How did Danny overcome depression and is society open enough to art?
Many of us go through hard times and let depression consume us, but others come out stronger than before. Danny Raven Tan is certainly an example of the latter, who not only bounced back from depression, but did so with a new philosophy for his life. In the last few years, his dad passed away, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and his mum was diagnosed with dementia. His dog died. It took incredible willpower for him to accept and overcome these ordeals. When he did, he gave up his career as an architect to become an artist and spend more time caring for his ill mother. He gave up money in favour of love and passion, something many of us are afraid to do in today’s society.
Many people live their lives always seeking money, not savouring what they have. But when Danny was suffering from cancer and close to death, he realised what he wanted from life, and that there is more to life than money. It’s clear from his attitude that becoming an artist brought him happiness so why is it so commonplace in society to simply go chasing money and forsake happiness and passion? For example, in Singapore, attitudes towards unconventional careers are mixed. Many Singaporean children worked hard in schools, studying conventional subjects, and rarely encouraged to pursue art as a career. According to TODAYonline the fact that it is extremely difficult to find a good job in singapore without a degree means that “In wanting to give their children a brighter future, some parents may have become too strict with them, at times even limiting their children’s educational choices to what they think would be most useful in Singapore.” Danny mentioned his previously sour relationship with his now ill mother. It’s possible that she was not initially in favour in his passion for art, and it wouldn’t have taken a near death experience for Danny to pursue his passion if she had been more encouraging. UWCSEA as a school is more open to art as a career and encourages students to make the most of their artistic talent. Overall, Singaporean society leaves much to be desired when it comes to encouraging young people to become artists and follow their dreams.
Singapore’s audience for art has been growing steadily but there is still cause for concern. Art was not included in Singapore’s budget list speech for 2017. It wasn’t even mentioned in the parliament section “Transforming our Society through Enterprise and Innovation.” There is certainly a long way to go in regards to Singapore and society’s acceptance of artists. This is an issue because art plays an important role in Singapore’s culture, bringing people together. According to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, “Arts institutions also play a key role in the cultural shift taking place in Singapore. Man does not live by bread alone. We do wish for the finer things in life, to appreciate beauty and love, and something uplifting for the spirit.” Singapore is still relatively young as a country, and still in the process of identifying it’s cultural identity, and the time is right for young creators to take center stage. All Singapore needs is for society to open the door for these creators.
I think that the ordeal that Danny Raven Tan when through purified his view on life. He realised that doing what you love in life is the most important thing, whether it is creating art or something completely different. Society needs to change to be more accepting of alternative careers and give artists more chances to make a living. Many students at UWCSEA East have a passion for art, and we are the lucky ones, with opportunities to pursue art. Hopefully in the future the rest of society will realise what Danny Raven Tan realised in his odyssey, that the most important thing in life is doing what you enjoy.
Site:http://portfolios.uwcsea.edu.sg/patel85339/category/uncategorized/
Planning Doc:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1klOmxzq6rEaiMKVtvIPEDp8B8sEx5QCFO2eLCQsk3VM/edit
“Students May Be Losing the Chance to Pursue Their Passion.” TODAYonline, 2 July 2014, www.todayonline.com/voices/students-may-be-losing-chance-pursue-their-passion.