As we embrace what 2022 has to offer to us, the Difference Engine team is proud to announce three original graphic novels and two DE Shorts that will be published this year, along with new and exciting projects for 2023! 

As part of the Potato Productions family, our team believes in being creative, doing good, and last but not least, having fun! 

This is why one of our core values is to publish stories our readers can relate to and see themselves represented in. Our comics, for adults and children alike, are written and illustrated by Southeast Asian creators who offer unique and personal perspectives on a variety of topics that are close to their hearts. We hope you’ll find a story that speaks to you. 

 

AMAZING ASH & SUPERHERO AH MA (BOOK #2): COMING OF AGE 

By Melanie Lee and Arif Rafhan 

Category: Children’s Fiction
Theme: Family, Superhero, Dementia
Publication: May 2022 

Synopsis:

The adventures of Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma continue! As Team ASH grows in number, Ash juggles being a responsible superhero, a supportive grandchild and a kind friend. Meanwhile, is Ah Ma’s dementia getting worse? How will the team cope with a new nemesis and the strange developments happening in town? Join Ash, Ah Ma, and the rest of Team ASH as they try to save the neighbourhood and, at the same time, face the changes that come with growing up and growing old.

Watch out for the conclusion to the Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma trilogy in 2023!

Book #1 is available in print and ebook format here.

 

WORK-LIFE BALANCE (BOOK & INTERACTIVE STORY) 

By Wayne Rée and Benjamin Chee

Category: Adult Fiction
Theme: Supernatural, Work
Publication: Oct 2022

Synopsis:

WORK-LIFE BALANCE (Book) 

When a malevolent multinational arrives on our shores, familiar creatures like pontianaks, manananggals, rākṣasīs and ba jiao guis are forced out of their jobs. Some give in and sign up for mundane corporate life – but others would rather fight than join the broken-spirited hordes of the (desk)bound.  

Wayne Rée’s prose and Benjamin Chee’s comics intertwine in this collection to bring you familiar Asian mythology in an even more familiar setting: the realm of dead-end work, glass ceilings, and truly hellish bosses.

INTERNAL DAMNATION: PICK YOUR HELL (Interactive Story) 

Along with the graphic novel, readers can also look forward to a short web browser game, Internal Damnation: Pick Your Hell.

In partnership with developers Lionfish Studios and audio studio Imba Interactive, creators Wayne Rée and Benjamin Chee bring you a hilarious and/or harrowing interactive text game where you play as an intern in the hellish corporation known only as The Company.

Impress your supervisors by fetching coffee, crafting SEO-friendly social media posts and slogging through your average internship tasks. Just try not to get killed! (Oh, and a little word of warning: never trust your colleagues – especially the demons.)

Drawing from the world of Work-Life Balance, Internal Damnation: Pick Your Hell features stunning isometric diorama illustrations and ambient music that bring this standalone story to life.

 

TWO TAILS 

By Kifurai a.k.a. Kiana Fedly

Category: Young Adult Fiction
Theme: Fantasy, Animals
Publication: 2023

Synopsis:

Sophomore student Rara detests animals. And she absolutely hates cats. Until one fateful night when a fatal bike accident changes everything… 

A second chance at life beckons, but there’s a catch: She has to get her body back. The bigger catch? She’s now a cat. 

Armed with two tails and with a long lost friend by her side, Rara ventures on a whimsical journey to show us the very human nature of animals, and the immense space that we carry in our hearts for reconciliation. 

 

MAGICAL SWEET GULA 

By Johanes Park and Jessica Leman

Category: Children’s Fiction
Theme: Fantasy, School, Friendship
Publication: 2023

Synopsis:

Gula Gulali is a young Magi who has the delightful power of turning the things around her into cakes and sweets! She lives in the city of Manakarta in the realm of Terra, where the non-magical people don’t think too highly of Magis. With her bright pink hair and pointed ears, Gula sticks out like a sore thumb in the regular school she attends.

When another young Magi joins Gula’s school, his obsession with Terran culture annoys her to no end. Not to mention, his weird behaviour is bringing far too much attention to the Magi who are already facing prejudice from Terrans. Now, Gula has to navigate friendships, slander, and a series of magical mishaps — all while the success of a school drama production is at stake!

Will she find acceptance and belonging, or will she have to give up her magic to fit in?

This graphic novel is the first book of a multi-part series.

 

AFTERLIFE

By Gina Chew and Nadhir Nor 

Category: Young Adult Fiction
Theme: Fantasy, Romance
Publication: 2023

Synopsis:

Kyra’s younger brother lays on his deathbed and she’s stricken with grief. Spirit Keeper Eric was just there to do his job and bring a Soul into the Afterlife. So why do they feel an inexplicable connection when they meet?

