In Stillness, Seen - Slowing Down
There was a time when the only information we consumed was from traditional media - think newspaper, radio and TV. Today, life has become more complicated; we now have the internet! Information can now reach us unfiltered within a matter of minutes, and there is so much of it that we hardly have time to digest it all; it can get very overwhelming. I found myself scrolling through the many (mostly negative and very sad) posts. I was trying to make sense of what was happening around the world, but nothing ever makes sense in this new world order that we live in. Eventually, I decided that it just wasn’t good for my mental health, even though I cared for the issues. Last year, as part of my atomic habits as an artist, I made a decision to cut down my time on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, only visiting them when I needed to make important updates about my art life. Perhaps the next step is delete the apps from my phone?
Prioritizing Self-Care and Mental Wellness
I feel that prioritizing my well-being comes in waves. There are trigger points during the month, which alert me to slow down (or even stop), and so that’s when it becomes a priority, and then when I feel much better, I go back to doing the things that trigger me. It’s a vicious cycle!
Waking Up Your Inner Tortoise
We all have our inner tortoise, that small voice that’s inside you, constantly telling you to slow down, take a break or urging you to say, “no”. I wonder how many of us listen to it?
Arts in the Alley, 21 Tanjong Pagar Road
I was recently invited to be part of a community arts installation organised by 8M Real Estate, known for rejuvenating Singapore’s heritage shophouses, preserving their cultural charm, and Supper House, a design studio that curates arts and fashion exhibition and programmes. Together, they were looking for art that could bring and engage the public with the alley just behind the shophouse at 21 Tanjong Pagar Road.
Ashley Chiam of Supper House suggested I recreate my moss embroidery and place them at strategic locations along the alley as a means of getting the public to slow down, observe and find beauty in unexpected places. There were quite a few challenges, including whether I would want to place the actual pieces in an open and non-secure area. I eventually settled on scanning the embroidery works and converting them into waterproof outdoor stickers. This is what it looked like.
I dotted the pieces around the ally in a meandering fashion, and in strategic locations to complement the works of the other artists. It was interesting to see how people were stopping to see the works while they walked through the alley.
Reflections
Reflecting on my experience with Arts in the Alley, I realized that, just like scrolling endlessly through unfiltered streams of information online, we often move through life without truly seeing what’s around us. By intentionally placing moments of pause—whether they’re moss embroidery stickers in an alley or boundaries around my own social media use—I am creating space for mindfulness and appreciation. In our digital age, where information comes at us ceaselessly, the simple act of slowing down and noticing beauty is no longer just a luxury—it's essential for our mental well-being. Maybe that’s the lesson: that disconnecting, even briefly, isn’t just about self-preservation, but about reconnecting with the world in a more thoughtful and meaningful way. By turning down the noise, we can finally begin to hear our inner tortoise, and truly appreciate what’s right in front of us.