Greeny Crafter 27 - Michele Ng

This week's guest blogger is Michele from Singapore. Michele has a lot of creative ideas up her sleeve. She even shows you how to make things like a ring box or reusable drawstring bag from scratch in 5 minutes. Who says you need to spend hours being crafty? :-)

I’ve always loved making things from a young age – nothing beats the satisfaction of creating or transforming something with your hands! While I always enjoyed the creative arts, I grew up with the impression that it was not practical and that I’d be a starving artist on the streets. Only after close to three years in marketing did I dare to take the leap into this new creative life!

Currently, I am starting a business in camera and travel bags that look good and work well in a bid to empower photographers and travellers to enjoy moving around fuss-free. At the same time, I freelance as a fashion designer and make-up artist. Through these new experiences and while working from home and learning to save more, I learnt to take a closer look at the things around me and discovered the beauty and joy in upcycling and recycling everyday items. Life has actually become much richer this way!

I started my blog originally as a place for random updates for family and friends. But soon after I found much fulfilment in sharing tutorials and tips, to inspire and empower my readers to live a more creative and enjoyable life.

Some of my favourite projects include:

- Making a necklace out of paper clips

- Using an old box to create a ring box in 5 minutes

- Upcycling a plain tee

The transition from a full-time job to being a freelancer and first-time entrepreneur has certainly been an interesting one. While I enjoyed the work at my full-time job, it was difficult to spend my weekends and free time juggling my creative endeavours. Soon after, the passion and desire took over and with the encouragement of family and close friends, I decided to take the leap of faith.

I’ve had several friends in similar positions and in my journey, I’ve noted down some learnings (http://www.micheleng.com/how-to-quit-your-full-time-job-to-pursue-your-dreams/) that may help people build up the courage to quit their full-time jobs to pursue their dreams. Hopefully this can help encourage people who are battling with the same concerns that I once had! Though the journey is sometimes tough, I feel that the freedom to explore and life without regrets certainly makes it worth it. ☺

Thank you, Michele. Look forward to hearing more about your journey in pursuing your dreams.