SASS 10th Anniversary V1 | Page 44

2007 ~ 2012 | A NEW CAMPUS AND THE BIRTH OF SASS Serendipity Eunice Phang 44 The degree I earned did not bring me huge financial returns but it has enriched me in opportunities and experiences. My work satisfaction comes from the moment my muse see the beauty that I see in him/her. ▶ I wasn’t the kind of kid who’d take on tertiary education, not because I’m not the studious kind, but because all I wanted was to be a makeup artist. Since the idea of being a starving artist was rather unappetizing, I took the safe path of getting a degree with the hope of a higher guarantee of not ending up on the streets. A decade later, I can only say that Mother knows best. Listen to your mumsy, because my uni-days are one of the fondest parts of my life. If I were to sum up my three years in SASS, it’d be “serendipity”. I was learning stuff that I was curious about but never knew I was curious about. Though I can’t say how quoting Freud and Descartes is useful in my career, majoring in International Relations did help me sound smart at dinner parties (sorry Dr Helen, I know your lectures are way deeper than that). To be honest, whatever I’ve studied, I’ve retained little. What was lasting was the transformation in my perception of the world, my character and my cool At the traditional dap-ay in Sagada during ISO Baguio & Sagada (2007). ▼ When the previous brand I worked for, Urban Decay, launched the Basquiat collection, I painted him as a tribute to his provocative graffiti art and brilliance. ▼ social circle of like-minded misfits. We navigate our lives together with a google map gone haywire. The degree I earned did not bring me huge financial returns but it has enriched me in opportunities and experiences, including landing my first job and my dream job in L’oreal for a PR role which led me to combine my passion for makeup while enjoying the “stability” of a corporate environment. Eventually, with some ups and downs, I’ve got an even dreamier job. I’ve transitioned to an educator role for a professional makeup brand that allows me to travel often and teach in a multicultural environment. It is true that when you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. Am I at the last stage of my metamorphosis? I guess change is constant, so just go with the flow and enjoy the ride. Eunice Phang graduated with a Bachelor of Communication, majoring in Communications and International Studies in 2007. She currently works as a Senior Trainer for MAKE UP FOR EVER Travel Retail SEA and Oceania. Some weekends I paint faces. ▼ ▲ Art is makeup, makeup is art. ◀ I do silk yoga to strike a balance between work and life.