In this great expanse where what’s lost is found, fate, memories, and love intertwine as Kyra and Eric embark on a daring rescue mission to save a little boy from Death’s clutches. Afterlife is an epic Southeast Asian-inspired young adult fantasy graphic novel about one girl’s sacrifice as she fights to save what she loves, without losing herself in the midst of it all…

 

A SOUTHEAST ASIAN FOOD JOURNEY 

By Max Loh

Category: Adult Non-Fiction
Theme: Food, Culture
Publication: 2023

Synopsis:

Some might say that food is the heart of Southeast Asia. 

The region’s multitude of cuisines is a colourful reflection of the many cultures that have made home in the land. In this flavourful graphic novel, cartoonist and foodie Max Loh delves into the importance of food in the region, its celebration of traditional dishes along with the evolution of others, and the stories of people whose lives are interwoven with our favourite foods. 

Dishing out factual observations on food, culture, and heritage, paired with personal experiences from Max Loh, this book serves up an accessible read of Southeast Asia’s complex relationship with food for the gastronomer or casual food lover alike.

 

DE Shorts  

Difference Engine is also adding two stories to our latest imprint, DE Shorts, which publishes self-contained stories on a wide range of social issues. With DE Shorts, we aim to publish stories of lived and shared experiences – we hope that it will be a starting point for openness and candid discussion. 

 

WORLDS APART: A CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH 

By Wayne Rée and Nurjannah Suhaimi 

Category: Adult Non-Fiction
Theme: Mental health, Self-help
Publication: Apr 2022 

Synopsis: 

It’s been a while since you caught up with Charissa. You finally – finally! – find the time to meet for coffee, but after the usual pleasantries, she opens up to you.

She’s been diagnosed with depression. A moment like this can feel like a fork in the road. Will it lead to an emotionally rewarding conversation or… cause a lot of confusion and awkwardness?

Many of us still largely choose not to talk about mental health – and that often breeds misconceptions and social stigma. Join Charissa as she guides you through these unfamiliar territories and terrains that can be difficult to navigate.

Let the conversation begin.

 

BEARING WITNESS 

By Vinita Ramani and Griselda Gabriele 

Category: Adult Non-Fiction
Theme: Pregnancy, Family, Autobiography
Publication: Nov 2022

Synopsis:

Suffering from postpartum depression after the birth of her first child, a 42-year-old musters up the courage to try for another baby. Two trimesters of nausea, exhaustion, and recurrent, intense dreams pass, only for her to discover that her baby has passed away in the womb. 

And so begins a surreal life on the other side of loss, where grief and ecstasy are often bedfellows, tears come from nowhere, other people’s babies become the objects of intense affection, and where the baby that never came to be, shows up in stars, stones, seeds and her toddler’s imagination.

 

Creator Bios 

Melanie Lee is the author of the picture book series The Adventures of Squirky the Alien, which picked up the Crystal Kite Award (Middle East/India/Asia division) in 2016. She is also an Associate Faculty at the Singapore University of Social Sciences developing and teaching media writing courses.

Arif Rafhan is a comic and pre-production artist. His work has been published in more than 10 books to date by MPH, Buku Fixi, Maple Comics, and Marshall Cavendish. He also works with various production companies creating pre-production visuals such as concept art, character designs, environment designs, and storyboards.

Wayne Rée is the co-creator of the upcoming prose/comics mash-up, Work-Life Balance, and the short comic about mental health, The Conversation, as well as the author of the short story collection, Tales From A Tiny Room. His work’s been included in several fiction publications, most notably Infinite Worlds Magazine and LONTAR: The Journal of Southeast Asian Speculative Fiction. He is also the co-creator of the narrative podcast, Ghost Maps.

Benjamin Chee is a game artist by day, and a comic creator by night. He is the creator of Charsiew Space, a story about smugglers in spaceships cooking forbidden pork. He has also published 6 other titles, and has contributed to multiple anthologies including LONTAR Issue #5, Liquid City Vol. 3, Asian Monsters, and SOUND: A Comics Anthology. 

Kifurai a.k.a. Kiana Fedly is an illustrator and full-time animal lover. She comes from a family in the creative field and went on to study at Jakarta Institute of Arts (IKJ). With a background in illustration, she spent four years freelancing for creative agencies and various clients such as musicians, F&B businesses and startups, storyboarding, creating and illustrating cute characters for mascots and digital content.

Johanes Park and Jessica Leman are an artist-writer couple. They met while pursuing their bachelor degrees, and later received their BA in Digital Animation from Kyungsung University, South Korea. In 2021, Johanes received his Master of Art degree from Jakarta Institute of Art while Jessica received her Master of Management degree from Prasetiya Mulya University. They reside in Jakarta, Indonesia, where Johanes works full-time as a lecturer in a private university, and occasionally teaches basic drawing for children on the weekends.

Gina Chew is a Singaporean writer most acclaimed for her debut play Permanence. An English Literature graduate from the National University of Singapore, she brings her interest in theatre and its myriad of stories-come-to-life to other mediums including film, television and online media such as videos and animated stories.

