Creative Capital: The harpist who specialises in publishing educational children's books

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Creative Capital: The harpist who specialises in publishing educational children's books

27-twelvemonth-old Singaporean Laura Peh wants to make an bear on on future generations while incorporating her groundwork in music, art history and business.

17 Jan 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 09 Jul 2022 01:20AM)

Yous would think that existence an accomplished professional musician, or working at a respected art gallery while too advising a non-turn a profit foundation would satisfy anyone. If you're both of these things, it'southward hard to imagine having time to take on other challenges. Even so, 27-year-old Singaporean Laura Peh, who is all of these things, decided last year that she wanted to start her own business.

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Leaving the Hong Kong art gallery where she was working, Peh moved back to Singapore in April last year and launched Cinnamon Fine art Publishing, a boutique publisher specialising in beautiful, educational children's books that celebrate art and inventiveness.

The first series of books tell the lives of six renowned artists: David Hockney, Wu Guanzhong, Louise Bourgeois, Nam June Paik, Gustav Klimt, and Piet Mondrian. The commencement two books were bachelor last year, while the other 4 begin shipping at the end of the month.

LOOKING AT WHAT Yous'VE Done THE Concluding Twelvemonth, It FEELS Like You'RE A MASTER MULTI-TASKER. IS It HARD TO Make A LIVING Every bit A FULL-TIME MUSICIAN OR ARE YOU JUST ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT HAS TO Exercise MULTIPLE THINGS TO BE FULFILLED?

Growing up, I e'er had a myriad of activities that kept me occupied. Throughout my childhood and early teens, this included piano lessons, violin lessons, harp lessons, competitive swimming and tuition for different subjects. At Methodist Girls' School, I was in the cross-country team, swimming team, hand-bell ensemble, Daughter Guides and string orchestra. I also completed a few triathlons, played harp at hospices, and was a member of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra.

I was always more interested in my after-school activities than academic work. When I was 12 years sometime, I think being called into the then-principal'south office and being reprimanded for requesting time-off from school to participate in an international harp competition in Wales. Her words left me in tears, but I went anyway and that music experience changed my life.

During my university days in London, I volunteered at museums on weekends and completed seven internships over 2 years. Information technology was a great learning experience. When I moved back to Singapore in 2017, I wanted to continue travelling and pursuing different interests, and was lucky enough to detect roles that could allow that flexibility.

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YOU LAUNCHED A BOOK PUBLISHING Company IN 2020. TELL ME ABOUT CINNAMON Art PUBLISHING.

For the past ii years, I've been thinking about the all-time style to make an impact on future generations while incorporating my background in music, art history and concern.

When I moved back to Singapore from Hong Kong in April last year, I started Cinnamon Art Publishing with $70,000 of my own savings. It is the publishing arm behind our children's book brand Cinnamon Art Stories. We focus on telling stories about the humanities through engaging illustrations. The books are created with children under 12 in mind, and each collection will have a targeted reading level between age five to 12 years old.

Every volume contains a glossary, reflections and activity pages which encourage imagination, creativity and critical thinking. Information technology's also great for parent-child conversations.

As a design-led, socially responsible company, a lot of thought goes into every product that we create. This ways sourcing ethically and locally, printing in minor batches to reduce overproduction, and opting for recyclable materials when financially viable. When our books are passed down, nosotros hope they will evoke happy memories from childhood.

DO Y'all Feel THAT CHILDREN, Here OR OVERSEAS, AREN'T GETTING Potent Plenty FOUNDATIONS IN THE ARTS?

Unlike in Europe, the arts has never been a priority in Singapore. I remember visiting museums and theatre productions equally office of compulsory school trips and my parents would bring me to concerts at the Victoria Concert Hall.

However, it was only when I moved to Paris to study music at age 15, that I truly began appreciating the arts. A first visit to the Louvre soon became a biweekly affair and my involvement in the visual arts grew from there. I was exposed to the highest-quality exhibitions, concerts, ballet, opera and theatre productions and that made a huge departure to my life.

I'k excited near how my peers and our younger colleagues volition change Singapore's arts and arts education scene in the years to come.

HOW Take You lot DECIDED ON THE SUBJECTS FOR THE BOOKS?

While researching children'south books, it was difficult to notice high-quality printed books that had educational content on cocked subjects. That'southward how I chose to focus on the humanities. Our first release, Exploring Fine art, tells the life stories of six artists of different nationalities and artistic styles.

Nosotros have future collections on music and mindful consumption planned for 2021. By introducing these subjects to young children, we encourage them to encounter the world in a different lite and open their minds to new possibilities.

NONE OF THE BOOKS ARE ABOUT LOCAL ARTISTS Notwithstanding. IS THIS A Witting Conclusion?

It is purely a business decision. As a young brand, our choices need to make fiscal sense. For the Exploring Art collection, we plan to include at to the lowest degree one female and i Asian creative person in each release. Nosotros might include a Southeast Asian artist former down the road.

DO Y'all SEE THE AUDIENCE FOR THE BOOKS More than GLOBAL OR LOCAL FOR THE Fourth dimension Existence?

Since launching pre-orders in October, 85 per cent of our customers have been international with the most involvement coming from Hong Kong, North America and the UK. Nosotros would love to run into more than local involvement in our books and are in give-and-take with retail partners here.

ARE You lot COMMISSIONING AND PUBLISHING THE WORKS, OR ARE YOU Too WRITING THEM?

At the moment, I'm writing the text and overseeing creative direction for all the books. Specific skill sets are needed for each collection, and my eyes and ears are ever peeled for potential collaborators.

