C A N VA S
“Escolta's 'success' is because of the passion of all the people who work
here and the time and effort that they devote for its flourishing.”
The continuing revitalization of Escolta has been a bright spot for
Manila, thanks to the efforts of creatives like yourself. However, there
are various other spots in the city that could benefit from the attention.
What do you think made for the continuing success of the Escolta story,
and how could this be replicated in other places within Manila?
Personally, I think we have a long way to go before we can say that we’re
“successful”. But thank you for thinking that—a lot of people are working hard to give
Escolta new life. There are a lot of challenges in terms of focus and communication
because we’re practicing in different industries and our resources are limited since we’re
all independent. But I think the 'success' that you mentioned is because of the passion
of all the people who work in Escolta and the time and effort that they devote for its
flourishing. The term “passion” has been given many different connotations along with
the generation of “millennials” but truly, it’s the one thing that runs all of these creative
hubs around the world. And if one is to “replicate” it, they must find enough passionate
people to run the show and steer that community to creative success.
Nayong Pilipino branding identity
What do you guys do on your free time? Any hobbies or advocacies that
you pursue on the side?
We’re always out there trying to find new inspirations from music, film,
art, food, and design. I always try to catch local film festivals and gallery
openings to provoke and stimulate
creative thinking. It’s always best
for creatives to find new things
that interest them so that they stay
inspired to work and respond to
these different stimuli. We recently
opened a café in Malate called
blocleaf café, which keeps us busy
too, and it came along through our
curiosity and passion for great local
coffee. Lately, I got into functional
and kettlebell training just to give
me some sense of trajectory when it
comes to my personal health.
More works coming out soon on
publicschoolmnl.com.
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