The Self-Compassion Lab
WEB VERSION
An experiential lab, for youth creatives to tune in on what they need to do your best work.
Welcome
Welcome to The Self Compassion lab. An interactive exhibition to equip youth creatives or youths who engage in creative practices to do their best work. Be guided to discover your work habits, find useful resources and contribute to the growing conversation on the future of work culture that is grounded in care. We recommend you spend 30 minutes in this exhibition, spending around 15 minutes at the Self-Compassion Guide, visiting the stations in order as shown below.
The Stations
The Self-Compassion Guide - An audio guided reflection, with Singapore Sign Language Interpretation and Open captioning.
Best Work Tool Table - A collection of items and stories from creatives on what they need to do their best work.
Resource Table- Browse through books that can help you in your journey.
Community Canvas - Let’s tell the story of our creative future together.
If you’d like to experience our physical lab, please head down to Design Orchard from the 2nd to 6th or 14th to 18th of November from 9am to 10pm. If not, we hope you enjoy this online version.
Accessibility Features available at the lab:
Singapore Sign Language Interpretation and Open Captioning for the Audio Guide.
Audio Description at each station.
Guide Dogs welcomed.
Lab-Sitter present to address any further Access Requirements.
Wheelchair Accessible Venue
Please note that the Self-Compassion Lab is operating alongside Alchemist Cafe during the hours 9am to 6pm.
Follow @artwave.studio on instagram for more event updates!
2. The Self-Compassion Guide
Here is an audio-guided reflection on Self-Compassion, accompanied by Singapore Sign Language interpretation and open-captioning. Find a comfortable seat where you are with tools you’d like to reflect with. Suggested items are, Pen and Paper, Whiteboard and marker or Playdough. We recommend you spend 10 - 15 minutes at this station. Once you are ready, put your headphones on and play the tracks in order for the best experience, there are 5 tracks in total.
Click into the tracks below to listen or via the embedded playlist.
3. Tool Table Stories
What do you need to do your best work?
Have a read or listen to the 13 stories from the Artwave Team and the Youth Advisory Board, on what tools they use to do their best work.
Consider what you might need to do your best work.
1.Typewriter Keyboard by Ng Sze Min
The sound of the keyboard matters to me. The muted crisp and lightness is one of the sweetest textures that accompanies my thoughts as I type. I got this while studying at university. I remember listening to all the sounds of the different switches possible, before picking the Cherry Switch.
5. Wacom Intuos Small Graphics Drawing Tablet by Shalom Lim
When I was 16, I lost the physical strength required to type on a typical keyboard and use a standard mouse, and I could no longer draw, paint, or write using my hands. It was a gut-wrenching blow as I was a child Chinese calligraphist and painter participating in exhibitions and winning awards with ART: DIS. I enjoyed doodling and writing on paper as my mom and teachers all complimented my handwriting, especially in Chinese compositions. This Wacom tablet and its predecessor, the Bamboo Pen, empowered me to complete my tertiary studies and resume the pursuit of my artistic and literary passions.
9. Water bottle (Cherry) by Sarah Zafirah
Cherry is the Nalgene water bottle I have had since I was 15. It not only helps me do my best creative work but my best work in general, because it keeps me hydrated, and reminds my body to move every once in a while. When I'm doing creative work and in "the zone" (eg. writing for longer periods of time) it helps to have a biological reminder to get up every few hours instead of being stuck to my chair all the time.
2. Games by Cheryl Tan
I love playing video games during my free time. Not only does it help me to rest and relax, I also gain a lot of inspiration from it. As a part of my creative practice, I aspire to create meaningful and impactful participatory experiences with my collective, ATTEMPTS. Playing different types of video games help me to examine and explore the different mechanics that I can incorporate into my experiences.
6. The Floor by Chew Shaw En
As someone who works with the body, the floor is a constant presence and collaborator that you learn to work with. Once I've learnt how to work with the floor at the site of work, eg, wooden, sprung dance floor, or concrete pavement, etc. it becomes a springboard of creativity and regenerative energy. When I feel stressed, lying on the floor helps to relieve that tension; Lying down is also a neutral state that helps me attune to whatever comes next.
