The Cold Hard Truth

I'm sure all of you reading this are aware of Steph Koh and how she is in media's spotlight for saying that she is not proud to be a Singaporean. Then followed up by the video of her stating that Singaporeans are not creative. And I agree with Steph 100%.

I was discussing this with my boyfriend yesterday. The adults in Singapore are so caught up in the mindset that academic excellence only road to take for their children. From the moment we are placed into primary school, we have been competing with other children our age to be the top in terms of academic. I have always gotten straight As for my art and craft but that was nothing to be proud of when you put it beside a child who got A for Mathematics.

And why is this so? Why is memorizing and regurgitating what you have studied BETTER than using your brain to create something fresh and new?

IF you have realized, all our education system ever tested us on from Kindergarten, Primary school, Secondary and for those who chose to go to JCs, is the importance of memorizing. The better your memory is, the better you'll score and the 'smarter' you'll be.

Then why is creating an art piece not considered smart? Logically, you're using more brain power to actually come up with something original and creative while the other kid is just sitting there, memorizing his life away. This is why many Singaporeans are not creative. Their parents have planted the idea that memorizing is far more important than creating.  

People fail to see things this way. That is why they will never appreciate art for what it is. How many hours of passion goes behind it and how many failures it had before it got to that stage. And because of this lack of appreciation, Singapore will never flourish in the Arts. Which is sad for me and the rest of my friends who decided to choose the unorthodox path. The 'risky' path of the Arts. Because we can be the most creative people in the world but there is nothing we can do to survive in Singapore, simply because the creativity is just so boxed up by the incapability of the general public to appreciate it.

They tell us to think out of the box. So you think out of the box and create a unique idea. But then the idea gets shut down because it is something the public is not used to or it is too taboo for them.

I have an extremely strong passion for the arts but do you know what all the adults in the entertainment industry tell me? 'If you have the talent, if you have the passion and you want to do Arts, you have to leave Singapore.'

It is sad that the country I'm living in has come to this extent where Arts can't even flourish in it.