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IMPACT 0048: HELPING THE SINGAPORE CANCER SOCIETY THROUGH ART

Nanyang Technological University graduate Lisa Low started a calligraphy business in 2018 and has used it as a platform to support the Singapore Cancer Society with a portion of her earnings. She shares with us more about some values she’s learnt from the process.

Hi Lisa! Please tell us a little about you, what you do and why you started it all.

The business that I started in 2018 focuses on hand-calligraphing art and products. It is one avenue I use to give back in my own way. My hobbies and interests include art, calligraphy, softball (I used to play for Team SG!), team sports, singing and dancing when I’m not working.

Through my calligraphy business (@lisarte.sg), I decided to support the Singapore Cancer Society with one of my event’s earnings. The choice of organisation stemmed from a personal encounter of losing someone dear to cancer: my softball coach, whom I would have known for nine years.

She played a big part in my teenage years – an inspiration to be strong, to act according to my principles, yet to also know when to have fun. She showed me how to be a person who lives with purpose.

What are some values that you hold onto?

Trust. Sometimes, it’s impossible to expect anything out of a process or journey, so it is important to have faith and passion. Having trust in yourself, your support system and even your faith can bring you through times that everything seems hard to do!

Connection. My journey has allowed me to meet and work with a lot of people I wouldn’t have otherwise crossed paths with if I hadn’t made certain decisions. Having been able to establish a genuine connection with them is precious to me. Through these connections, I’ve grown a lot in my personality because it gives me different avenues to meet and exchanges ideas with other unique individuals

Compassion and concern for others. Be it for the customers that I’m thinking of or the various stakeholders to make a project work, this value of compassion has reminded me to practise thinking from their point of view, so as to make things work for all parties in the end. Without compassion, it would be hard to take ownership of the things we do and the people that we work with. The working relation might be strained and the outcomes may not necessarily be the best.

What are some values you’ve had to let go off in the process?

Probably striving for perfection! Learning to be ok with imperfection and not be too hard on myself. I sometimes get too critical of my work or become too obsessed with the process. I had to learn that we are in a constant state of growth and that there are always ways for us to improve on and grow in, and the constant need to be perfect would add on unnecessary stress!

Because I see myself as both a big-picture thinker and detail-oriented person, it’s something that I’m still learning to balance. I’m learning that doing my best is enough and that as long as I am excellent with this, the outcome does not matter!