Nadhir Nor is a Malaysian artist based in Selangor with an interest in all things otherworldly. He believes that the magic of finding the otherworldly in the mundane, and vice versa, makes for a story worth telling, and uses his works to explore the relationships between mythology and ancient cultures with modern society.

Max Loh is an as-and-when comic artist who’s still navigating the ideal middle ground between practicality and passion. When he isn’t drawing, he tries his best to slowly eat his way through the world, despite international travel and dining out being a rare treat nowadays.

Nurjannah Suhaimi is a designer based in Singapore. She is a visual communications graduate from Nanyang Technological University, the School of Art, Design, Media. As a self-motivated and proactive person, she takes pride in being able to adapt in stressful situations, and is always seeking new experiences to keep her on her toes! 

Vinita Ramani is a writer and editor. She has previously worked as a journalist for various local and regional publications, and as a publicist for film festivals both in Singapore and abroad. 

Griselda Gabriele is a Singapore-based Indonesian artist with experience in editorial illustration and visual development for games and animation. She’s passionate about storytelling, with a special interest in exploring the diverse history, (pop) culture, and faith of Indonesia and Southeast Asia.

—

**Titles and illustrations are not final.

For updates on these titles and more, sign up for our e-newsletter.

If you have a story you’d like to tell, head here to find out more details on submitting your pitch or manuscript to us. We’d love to hear from you!

Mentors are a vital part of personal and educational development. A mentor could be anyone: a parent, a maths tutor, an art teacher, a librarian, or even a volunteer at school. They are not just enthusiasts or professionals in their field, but also enjoy sharing their expertise and know-how, and are passionate and truly care about their students’ growth.

Remember Miss Tilly Tay from The Makers Club graphic novel series? She’s a great mentor character in the books that offers support and guidance to the students in the Makers Club! A mentor can spark a sense of excitement and the joy of discovery in a student. They make learning a safe space – one that allows for mistakes and failure, and one that encourages creativity, exploring new ideas and concepts, and creates an even playing field.

Now, you may wonder, what actually goes into making a good mentor? Here are seven integral qualities that a great mentor – like Miss Tilly – encompasses!

 

 

Inspiring students through sharing experiences and expertise

While knowledge, experience, and expertise are assets any mentor may have, the willingness and desire to impart the information, and to pay it forward, takes mentorship to another level. Good mentors are willing to share not only the best parts of their experiences, but also their failures. Both sides of the coin provide valuable opportunities for learning and can help mentees on their own paths.

The best mentors are curious learners themselves! They have the willingness to learn and grow, which makes mentorship a two-way street. Miss Tilly from The Makers Club series is the Head Librarian at Pangolin Secondary school, but she is open to more than just her responsibilities at the library. She makes DIY knick knacks, encourages students to create, and also created a Maker’s Lab where students can explore different skills and try their hand at building things.

 

 

Providing empathic guidance

Mentors need to be able to commit to their mentees, but more importantly, they need to be available to them. Mentoring requires time and effort; emotions and space. Sometimes, this includes an investment in your mentees’ lives – school, and sometimes personal.

We can think of mentors as a compass that guides on uncertain paths, and a lighthouse that beckons a reprieve when the waves prove too challenging. Great mentors listen to their students or mentees actively, asking them open-ended questions, share their personal experiences, and providing them with valuable feedback and encouragement. The advice is meant to offer guidance, but not stifle self-discovery from their wards.

As mentors and mentees share personal stories, they build trust and empathy with each other. Such sharing humanises their interactions beyond the textbook and superficial. Oftentimes, this leads to a transparent mentor-mentee relationship, which allows both parties to grow in their respective journeys.

 

 

Open communication is key

Great mentors communicate effectively to suit the personality style of their mentee. While one student may prefer a more hands-off approach, another might benefit from a little guidance. A good mentor also provides mentees with relevant challenges that can aid in their development – creatively or academically – and foster the feeling of accomplishment in their respective fields.

Mentors also provide constructive feedback to their students, and are willing to debate and discuss in a tactful manner. Giving useful, honest guidance helps mentees take charge of their potential and make their own decisions, as well as have their thoughts, opinions and feedback heard. This helps not only students in building confidence, but also mentors in guiding their mentees better on the route they wish to take.

Alongside being honest, giving constructive criticism, and providing guidance, a big part of investing in a mentee includes giving encouragement. While this delicate balance can be a challenge to achieve, great mentors support their mentees, and let them know when they’re doing a great job.

 

 

Realising and uncovering potential

Mentors not only work hard to realise the potential of their mentees, but also try to understand why they look at things the way they do. Picture two students. One loves designing items, and they are pretty certain that they want to create a spectacular piece of clothing in the near future. The other student doesn’t know much about design creation, but they want to try their hand at it – without any strings attached.

A mentor would keep an open mind and provide both these students with the same opportunity for exploration, and trial and error – even if one or both of them might choose not to pursue the craft. Why is one student so passionate about designing? Why is the other curious about it? Helping a mentee understand their perspective can help them better understand themselves and their potential. This safe space allows students to experience skills that they are curious about, without the obligation to stick with something they might not enjoy in the long run.