10. My fearlessness xD by Vignesh Singh
As an actor , I am an acrobat of my own heart. Beyond any technical competences that I must possess , keeping vulnerable / fearless is always my biggest hurdle. Hence before I have to attend an audition or rehearsal, a tool I use to help me do my best work is run into the embarrassment / embrace the fear as opposed to away from it. In doing so I hope to find freedom and my personal humanity. The way I go about it is this. I try to “ perform “ a vocal warm up where I sing vowels. Personally I find it very hard to do with new people ( and even people I’m familiar with ) because it can be look quite stupid from the outside. But that’s EXACTLY my goal ! I free myself from shame and fear before I begin my work. The item I have attached is me , making a silly face at you , someone who I have never met before and whom might potentially judge my silliness. Fearless is my tool !
3. 0.35ball pen by Sebrina Ng
I am a fan of the 0.35 ball pen maroon or navy. The sensation of seeing the color with writing is very light, and the outcome is pretty, as well as lightening my mood. Therefore, I usually carry a pen with me wherever I go because 0.5 ballpoint pens black are the most common outside.
7. my chou-chou by Wen Ying
*Chou Chou translates to “smelly” in mandarin. it refers to an item of comfort.
Sometimes when I start to doubt myself or lose motivation in my art, I pick up my chou-chou and give it a hug. It's a way of promising my six-year-old self that I will grow into the kind of artist she would be proud of; and that little girl who always had her head buried in a book would tell me how much she admired me and how far I've come. My parents gave me my chou-chou when I was two, and over the years my grandmother has stitched it up a few times whenever it got too tattered, so having it near me when I make art is also a reminder of the people who I love and who love me, and to not let them down.
11. Monitor Screen by Pearlyn Tay
Reduces squinting! Big budget sheets! No neck ache! What more can i ask for (except for it to be more portable like I would like to be using this at Starbucks)
4. Timer by Cheryl Ho
As a classic overthinking, I've found that setting timers for 20 mins to an hour helps me focus on deep work. Once that time is up, I'm done. I can revisit the work at another time or tell myself - this is the best I can do as of today. It stops me from doing “forever tasks” especially in creative work where work just feels like it’s never done.
8. Sketchbook by Dorcas Tang
I work on my ipad for most of the day, but having to put down my rawest writing and illustration down digitally can be intimidating. Thus, I usually work on a sketchbook first, so that I feel safer in expressing myself fully before committing to an idea.
12. Notebook by Laetitia
A habit I picked up this year is copying down poems I love into a notebook. It’s a really grounding process for me—sitting closely with every word, figuring out where exactly the line breaks, it just gets me into the right headspace to engage with my own creative process, so I’ll always either read through the notebook or copy down a poem before I begin my own practice.
13. Guitar Picks by Pan Zai’En
Plectrums are indispensable to the working guitarist. With a change of picks you get a different tone, different attack, and possibly a different way of playing.
4. Creative Resources
Here is a selection of 10 books for you to be inspired by or help you find what you need to do your best work.
The respective audiobooks are linked in the books captions, excluding numbers 7-10 as they do not have accompanying audiobooks.
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
2. Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
3. Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon
7. Essentialism by Greg Mckeown
4. The Year I Stopped To Notice by Miranda Keeling
5. The Courage To Be Happy by Fumitake Koga and Ichiro Kishimi
6. Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before by Dr Julie Smith
10. Don’t Mind If
A compilation of insights and letters for & from the communications design industry and community.
9. 3 Questions A Day by Chai Sunrise (Journal)
8. The Relationship is the Project edited by Jade Lillie, with Kate Larsen, Cara Kirkwood and Jax Jacki Brown
5. Community Canvas
Let’s tell the story of our creative future together.
It’s your turn to contribute your story! If you enjoyed this exhibition, complete this anonymous survey to help us better understand and tailor the Self-Compassion Lab to the needs and habits of Young Creatives in Singapore! Your thoughts will be collated and be a part of our data story that will be released in December. Stay tuned!