For those of you still following my Substack, I'm back and starting fresh. I've deleted all my previous entries, which is a terribly bad habit of mine. In my defense, we all know the feeling of a fresh start – it feels good.
I want my Substack to be meaningful, and I'm saying this with a specific reference to bite-sized guides on navigating life and everything in between. For instance, topics like “Future Faking: The Narcissist's Favorite Trap” or “Why Does Everything Have To Be A Project?” Perhaps for starters, mine could be, “What's Happening in Singapore (If Anything at All)?” Let me explain.
I've been jokingly telling peers and acquaintances that I'm currently on my “Singapore tour.” This basically means I'm trying my best to meet people back home after being away for close to two years. Most of the time, I don't quite understand my intention for doing so (Don't use the N word!), but I always leave with new realizations. I haven't been disappointed.
For instance, someone I met recently jokingly shared that people are starved, mainly for something meaningful in the local arts scene. She described an event that everyone eagerly attended but left knowing it was bad. To make it worse, it was the only event of its kind after a long while. If you ask me, it feels like something has plateaued in the arts. To echo this, a peer shared over Messenger (quoting directly):
“Sg art scene is mostly for only for SG60, kids and family, social media…”
Should we just laugh? Despite this “feedback,” I feel radically optimistic being back. And maybe I'm pretending to know ways to add some spark back, especially after seeing how things work on a different side of the world. However, I also want to say that I could be entirely wrong about the current condition of the arts scene. Nevertheless, I think these are some things that should be looked into:
Artists and curators should work on projects that are completely different from what is currently being done in Singapore. How can we do that? Name three popular artists you can remember from Singapore and write a project proposal completely opposite or against that. Is this feeling uncomfortable? I think that's a good sign!
Focus on small-scale projects – pop-ups, secret venues, weekends-only, one-day events, or even online. Keep budgets low and share costs. This is a great antidote for perfectionism and unrealistic benchmarks. Do not try to emulate institutions; everyone is playing a unique role!
Work with artists from a different generation! Start mixing with those who have paved the way and be open to learning. For senior artists, help out someone younger. You will be surprised by the energy and perspective.
Thoughts?
(This entry was AI edited.)