Malaysia has many talented local artists who have gotten recognition locally and internationally. One such artist is Jaemy Choong, the artist who designed the wall for Adidas’s brand new flagship store that debuted in Pavillion KL on 30th June.
Jaemy Choong is a 35-year-old creative genius and you’ve probably seen his masterpieces all over the internet, or on Instagram, as his artworks get featured in many different news and websites. His signature stamp merges his English name “Jaemy C” and his Chinese surname “Zhong” (钟) as his personal chop sign used in every custom piece he produces.
Jaemy started pursuing his creative talent as a kid when he took part in different kinds of drawing competitions. His parents acknowledged his artistic gift and would always push him to draw better, with a rotan in hand to make sure of it. But Kudos to the old-style parenting, as it gave way to such an amazing artist.
“I was always the artsy one in class,” said Jaemy, who followed his dreams to pursue art his entire life. Despite being in the design industry for 10 years, the artist admits that he only recently started exploring his own style of design.
Finding His Own Identity
Jaemy previously worked under broadcast organizations and agencies in the past but it often restricted his creativity. “I felt like I was catering to the client’s needs for their own brand or campaign, and not necessarily my brand,” he said.
But in his latest design for Adidas, the artist said he could proudly identify himself in his work, “this recent wall art design for Adidas’s brand new flagship store is the true representation of who I am now.”
Set to launch in Pavillion KL, his latest design for the largest Adidas flagship store in Malaysia largely contrasts what he used to create while he worked under agencies and organizations. The masterpiece features Jaemy’s unique calligraphy technique integrated into a floral design on Adidas’s logo, as inspired by Malaysian traditional Batik art.
Just look at the eye-opening process of how Jaemy brought his art to life in this video!
In his spare time, the expressive artist says he enjoys experimenting with different styles of design art and even makes his own exclusive identity out of it. “I like experimenting with pop-culture geek art, mashup photos and mixing art styles.” But when he’s not busy with art, Jaemy takes pleasure in the simple things. Like most of us, Jaemy is a cat lover and enjoys “taking photos of my cat on Instagram.”
The Biggest Struggle
When asked about the biggest battle he has faced, Jaemy immediately answered: “Self-doubt.”
“I think there is always a voice in my head that says ‘I suck’.” For Jaemy, his struggle is fighting to silence that voice.
The passionate artist also spoke out on how he tends to compare himself to other successful artists.”I am also naturally very nosey in general about what’s trending and who’s working on what project…and I think, again, when you see many of your peers doing amazing sh*t crushing the industry game, you really feel terrible when you are not satisfied with your own art progress.”
“Having a lot of self-doubts really holds you back from going further,” added the talented designer. While he’s still looking for a way to overcome this, Jaemy says he tries to “shut the voice up and deal with it.”
Jaemy’s Personal Online Store
Aside from making art for clients, Jaemy also owns an online art store which features calligraphy custom art, postcards and stickers on it. You can even find your favourite movie, comic book and anime characters such as Star War’s Darth Vader, Marvel’s Captain America, Totoro and so many more!
The artist even does personalized art for his customers! You can customize your preferred piece of art via his East meets West pop culture mashup art style. “I’ve actually got a piece right now that I am in the process of finishing up for a customer in Miami.”.
If you’re interested in customising your own art, you can have a look at Jaemy’s portfolio here.
Current Projects & Future Plans
When asked what he’s currently working on, Jaemy said he’s undertaking a Scanimation art project and will continue exploring more innovative ideas with it.
“I like my current ‘exploration’ where I try to mix Scanimation style art into my own pieces. It’s like an optical illusion where the subject appears to ‘move’ when you move a bunch of lines over it.” You can take a look at one of them – the Optical Illusion Calligraphy Art Commission here on Jaemy’s Facebook page.
Despite facing his fair share of struggles, Jaemy says he is proud of where he is right now.
“I think I’m just proud and thankful that I get to explore my own art style now compared to maybe 10 years ago when I was struggling to find myself and what I really wanted my career to be in the industry. I think I am just in a better place now – artistically and mentally. Ya know?” he added.
“I think I will just keep doing what I’m doing and see where that leads me.”
Many youngsters nowadays are lost and still on their way to pursue their artist dream, be it in the field of the music industry, photography or art. When asked if there is any advice for them, Jaemy said:
“I think it’s important to try everything before you decide what your artistic end-goal is. Just do everything (that interests you, of course) and then see how you feel about it and if there’s potential to expand your artistic journey from there.”
In a nutshell, just go for it.
Hopefully in the near future, we are able to see more masterpieces from Jaemy Choong, the artist who blends various art styles into one, the artist who is so unique, the artist whose arts warm the hearts of the people.