While Miss Tilly knows that Aqi is more invested in crafting than Yong Qiang, she gives them both the opportunity to work with the different machines in the Maker’s Lab, and provides them with the necessary guidance along the way.

As such, mentors don’t only want students to be the best version of themselves, they also want them to explore greater heights and master the skills that they already have – keeping in mind that not every student will choose to stick to the same path as another.

 

 

Going the extra mile

Who would you consider the most impactful mentor figure in your life? Perhaps it was your form teacher who constantly checked in on you, or maybe it was your activity club’s teacher-in-charge with whom you had an innate rapport with. Regardless of whichever it may be, the mentor figures who leave the biggest impression on us tend to be those who take pride in their responsibilities as a mentor, and go the extra mile for their mentees.

Mentors are eager to invest in their mentees as a person, extending beyond their academic and creative pursuits, to include discussions about behaviour, values, and relationships. They get to know their mentees and take an interest in their personal lives, providing them with confidence beyond the curriculum.

Just like Miss Tilly from The Makers Club series, this group of mentors do not shy away from helping mentees outside their predetermined scopes. Although Miss Tilly is a librarian, instead of just pinpointing Nadia and Priya to suggested reading materials on game design and coding, she volunteers her own programming knowledge to help the pair with their science project.

Even though coaching and tutoring came out of her own hours, Miss Tilly continues to help because she is invested in not only the short-term goal of completing their science project – she is invested in Nadia and Priya’s long-term growth as makers.

Mentors don’t view lessons or coaching sessions as a chore – great mentors are positive and enthusiastic about their subject matter and they view the engagement of students as a privilege.

 

 

Creating external support structures

While learning and self-discovery are inward looking processes, they should not be done in isolation. Having a mentor by one’s side can give the mentee support and courage in new endeavours, but the mentor alone should not constitute the entirety of the mentee’s support structure.

As the mentee continues forth on their journey, a good mentor can start providing access to external groups or individuals from whom the mentee can learn from. Having others around on similar journeys or those who are subject matter experts can offer the mentee new perspectives.

In the case of Pangolin Secondary School, even though students may express interest in making and maker education but no formal channels for those exist. To bridge the knowledge gap, Miss Tilly founded the Makers Club along with Aqilah and Yong Qiang, and invited the rest of the school population to join. Thereafter, makers who wish to explore techniques and methods can consult not just Miss Tilly, but each other as well.

This creates a positive feedback loop of learning and refining that is centred upon the individual mentee – and one that can be brought to any environment with or without the mentor’s presence.

 

 

Finding their place in the classroom… and the world

Mentoring does not stop when the specific task your mentee requires help on is complete. What separates a good mentor from a great one is what happens after: How will you help your mentee redefine their goals and vision to ready them for the next step of their journey?

Traditional curriculum is set along a set of predefined railroad tracks. Marked by chapters, assignments, and exams, students are passengers on a course with little autonomy. When no longer bound by the perimeters of the traditional classroom, students may find themselves at a loss as to how they can map their academic goals to the wider world.

Mentors can therefore serve as an anchor to the wider world for their mentees, grounding their classroom activities into real world terms. Like how Miss Tilly encourages Aqilah to explore her interest in design and craft, by taking careful note of what each mentee exhibits interest and proficiency in, mentors can gradually provide opportunities for their wards to explore and discover adjacent skills and competencies. This does not mean that mentors need to have all the answers either – it is a journey of discovery for both parties.

Over time, each mentee will be able to leave their classrooms equipped not just with academic credentials, but also a road map to a greater adventure shaped by their own two hands.

 

 

To see how Miss Tilly mentors the Makers Club quartet, check out The Makers Club: Starting Up! here. Now available in print and ebook formats!

The past couple of months have been ash-citing for superheroes Amazing Ash and Superhero Ah Ma! After their adventure in the first instalment of Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma, the dynamic duo have officially taken up the mantle as their community’s friendly neighbourhood superheroes. However, to ensure that Ash and Ah Ma can continue doing good includes caring not just for their community, but also looking out for Ah Ma as her dementia worsens. Ash, Ah Ma, Grace, Zoe, and Buddy find themselves on a new series of unforgettable adventures around Singapore – this time to learn more about dementia and caring for elderly loved ones!

 

Follow the group on their unforgettable adventures by reading the bite-sized comics

 

 

Similar to the original graphic novel, these unforgettable adventures interweave the heartfelt with the light-hearted, and the factual with the emotional. This collection of ten fully coloured bite-sized comics can be viewed and downloaded for free on the mini-series’ official microsite, where the group find themselves exploring the newest design features and developments that help people with dementia in Singapore.

Readers of all ages are invited to follow the characters alongside their journey, regardless of prior knowledge of dementia. These comics can serve as educational resources on the condition – the curious will be introduced to the basics of dementia, learn simple ways to make loved ones with dementia feel more comfortable and included, and discover places to visit with loved ones.

