Living life in colour
O Branden Lim is an example of a young differently-abled child discovering his full potential in life
AT just 12 years old, Branden Lim will make your heart melt when he starts to speak. The way he articulates and expresses his thoughts in a very witty way, cleverly picking the right words, is just too cute.
Branden’s adorable, big, bright smile lights up a room. What’s even more fascinating about him is that Branden has an enviable talent. He can paint eye-catching abstract artwork in vibrant colours, which reflect his fun personality.
Branden was also born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), a genetic disorder affecting motor neurons, specifically nerve cells located in the spinal cord that control muscle movement.
Due to this, muscles don’t receive or respond to signals from the nerves, and this causes them to weaken, shrink and atrophy (become smaller) because of inactivity.
This means that wheelchair-bound Branden has to paint while lying down on the floor, with the support of his mother, Yap Sook Yee, 48, who holds up his hands for him to draw.
Although his condition limits his movements, there is no doubt that Branden’s art comes from his creative imagination. As the renowned 15th century artist and sculptor Michelangelo once said: “A man paints with his brains and not with his hands.”
“I enjoy splashing colours because it’s fun. I like red, blue, yellow and green. It just comes from my mind and my hands ‘force’ me to draw,” revealed Branden, who was also diagnosed as dyslexic.
His works are created based on his mood and emotions at a particular moment.
“Sometimes, I just feel (inside) what I want to paint, and other times, I paint if I feel like I want to paint.”
The sources of inspiration for his art include music, amusing animals like his pet cat Niko, dogs and fish, the environment and even some completely random subjects.
Branden is also his own critic, as seen when he indicated his dissatisfaction over his own drawing of his cat. He strives for perfection, despite the difficulty he faces when drawing animal characters.
During our interview, his mother never once complained about the challenges of raising her second son with the special condition. She did, however, share that Branden is a jovial, pure, straight-forward and honest person.
“He is mature but still childish,” Yap said, while his father Edmund Lim added that Branden has a cheerful personality, and is persistent and curious about his future.
At times, Branden would pose questions that left them both amused and speechless.
Most of his artworks are created with acrylic paints, and he likes to feel the texture of the colours in his hands.
“But I don’t like using my hands as it always gets messy. I like using knives (meaning his cake knife) and forks,” said Branden, who loves Transformers toys and also enjoys eating out and watching movies with his family.
He prefers using a paintbrush and although he can hold the brush, he often loses his grip after a while. He gets tired easily and takes
frequent breaks when painting, continuing after a few moments of rest.
Branden is not afraid to experiment with different mediums and methods to bring his ideas to life on canvas, and has been testing his boundaries with different materials and styles.
In some of his art pieces, he used the back of a bowl or cup as a medium and experimented with different painting methods.
For example, he created an art piece by using a straw to blow liquid colours to form flower like shapes, a beautiful work of art titled My Breath, My Strength, in reference to his condition.
SMA affects his respiratory muscles and this process is good for his breathing and lungs.
“This piece of art is meaningful because he uses his breath in a meaningful form and from an artistic point of view as well,” Lim explained.
Branden’s favourite artwork is titled Splashing Fun, which is a combination of harmonious colours.
Aside from passion, for Branden art is also a form of physical therapy because he needs to keep his hands active.
He started painting when he was just two years old, but when he reached the age of four, his condition got worse and he had to visit the hospital on a regular basis.
Rehabilitation, hydrotherapy and other treatments kept his condition stable and soon, he began to draw again.
The trials and tribulations of raising a child with a special condition did not deter his parents from offering help to other parents struggling with similar situations.
Branden’s parents have set up a non-profit organisation, We CARE Journey, to create awareness, offer SMA related programmes and render care and support to families dealing with SMA and disabilities.
Brendan’s art is also on display on www.friendenarts.com, a platform which highlights and sells artworks by young, differently-abled artists.
In the future, Lim and Yap hope that Branden will live independently. They feel it would be hard for him to get a normal job and work, but they are determined not to have him depend on others, especially in terms of surviving financially.
They want to empower him and are trying to explore options available for differentlyabled children to study, live and work independently.
“He can bring value to society, and we are trying to see how far we can go,” said Lim.
Branden, who aspires to be an online gamer when he grows up, also shared some advice for parents.
“Parents should not force children, but let them do what they want,” he said, apparently in reference to his own parents, who are constantly supportive.
On what his hopes were for the future, Branden said: “I have always been thinking and drawing, but I want to walk.”
With faith and an unwavering belief that anything is possible, Branden will surely be walking tall and cover great distances in the world of art.