PASSION THE KEY TO SUCCESS
ABOUT a month ago, I accompanied my youngest son Adam to an interview. It was not a job interview but one for art school.
The Education Ministry has taken the initiative to establish such schools all over the country. To date, we have four — in Shah Alam, Johor Baru, Kuching and Sandakan. These are not full pledged schools but rather a small part of another established school with shared facilities. Hence, the intake is relatively small.
But that didn’t dash our hopes. As we arrived at the school in Shah Alam, we saw many other parents. I talked to some of them about the future of art students. I also met a lawyer there who spoke passionately about the subject. His wife and son were avid art lovers. But he learnt about the local art scene not through them, but through a client who approached him to prepare a will.
Unknown to the lawyer, the client was very well-known in the art industry. His artwork fetched up to two hundred thousand ringgit. He also had a long list of loyal followers both at home and abroad. He made more money from his artwork than his full-time job as an art lecturer in a local university.
The client passed away not long after making the will. That was when the lawyer learnt that the artist had a vast collection of unsold paintings which suddenly shot up in value. He began to receive many requests especially from overseas, inquiring about those paintings. Apparently, the news of the artist’s untimely death had created a huge demand for his work, pushing the prices up fivefold!
His family agreed to keep a number of those paintings for personal reasons, and sold off the rest, pocketing RM10 million! Not bad for a local artist.
That episode opened my eyes to the future of the local art industry. I have two children who are avid art lovers and they would have a bright future if we take the right steps today.
Like other parents, I initially had some reservations about the field. But I also believe that to do a great job, you must love what you do. It’s called passion. I am a big believer in living your passion if you want to be successful and happy.
With that attitude, I supported both of their choices. My second daughter is now studying Architecture and she’s enjoying every moment. Adam has already told us he wants to be a product designer. I am sure he’ll be able to achieve it judging from the hours he spent playing with his plasticine and Lego sets.
I support their choices because the future of art students is bright, if we channel them in the right direction.