 

Each comic comes with additional information and discussion questions

 

 

To further expand on the topics and concepts mentioned, each comic comes with its own informational excerpt, and a couple of discussion questions. Created for children to learn more about dementia, people with dementia, and their caregivers, these sections are meant to further inspire interest and conversation on each topic. By following Ash and Ah Ma during their more candid and vulnerable moments, younger visitors – who might not have much exposure to the concept of ageing and dementia – are given the opportunity to glimpse a perspective they may not otherwise be privy to.

 

Creators used reputable sources from dementia organisations and government-linked sources in their research

 

 

To prepare for Ash and Ah Ma’s unforgettable adventures, creators of Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma, Melanie Lee and Arif Rafhan, embarked on their own journey to better understand the condition, and what Singapore is currently doing to help build conducive spaces for people with dementia.

During their research, both creators read up on dementia to better familiarise themselves with the symptoms and experiences of those living with it. To create as immersive and accurate an experience as possible, Melanie and Arif used information vetted by local dementia and government organisations, and official reference photos for the locations mentioned.

 

 

Melanie even took a day trip – with Felicia and Sophia from the Difference Engine team – to AWWA’s Yishun Dementia Day Care Centre during her research for “Comic #9: Dementia Day Care”! Nicodemus from AWWA graciously gave everyone a tour of the location, and explained why certain activities and fixtures were included in the centre for the benefit of the clients. It was ah-ma-zing!

 

Put your knowledge to the test by helping Ah Ma build her cosy corner

But the journey doesn’t end after viewing all ten bite-sized comics! After learning about dementia, children can apply the knowledge they have gained from the comics into one of the multiple activities available.

 

 

Younger visitors can help design a cosy corner for Ah Ma either digitally on the microsite, or by downloading the activity sheet from the digital goodies pack below. Inspired by Hackcare.sg, the cosy corner is a modular and DIY set that creates an anchor space for commonly-used and comfort items that a person with dementia may need.

Children can infer Ah Ma’s needs from the ten bite-sized comics above, as well as her adventures in Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma, and build a cosy corner that is both useful and conducive for her. There is no correct answer – empathise, be creative, and have fun!

Psst, don’t forget to share your children’s or students’ iterations of their cosy corner on social media by using either the #superheroahma or #ahmacosycorner hashtags!

 

Continue on your learning journey by downloading the free digital goodies pack

 

 

Besides the interactive on-site elements, all visitors to the microsite get free access to a digital pack filled with a host of goodies. The pack includes all ten bite-sized comics for easy viewing whenever and wherever, a Draw Your Own Comic! template for the budding creative, a printable version of Ah Ma’s Cosy Corner among other Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma themed activities and freebies. The super-fun has only just begun!

 

Stay updated on Ash and Ah Ma’s adventures

 

 

If you would like to know more about Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma or the microsite, or would like to request a workshop on writing, storytelling, or comic creation from the creators, you can reach us at readcomics@differenceengine.sg.

Five Ways “The Makers Club: Starting Up!” Teaches Students to Deal with Creative Burnout

Aqilah shows signs of burnout when she takes on too many creative projects.

 

No matter how confident you are at juggling school work and creative projects, at some point, even the most talented of writers, artists, and musicians face the dreaded “B” word. Creators – yes, you can be a creator while being a full-time student! – invest a huge chunk of their lives to bring their visions to fruition. Sometimes, however, the pressure to achieve perfection, self-doubt, stress, and the general feeling of being stuck can lead to creative burnout, which can affect an individual emotionally, physically, and mentally.

 

Burnout can feel mentally and physically exhausting! What once excited Aqilah now fills her with dread, and she finds herself doubting the work she once found pride and joy in. 

 

Creative burnout is not fun… we know. Oftentimes, exhaustion and dread seep in, and the thought of creating anything feels like an insurmountable hurdle, especially when responsibilities at school are added to the equation. Even things that once sparked joy no longer do. It is a complete 180, and a change that isn’t within your control. At this point, relaxing may feel like an effort, and even the most menial of tasks may seem daunting. If you are burnt out, or if you know of a young creative who is starting to struggle with their creative pursuits, there are ways to cope with creative burnout – here are some.

 

When Aqilah faces creative burnout, she finds herself unable to come up with new ideas for the first time in her creative journey.

 

Embrace burnout as part of the process

Juggling school work, your social life, and being a student creative can be difficult. But creativity is a process, and burnout is a part of it. Remember that while there may be times when you feel like you hit a wall, there are also times when you feel like you’re on a roll! If you’ve broken out of your funk before, you can do it again. The best way to deal with creative burnout is to take a step back and focus on how you feel, acknowledge it, and resist delving into the shame game.

It can also help to talk to people that you trust about your struggles. Share your feelings with family and friends, or teachers and mentors – they may or may not be able to relate, but even a short conversation can lift off some of the burden! Try talking to other student creatives – more often than not, they’d have gone through the same thing, and be able to give you some tips on how they overcame it. However, do keep in mind that everyone copes with creative burnout differently, and what works for someone else might not work for you. Still, shared experiences – or even a chat with a friend – can help you to find the best coping methods. Most importantly, trust yourself, and the process!

