Christina Lau‘An accident that not only left her paralysed but also caused her to become depressed, she still continued to dream and eventually went on to realise her passion’.
Today we listened to the story of Christina Lau, an artist that paints with her mouth after losing the function of her hands. An incredibly inspiring person who taught us to never stay defeated, there were so many questions I wanted to ask her, but sadly, didn’t get the chance to. So, I’m going to vent out my frustration by posting them here and hoping they might get answered:
1) How did it feel to create and showcase your first piece of art?
This question was one that I believe was quite important for me to be able to get an answer for. I had decided that one possible angle I could take was to focus on the resilience of Christina and how it is possible to achieve your dreams, despite the limitations that you believe are ‘placed’ on you, and this question would have hopefully given me a quote I could have used to show to people that the journey towards your passion may be difficult, but it is worth it
2) What advice might you give to someone who has been facing difficult times, just like you had?
This question was again created based on the story angle of achieving one’s dream. I was considering including a tiny section about what one could do to try to overcome the obstacles and difficulties that they may face and what better way to answer that question then by asking someone who managed to overcome a multitude of obstacles on her own?
3) What is the Singaporean community’s attitude towards disabled people as a whole, as well as artists such as yourself?
Another possible angle I was looking into was how Singapore views disabled people and disabled artists. I personally believe that Singapore is a disability-friendly place, however, it would be interesting to see what someone with more experience had to say. This question was actually asked during the session, and the answer was very interesting, with Christina stating that there was some prejudice and that she did not always “feel welcome”.
4) What initially inspired you to get into artwork?
I believe that this was an important question to ask that could form the basis for multiple story angles: from a story on resilience to a brief summary of her life, and even a story focusing on her art and what exactly she made. There is, a brief answer to this on the MFPA website, however, I would certainly have liked more detail and elaboration on the matter.
5) What inspires your painting?
Another question that covers several bases, this was another one that was actually asked at the session, with Christina responding that “every-day life” inspired her. For instance, she talked about how she saw flowers one day and decided to go ahead and paint them. One possible elaboration that I would have liked to ask was what style of painting does she prefer and why.
Overall, I think that it Writer’s Fortnight ended on a high note and that the entire experience has been very enriching. As a wannabe writer, I have learnt a lot of things about the industry and the craft and cleared some of the age-old misconceptions that filled my mind.
All I can say is, “BRING ON THE NEXT ONE!”
My notes:
