be creative to take up painting - You just need a lot of curiosity and a pinch of courage.
I used to run in-person workshops before pandemic. But when the pandemic hit — I moved things online (and find myself enjoying the flexibility of it.)
I’ve always seen myself as a mentor and guide instead of a teacher. Brush Movement became an online community which bridges the gaps during the learning process — processing, troubleshooting, experimenting. It keeps one’s flame alive because it's so discouraging when you go for a workshop, pay for it and realise that it didn’t work out. It's so hard to compact and teach everything in 3 hours or so. The online space provides a platform for my students to continue their learning process.
"Learning is a two way road - it needs to come from the student and of course, the teacher. Then it'll be an awesome combo."
Some challenges you faced as a teacher and how you overcame them.
Often, people think that learning always has to come from a teacher.
I believe that learning is a two way road, that it needs to come from the student and of course, the teacher, and then from there, it'll be an awesome combo. But it's hard because the system has kind of primed us that way. When you go to school, you think that the teacher is the authority figure, and therefore only a teacher can teach, and only a teacher can part knowledge to you.
I prefer my student to challenge me, because then I get to become a better teacher, because I won't get complacent with what I know and then think that I'm the expert within my own community. I also show my community that I might not know everything and that I'm also learning, and that sometimes they teach me or show me new things of seeing things. So I think that that's so much more meaningful, it's more empowering for a student. To feel like they also have a role and it's not passive.
"It's okay to make mistakes and they should make mistakes because that's part of the learning process."
At this stage of Brush Movement, what does teaching mean to you? How has your views on teaching changed over the years?
When I was younger, I would see being a teacher as someone who needs to know everything, have it all together, & be almost perfect. That's the image that I have of a teacher. But over time, I've learned that when you portray that image, it is so intimidating for a student because they feel like they cannot make mistakes because they are in front of this presence who is all knowing — the master.
I think that the lesson I have started to teach my students is that it's okay to make mistakes and they should make mistakes because that's part of the learning process. Instead of focusing on finding the right answer, because there's no one right answer. I think it's about figuring out that there's many different ways of doing things.
I grew up feeling like there was only one way of doing things. My teacher is the right person. It's not to say that my teacher isn't, but I also feel that my teacher has this method, and if I go to another class with the same curriculum, that teacher is probably going to give a different method. So it's more of a methodology thing and teaching style or even values.
Would you say that you're on your feet a lot on a daily basis?
Instead of sitting down, I stand and paint — it’s very unconventional. It's also because my paintings are usually larger, so then I need a broader perspective.
I'm actually on my feet all day, ironically, even when I'm in the studio. On top of that, I’m a mum of 3 kids — so I'm always running after them.
What would you describe to be a good pair of shoes?
When I was younger, my shoes has to look a certain way - it’s all aesthetics. It has to look good. It doesn't matter if it's going to bite me like crazy, I will still wear it.
But now I definitely prioritise comfort. I cannot afford to be limping, telling my kid, I can't carry you today. And then, of course, aesthetic is also quite important for me. It still needs to look good. The shoe needs to be lightweight. I noticed that when the shoe is heavier, I get more tired — especially when I’m travelling. So something that’s travel friendly is important to me as well.