 

When Aqilah gets multiple requests for her creations, she gets excited, and takes on too many projects.

 

Set boundaries and communicate capacities

You might be tempted to answer a resounding “yes” to any project that comes your way. However, it is important to know when to say no and communicate what you feel capable of. Oftentimes, your creative work can serve as a reprieve from your commitments at school, but it should not be so demanding that it overshadows your academic performance.

Passing on an opportunity does not always mean it’s gone forever, or that you’re letting someone down. When Aqilah struggles to craft a creative request from her schoolmate, she feels as if she’s letting a friend down. However, explaining your situation may help – a good friend should understand your predicament. Alternatively, if you want to fulfil their request in the future, both of you can work something out then!  Learn how to say “no” to projects that you don’t currently have bandwidth for. If it’s an opportunity you cannot resist, be sure to communicate a realistic timeline for your deliverables, with some breathing room for yourself factored in.

If you are feeling burnt out while working on a project that clashes with responsibilities at school, highlight the most important and immediate tasks and complete them to the best of your ability. Most importantly, remember to be kind to yourself. While it’s healthy to be critical of your work, try to recognise the potential of your work, and why you took it up in the first place!

 

Aqilah gets overwhelmed as she finds herself juggling her creative work, social life, and school work.

 

Schedule breaks… and take them!

Creatives may sometimes feel irresponsible when they take time off from their craft. However, creativity isn’t a limitless fountain from which we can draw from, and breaks are necessary to avoid or overcome burnout. Working through burnout can make you feel worse, souring your experience and turning you away from what you love. Scheduled breaks, as such, should be considered an integral part of your creative routine. It can give you time to recuperate, thus actually making you look forward to your projects, which leads to higher productivity. Don’t worry, you don’t need a month-long vacation – even switching off for a day or two can help!

Take your breaks as seriously as you take your projects. When you schedule “off” days, resist ruminating on your creative project and give your mind time to breathe and discover new inspiration. Try doing something completely different to get your mind off your project, such as taking a walk with an unrelated podcast on, or having brunch with friends. Self-care is not selfish; it is essential to nurture the entity that works hard to produce great things – yourself!

 

Aqilah feels a world of difference after she talks to people who she trusts, such as her mother, and her good friend Yong Qiang. She even plays a little basketball with him to let off some steam!

 

Find an unrelated hobby that you enjoy

Having a hobby outside of school and your creative work can reduce stress, and provide an entertaining and necessary distraction. It helps not only with unwinding, but also with personal growth and to keep your mind open to new ideas. An unrelated hobby is also a great source of unexpected inspiration for work beyond the possibilities and ideas you’ve previously explored or considered!

So put down the pen and pick up a paintbrush. Set your easel aside and pick up a sewing kit. It could be anything you fancy at the time: engaging in a sport you enjoy, playing chess, or baking. Any activity that is done just for the sake of enjoyment can engage different parts of your brain, and counteract the effects of creative burnout. Try to dive into these new activities with no pressure – you just need to have fun!

 

Yong Qiang and Aqilah bond over their love of the Banyan High series!

 

Enjoy the creative work of other people

Remember the joy of reading when you were younger? A parent or guardian may have brought you to the library or bookstore, giving you a limit to how many books you could borrow or buy. You may have spent hours selecting the perfect book, then excitedly spent days devouring your latest acquisition. Recreate that feeling by revisiting a book from your childhood, or pick up something new and exciting like that graphic novel you’ve been eyeing.

Similarly, put on a film that reminds you of happy times, or one that makes you sob. Listen to music – the song with lyrics so relatable you feel like you could’ve written them, or the heavy metal track that can drown out your screams of frustration.

Spend a day enjoying the creative projects your friends are working on, the styles you love and the ones you’re unsure of. Think about why you love some of them, and why you’re unsure of the others. Or don’t think at all – allow yourself to be immersed in the world of art without judgement and expectations. Inspiration can recharge your creative batteries, even without you realising it!

 

Aqilah realises that there is space for her creative work despite her busy schedule and commitments – she just has to tweak it to suit her!

 

It is important to keep in mind that creativity ebbs and flows. It is normal to feel burnt out, and it is all a part of the creative process. However, managing creative burnout not only allows for creative growth, but also means that it doesn’t affect your responsibilities at school. Most importantly, don’t fall for the romanticised myth of the tortured artist – there is more space for creation when you can actually access the feelings you want to express, without the physical and emotional distress that burnout brings!

 

 

Find out how Aqilah, a creative and budding entrepreneur, deals with creative burnout in The Makers Club: Starting Up! This second installment in The Makers Club series invites kids to explore entrepreneurship, design thinking, and maker culture, with a diverse cast of characters who tackle real, honest issues in their friendships and personal growth.