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We also piece of work with a graphic designer as well as specialist writers that contribute to our online journal, covering different aspects of art, didactics and mindfulness. Each book takes effectually three months to produce from confirming the illustration manner to print-ready files, which is almost unheard of in traditional publishing.

I NOTICED THE Electric current Option ARE ALL ILLUSTRATED BY THE SAME PERSON – SIENNY SEPTIBELLA. HOW DID Yous Notice HER Work?

Like to style, jewellery and handbag collections, it's important to accept a cohesive aesthetic. Bella is as well 27, studied graphic pattern in Singapore, and is at present an achieved illustrator based in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Bella and I have really never met in-person! When I was scouring Behance for creatives to bring my vision to life, I came beyond Bella's portfolio and immediately reached out to her. After chatting over email, nosotros decided to work on the Exploring Art drove together.

We connected in January 2022 and had planned to meet in Djakarta in April concluding year, but it didn't happen due to the COVID-19 travel restrictions. Our communication to engagement has been entirely through email and WhatsApp. Thankfully, technology makes everything so easy.

WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR CINNAMON ART PUBLISHING?

Nosotros hope to found an international brand of timeless children's books that Asia can exist proud of. Our make symbol is the stem of a cinnamon institute, with leafage buds and blooming flowers. This represents children at different stages of early babyhood. Our books assistance shape and cultivate them to grow into a tree that sees the world in a different lite.

WHAT WAS YOUR Ain Childhood Like?

I'chiliad the youngest of three children. Growing up with two older brothers, I was trained to be resilient and independent from a immature age. While we had an absolutely privileged, likewise as sheltered, upbringing, we went about our ain lives and didn't spend much time together equally a family.

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I had a total schedule and spent complimentary time playing with my pet rabbits and dog as well as talking to my toys. I loved having imaginary conversations and would narrate a whole schoolhouse 24-hour interval with them using names of my existent-life classmates. In public, I was a quiet but observant child.

Practise Y'all STILL PREFORM AND TEACH AS A HARPIST?

I've made an effort to exist active in the local music scene every fourth dimension I'yard back in Singapore. I was invited to teach at a summer class in Hong Kong in 2022 and performed a solo recital in Singapore in 2019. I currently maintain a dwelling house studio of students, both in-person and online.

WHAT DREW You TO THE HARP WHEN Yous WERE YOUNG?

I was attending violin lessons at a music school when my first harp teacher started teaching there. I was 9 years old and my mother thought it would be nice to larn a new instrument. Although I started learning pianoforte and violin at a younger historic period, I showed the virtually potential in harp.

WHAT IS A MISUNDERSTANDING PEOPLE Oftentimes HAVE WHEN THEY HEAR YOU ARE A Professional HARPIST?

Most people think I play in an orchestra. Similar a visual artist or actor, in that location are many avenues that a musician tin can work in, autonomously from playing in an orchestra and educational activity. That'due south the dazzler of the arts.

In Singapore, there even so seems to be a stigma in pursuing anarchistic careers similar the performing arts. It takes a unique skill set and a level of talent to be able to pursue artistic fields at a professional level.

You lot Accept LIVED IN EUROPE As well Every bit HONG KONG. Exercise YOU Remember APPRECIATION OF THE ARTS, AND BY ASSOCIATION, THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF CREATIVITY IN OUR Immature, IS VERY Unlike HERE VERSUS SOME OF THE PLACES You lot Have LIVED OR VISITED?

Singapore all the same has a long style to become in terms of mind-set and lifestyle. In mature cultural economies like New York, Paris, London and Hong Kong, arts appreciation and arts back up is an essential role of their lifestyle.

There is much more engagement with the young, with a personal hands-on approach to arts teaching, peer-to-peer sharing and customs engagement. Apart from arts appreciation, the calibration of philanthropy and donor stewardship is much less developed in Singapore compared to other outset-world countries. Until Singapore reaches a level of communal cultural maturity, information technology will be difficult for us to truly get a earth-class arts hub.

Our nation's regulations surrounding public performances, exhibitions and publishing hinders the development of our creativity. The all-time creative practitioners are independent-minded, passionate and expressive. It is difficult to find inspiration in Singapore and staying here for prolonged periods of time can result in groupthink and complacency.

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I NOTICED Yous HAVE WORKED FOR A Not-Profit ORGANISATION AND A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE. IS PURPOSE AND GIVING Dorsum A Big PART OF YOUR LIFE?

I'm passionate about women's, children's and arts-related causes. When I moved back to Singapore from London in 2017, I worked on UN Women's Snow fundraising gala for a few months before joining CRIB, a non-profit social enterprise that empowers women to get successful entrepreneurs.

I too began advising Kris Foundation, an organisation dedicated to supporting immature musicians in Singapore. When I received a job offer at a baddest fine art gallery in Hong Kong in 2018, I flew back to Singapore monthly for meetings with Kris Foundation.

When I was a student, I was able to requite fourth dimension to volunteering and joined a few young patron programmes of arts organisations. Since I started working, I've been giving pocket-size amounts each year to arts organisations in Singapore and Hong Kong. Giving back early on is important, and no amount is ever too pocket-size. I've met many people who think almost the benefits they will receive or connections they could make before they consider giving to an organisation. If I believe in the cause, the organisation's purpose and have something to acquire from it, I'm happy to support.

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WHAT'S IN Shop FOR YOU THIS YEAR? Any Exciting PLANS TO SHARE?

We are launching an international haiku competition for children in Feb. Our Exploring Art collection is being translated to Chinese and we plan to release new collections on music and mindful consumption. When the COVID-xix situation improves overseas, we hope to start doing seasonal pop-ups.

Creative Capital: The harpist who specialises in publishing educational children's books

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