Tags: illustrations | publishing | Singapore

Always interested in the creative scene in Singapore, we spoke with Edmund T Shern, one of the founders of Imaginary Friends Studio.

Edmund and his co-founders are bringing together Asian and Western influences to develop some really arresting graphic art projects. Comic fans amongst you may recognize some of their work for G.I. Joe and Dragonlance Chronicles. We asked some questions about being creative, making art and making money.

THINK: Why do you create things, artworks, and companies even?

EDMUND: We create because we are inspired. We see others do it and do it well and it's an exciting process to try it for yourself. While the process is equally (if not more) about hard work than inspiration, it's really the final product that gives you a personal satisfaction that very few other things in life can.

THINK: Where do the ideas come from? What are your criteria for keeping an idea and following it through?

EDMUND: Ideas come from being aware of what other artists before you have done. Ideas also come from discussions and experimentations.

The final idea is what you have left when you've thrown out all the other sucky ones. An artist's instinct is usually the most significant indicator of a good idea - a really good idea whenever it's hit upon. Learn to listen to your instincts.

THINK: What would be the one thing someone needs to know to enable them to really appreciate your work?

EDMUND: I think there are many ways to appreciate a piece of art - and all of them are equally valid in their own way. Whether you appreciate the subtle brush stroke in detail or if you just like the picture in a way that you can't express, that is your way of appreciating it. The bulk of our audiences for the products we create are non-artists, that means that at the end of the day, they don't really have to understand the process - just like the piece as a final product.

THINK: Where do cartoon drawing, illustration and graphic art start and end?

EDMUND: Does it matter? It could matter to some, but to us, we love it all!

THINK: How would you know you'd achieved what you wanted to achieve as an artist?

EDMUND: Like any journey - you have to set your goals in order to know when you've arrived. For many of us however, the journey itself is the more important part, not the achievements.

THINK: You call art a lifestyle - not a job, what do you mean by this? How does it affect your everyday living and your personal philosophy?

EDMUND: You have to have a personal hunger to do art. It doesn't matter if you've had to rush out 3 paintings in a day, when you have free time; you need to always have the urge to draw and to create. It's this hunger that will constantly drive you to be a better artist. No other motivation can do this - not a salary, not the pressure from a client.

With a highly Westernised brain in my head I have a perception of all artists going through some sort of struggle, usually for money and recognition. Or perhaps persecution in reaction to the subversive nature of their works. What's you view on this limited idea of an artist - can you be one without being poor and/or angry?

Many successful artists are also financially secure. A few who are savvier can actually get rich from doing good art. I don't think most artists are angry though, I think passionate would be a more apt word. Artists are passionate about many things so they feel more happy/sad/angry/excited about many things in life.

THINK: Your studio features a collective of artists, how do you work together? What's the collective aim you share?

EDMUND: We have a core team of about 20 artists on staff in our 2 physical studios in Singapore and Jakarta. In addition, we also have a regular pool of freelancers whom we work very closely with. We grow as a studio by collaborating as much as possible on projects (and also by playing games together). Our collective aim? Do great/fun art and get paid well for it!

To my eye (female and with little exposure to graphic art) there seems to be preponderance for highly stylised female figures, muscular, busty, athletic with great long limbs. What's this about? Is it a convention following comic and animation ideals? It seems sexual, is it?

These are definitely conventions that you not only find in comics and animation but also in real life. As are big eyes in anime - but not to worry, I think most of us still separate real life from anime. So ladies with normal sized eyes can still rest easy.

THINK: You have several successful businesses to your name at an early age, what's driving you to do so much?

EDMUND: We have no idea. There's no logical reason, we're probably crazy. We hear that's a good thing though!

THINK: What do you see as the purpose of your art? Is it about self-expression, aesthetic or anything else?

EDMUND: All of the above and more importantly, the purpose of art ... is art in itself!

THINK: The Singapore Biennale was just in town, have you been to see it / know what it is? How does the world of international contemporary art exhibitions fit with the web based graphic artist community? Is your mode of art considered in the same light as the conceptual installations and video projects we see in many exhibitions of contemporary visual art?

EDMUND: I would have loved to, but we have been completely swamped with our own art projects lately. We do hope to see more of these art festivals and more importantly, for creativity and artistic freedom to be celebrated as important attributes in daily life.

We still meet many young artists who tell us that their parents have misgivings about them pursuing a career or an education in art.

Art still isn't accepted as a natural legitimate part of life in Singapore - perhaps because it is still held by many as something that only poor angry individuals do.

Hopefully by doing it ourselves every single day - we can help show Singaporeans that a studio of artists in this little island CAN live their dreams and get paid for it!