Before 2019, the Difference Engine team had no inkling that virtual book launches would become so popular. Fast forward to 2020, with three successful online book launches and events later, we are here to spill the tea on how you can host your own successful virtual event too.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way many companies do their businesses, and the book industry is not spared. Singapore began its circuit breaker measures on 7 April 2020, which meant that our team had to rack our brains to launch the first title in our line up, The Makers Club: Game On! 

Written by Reimena Yee and illustrated by Tintin Pantoja, The Makers Club: Game On! is the first book in a new graphic novel series that aims to inspire kids to explore STEAM topics and maker culture. 

We decided to launch a series of free digital talks and workshops that ran from June till September 2020 – with the support of the Digital Presentation Grant from the National Arts Council – to generate interest not only in the book, but also maker culture and comics as a medium. The creators of the graphic novel, Reimena Yee and Tintin Pantoja, led the talks and workshops alongside other creators and experts.

It was the first time any of us had organised a virtual event and we were apprehensive at first. But after a few sessions, we started to get the hang of it. We’ve decided to share our experience with you and we hope you’ll be able to pick up some useful tips from our experience to create your own virtual book event! 

 

The digital launch of The Makers Club: Game On!

 

1. Decide on and adapt to the tech you need

There are many different video conferencing platforms these days, but we decided to go with Zoom due to its increasing popularity and audience’s familiarity with the platform, along with Facebook Live. Since we were new to Zoom, the team spent a few sessions testing out the features, even holding fun internal presentations like “18th Century Beachwear” and inviting fellow colleagues from our sister company to sit in. 

Besides getting familiar with the tech, we also needed to create a smooth, welcoming experience for all participants. This included anticipating necessary house rules, as well as digital settings. Some questions we needed to answer included: 

1. Should participants be muted when they first enter?
2. Should we allow everyone to chat with each other privately?
3. How do we ensure the event is secure and keep unwelcome “Zoom bombers” out? 
4. How do we encourage people to turn on their videos so that the atmosphere is more welcoming? 

 

The screen-sharing options on Zoom allowed Darel to share his drawing process in real time. 

 

2. Promote the event 

Once that was done, we set up the Zoom invite and Facebook event page, promoted it on social media, and reached out to guests who would be interested. A reminder email was also scheduled to be sent one day before the event. Our creatives also participated in the promotions either by sharing the event on their social media or doing up collaterals! 

 

3. Plan the talk and workshop content  

One of the most fun parts of planning the virtual events was working together with the creators and coming up with the talk content and activities to engage participants. This could be in the form of reading, activity, and Q&A session. In one of our events, “Let’s Frame it Another Way!”, illustrator Tintin Pantoja decided to show a live demo of how to translate a comics script into visuals! You can view the recording of the live event at this link. 

Other materials to prepare might include creating slideshows and any worksheets or additional materials, if any, which can be downloaded and printed before the event. For example, we created a few blank comics templates that participants can download and use to create their own stories here. 

 

Illustrator and animator Vann Law planned a fun activity for participants to create their own zines. 

 

4. Set up the virtual space 

Before the event, we had a rehearsal session to ensure that speakers were familiar with the technology, such as sharing their slides, and playing media online. It’s important to iron out any kinks prior to the event to reduce hiccups that could make the audience drop out, to reinforce a professional image, and to encourage a pleasant experience so that participants will return to your next event! The DE team also split up tasks such as moderating, troubleshooting, timekeeping, and more, that were communicated through a separate WhatsApp group chat. 

Friendly tip: Remind anyone sharing their screens to quit any chat applications that might have notifications popping up that the audience will see! 

To ensure that instructions and live demonstrations are clear, one suggestion is to use two different devices (if possible!) to present – one can be used to stream the live drawing, while the other device can be used for presenting the slides or capturing the speaker. During “Comics for Climate Change”, ecologist Debby Ng and illustrator Darel Ng conducted their session by sharing slides and conducting a live demonstration with an external tablet. You can view the recording of the session here. 

It’s vital to set up the physical space beforehand too, so that the speakers are in a quiet environment and can be heard! Speakers should also be mindful of what is in the background in their screen – we like to suggest a clean background, or if you are so inclined, to show off your bookshelves! Another great option is using a virtual background. However, if creatives are demonstrating anything on screen, remember that you might need to turn off the virtual background, to prevent interference, or even worse, completely obscuring their demonstrations. Illustrator and animator Vann Law did just that as she taught participants how to create and fold a zine out of a sheet of paper at her zine-making workshop here. 

 

5. Have fun and enjoy the session! 

Virtual events may be a whole different ball game from in-person events, but they offer the opportunity to interact with the audience in a different way. Free online tools such as Wheel of Names can provide some fun and the interactive tools on Zoom can provide the opportunity for more people to ask questions! 

You can also get creative with activities or games you want to introduce to your audience, such as co-drawing platforms, or cooperative sharing apps like a virtual whiteboard such as Miro. 

