IN THE STUDIO WITH ARTIST JENNIFER LIM
Jennifer Lim is an Australian artist based in Singapore who creates unique artwork using printmaking techniques she learned during her time in Japan. She also teaches art workshops at Print Culture Studio, manages her online shop and website, and is truly dedicated to growing her creative business and following her dream. We sat down with Jennifer to find out about her experience as a Creative Founder.
Hi Jennifer, could you tell us about your background?
I was born in Sydney and spent part of my childhood in Japan. This period of living overseas made a strong impression and later went on to study Visual Art and Japanese at the Australian National University. In the chilly Canberra winter, I learned to juggle Japanese grammar classes and long hours at the printmaking press! After graduation, I moved to Okinawa to work for the local government’s international division. Later on in Tokyo, I specialised as a translator for most of my 20’s, retrained as a building designer in my 30’s and finally returned to my art roots just before turning 40! My decision to get back into my art practice came after a near-death in my family made me realise the importance of trying to follow one’s calling.
Can you explain your artwork to us and what influences you?
My artwork is a reflection my own experiences. Language, identity and cross-cultural issues are my current focus. When I was a translator, I found it rewarding to help people communicate. Now as an artist, I enjoy connecting people to my own cross-cultural experiences through my art.
I create my artwork using printmaking methods such as linocut and Japanese woodblock. I learned Japanese woodblock printing as a university exchange student in Kyoto and love its challenging nature. I also like to use fabric and paper in various combinations. Although many of my prints are highly technical, it is ultimately my concepts that dictates the media I use.
I have no shortage of topics to base my artwork on since relocating in 2012 to my father’s birthplace of Singapore. I find a lot of inspiration from living here, including my Chinese and Peranakan heritage, architecture and local cultural practices. Singapore has given me many unexpected opportunities and I’m particularly grateful for the positive response from the public and government to my work.
Besides your art, you also teach art classes through Print Culture Studio. Can you share more about this?
I started Print Culture Studio in late 2014 as an educational platform to offer art workshops with an added cultural element. I thought it would be a great way for people to make art while learning a bit about local history and heritage. The workshops developed alongside my own family history research in Singapore, and they have also helped me strengthen my links to Japan.
I’ve only just recently started to advertise my workshops in Japanese, which has had a great response from Japanese students. I have an amazingly international group of students, and it’s so nice to be able to share my love of art and culture with locals, expatriates and even travellers!
Between being a mother of two, an artist and teaching art classes, is this your full-time job?
It sure is! I thought I was busy enough when I worked full-time and running a fashion label in Japan many years ago, but having two children really takes the cake. Luckily, I’m able to have a full-time housekeeper. My kids also go to full-time daycare located five-minutes away from home, and I try to be efficient with my time.
My husband works long hours and without much family support, it’s still a juggle at times. I end up working pretty late at night to get things done, although I recently try to draw and paint only during daylight hours. My five-year-old daughter is luckily interested in art, and I often take her to galleries and events with me.
In terms of your marketing, where do you feel you get the most traction, online or offline?
Marketing is a challenge as I have a home studio and limited ways to interact with my audience. I’m a bit of an introvert too, so I find online marketing suits my personality. However, I know that people love to see the creative process, and I’m trying harder to share that through live demonstrations and events. I’m working on making more videos in order to help people understand what I do, particularly those who don’t live in Singapore. But I do enjoy meeting people in the flesh as it’s an opportunity to understand my audience better, and develop confidence in speaking about my work.
What has been your main focus in building your presence online?
I think that it’s important to share your journey with your audience, and be genuine about who you are and what influences you. For that reason, I write regular blogs and articles on issues important to me. In sharing these posts, I find I build up a natural following of people who are genuinely interested in what I do. Social media marketing can easily zap a lot of time, and I’m now learning how to use software such Hootsuite for scheduled posting.
What is your social media of choice? How often do you post?
I try to make my website the centerpiece of my marketing, and post as many links to it as possible. Once or twice a month, I’ll write a blog and share that with my FB, Instagram and Pinterest. I track where my traffic comes from and my website tells me which pages are the most popular. I post once a day on Instagram, and also share that with my FB. Instagram also appears on the footer of my website, which makes things look current! I feel it’s not about how often you post though, it’s about whether each post is aimed at your ideal client in a way that is interesting and useful.
As a small business owner, what online tools do you use to help you be productive?
I mainly use Canva, Google Drive and recently Trello. My website uses SquareSpace and it can post to Facebook and Twitter. I also use their e-commerce gateway, Stripe, to sell my art workshops. For events and classes, I now use Facebook advertising and word-of-mouth marketing. Although I know almost nothing about SEO, I find that I rank fairly highly on Google and get inquiries quite often. To be truly productive though, I hope to outsource many more administrative tasks in the near future!
What are some of your biggest challenges in running your business and how have you been able to overcome these?
Time and focus are my biggest challenge. I’ve always been easily distracted and it’s even more difficult now as I have multiple tasks on a daily basis. I’m working on ways to maintain my focus, and these include a timer, lists or even putting my phone in another room!
I also sometimes find it lonely working on my own, and I’m now a member of several business groups including HerBusiness in Australia, and several in Singapore. I have a couple of friends who run their own business and it’s nice to keep in touch with them and support one other. It’s reassuring to know that there are others trying to pursue their dreams outside the ‘normal’ corporate track.
What can we expect to see from Jennifer Lim Art in the future?
I’m interested in using two extremes – high-tech with low-tech – to make commercially viable art forms. Handmade paintings and handmade limited edition prints are my specialty, but I also want to make my work more accessible by offering a variety of sizes through Giclee reproduction prints, also known as fine art prints. I have a lot of inquiries into whether my designs could be translated into textiles or homewares and will explore this soon. Combining my architectural and interiors experience with my artwork is also an exciting possibility for the near future.
If we could ask you to give one piece of advice to artists out there who are determined to develop their creative passion into a business, what would it be?
I think that finding your niche is vital. It’s also important to try to present and package your work in a unique and appealing way that is easy to understand. Networking with similar and different businesses can also good. If you can get a mentor of some sort – terrific! I also recommend watching businesses that you would like to emulate – you can learn a lot by seeing how successful people do what they do.
Can you tell us about a woman in your network that you feel is truly impressive, who you would like to shine the spotlight on?
Michaela Anchan is the founder of Woolf Works, a shared community and social workspace for women in Singapore. I’ve been following her evolution over the past few years and have been impressed by her drive, positive outlook and ability to understand her audience. Michaela is widely respected for supporting and connecting the female business community, and I think she has done wonders for many local and expatriate entrepreneurs.
LEARN MORE ABOUT JENNIFER LIM ART
www.jenniferlimart.com
www.instagram.com/jenniferlimart
www.facebook.com/jenniferlimartist
www.facebook.com/printculturestudio
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