Websites like Wheel of Names can add a fun touch to your event. 

What are some ways you can think of that can excite audiences in a virtual event? We look forward to hearing your thoughts on our social media platforms! 

The Makers Club: Game On! features a group of fun and diverse characters who embark on creative journeys to experiment, code, and develop a maker mindset. 

The graphic novel is available in print and ebook formats. 

 

Missed out on the super-fun during our Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma book launch event? Needed to save the day from some pressing ah-ma-gency?

Don’t worry – in this recap, we will revisit the session’s most ash-citing moments. We will even show you how to inspire children to come up with their own superhero identities as well!

For those who are not familiar with Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma, it is an intergenerational family-friendly superhero graphic novel that follows Ash and her grandmother as they navigate superpowers and dementia. 

Follow this ensemble of strong, self-starting women – of all ages! – as they use teamwork to reconcile everyday problems with their newfound superhero identities. Filled with a mix of action-packed and emotionally-charged moments, this heartwarming story encourages children to explore the challenges of growing up and ageing in an empathic yet fun manner. 

Click here to buy the book and find out more! (For the ambivalent, why not click on this ash-tonishing excerpt before you decide?)

For those who want to experience the book launch in its entirety, a video recording is available on our Facebook page. Otherwise, keep on reading to see the workshop’s highlights – up, up, and away we go!

Guest speaker Ivan Loh from Lien Foundation inaugurated the launch with an insightful talk on what dementia is, and how children can play a part in helping family members who suffer from it.

In his speech, Ivan touches on how the rising incidence of dementia is an issue of pressing concern not just in Singapore, but in many other developed nations with rapidly aging populations as well. Because of this aforementioned trend, it is imperative that younger generations, especially children, are exposed to the concept of ageing and its difficulties. In turn, this awareness can help remove existing stigma associated with age-related degenerative conditions, and can reduce the disconnect between younger and older generations.

There are many ways in which children can play a role in the lives of family members who are experiencing dementia. By involving them in the lives of their seniors, not only will children gain first-hand experience on how dementia affects their loved ones, these interactions have also shown to be helpful in impeding the acceleration of the illness.

To summarise the key points of the talk:

• Encourage children to spend more time socialising with their grandparents – even if they are suffering from dementia. The key point here is to reaffirm that their family members are still the same people who love them!
• Be patient when interacting with seniors who have dementia, even if it means repeating oneself or talking slower and louder. Conversations help keep these seniors included and engaged with the rest of the family, and provide a respite from boredom and isolation.
• Non-traditional mediums, such as graphic novels, are great for learning about ageing and dementia. The accompanying illustrations make the topics more accessible and interesting, and can motivate children to learn more about the subject beyond the given material.

After getting an introduction to one of the core concepts of Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma, creators Melanie Lee and Arif Rafhan shared some behind-the-scenes tidbits from when they were working on the book:

Melanie opened by mentioning how strong female leads like Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle and the no-nonsense landlady from Kung Fu Hustle inspired her to create an eldery female superhero character.

Putting the idea onto paper wasn’t an easy process – it ended up taking Melanie and Arif nearly two years to finish Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma!

To highlight that Ash and Ah Ma are homegrown, self-funded superheroes – you don’t need to be a genius billionaire to become a successful superhero! – from Southeast Asia, Arif incorporated these influences into Ash’s and Ah Ma’s designs. 

From button-on capes to rubber gloves and footwear, we hope that Ash and Ah Ma’s ingenuity in improvising their superhero outfits will inspire children to be equally creative in their projects!

After the participants were introduced to how easy it is to make up a superhero persona and a corresponding costume, Melanie and Arif proceeded to the main activity of the event: Superhero Workshop!

To help the participants conceptualise what kind of superheroes they want to be, we created the following set of worksheets to get them thinking about not just fictional superheroes, but also real-life heroes they look up to. Do they want to have the strength and confidence of Wonder Woman? Or would they prefer to have the (seemingly!) otherworldly organisation skills of their parents instead? The sky’s the limit! 

After everyone had decided on their superhero personas, the Arif took over to explain how to make and decorate a personalised superhero mask.

Participants could then choose from one of the two methods to obtain a mask template:

1. (For those with a printer) Via our premade template

2. Or by following Arif’s freehand method.

 

A flurry of paper, colouring materials, and supervised scissors-use later, we were now a group of superheroes!  

Here are some examples that our superheroes-in-training created during the workshop:

 

If you want to participate in our superhero workshop at your own time, don’t forget to tag us with a photo of yourself – in your mask! – using the hashtag #AmazingAshandSuperheroAhMa on Facebook and Instagram, or email us at readcomics@differenceengine.sg. The world could always use more heroes! 

To get more insight on the life of superheroes, follow the adventures of Ash and Ah Ma by getting a (print or ebook) copy of the book today! 

We hope everyone had fun – we sure did! – and we look forward to seeing everyone again at our future events. Stay super!

 

To find out more about Amazing Ash & Superhero Ah Ma, head here!