THE FORMULA FOR HAPPINESS

We all remember as a little child how crayons and flowers and sunshine were our world. It was such a core aspect of our being that we replicated them throughout every drawing — on paper during lessons, on tissue wipes when dining out, even on the walls of some corner tucked away in our bedroom. There was a time (not too long ago, in fact) when our dreams were written on dirty, smudged, grey walls and our message of love shared in colors, illegible writing and nonsensical pictures.

It is the very same dreams and message that self-employed Leah Chong brings with her to the walls, 13 years after she graduated from primary school. Perhaps now, she is more a walking philosopher than a daydreamer, but still, the child-like passion she carries through different stages of life catches some of us off-guard.  

An artwork for The Washington Post.

Leah draffts out her works on her iPad, using the Procreate application for freehand writing.

Leah describes her current situation of managing her own brand, Leah Design, as being successful in finding that sweet spot. Coined ikigai in Japanese, she has found the formula for happiness — that sweet spot of doing what she loves (passion), what she cares about (mission), what the world needs (vocation) and what she can be paid for (profession). One and a half years into this venture, she is certain that she is happier.

Her formula? To listen and discern the voices of herself and society.  

A time bygone is not a time lost — Leah teaches us a lesson of growing up without losing oneself, of holding on to the dreams she had in a childhood that ceases to exist in time but in one’s heart. 

Leah in action at the Kate Porter Yoga.

‘I saw it as a disservice if I didn’t pursue calligraphy then. I knew that was impacting more lives.’ 

By listening carefully to the demands of what society deems successful, and what she deems successful, she has created impact through the work she loves. Having read an Accountancy degree and pursued an audit career for a year, she began to see that accounting was not for her. She heartily joked that the one year was a period of ‘exhaustion’ and ‘doubt’. When she was home after the job, she would see the night time as a ‘creative marination’ for her to do up her calligraphy.

She recounted, too, how she would be thoroughly engrossed in reading up typographic history, sometimes even re-reading them, as if she had a natural curiosity for the world of typography. 

‘I saw it as a disservice if I didn’t pursue calligraphy then. I knew that was impacting more lives.’ For Leah, calligraphy through social media, handwritten cards or wall murals meant more eyeballs, which also meant that more were able to see the message packed into that few words.

Leah is nothing short of idealistic — the tools she wields on her hands are enough to paint an entire sky and fill in a million rainbows. But Leah is likewise nothing short of realistic as well. Having been born and bred in cosmopolitan Singapore meant that she was attuned to the rules of living in cosmopolitan landscapes that screamed progress, figures and normality.

She is different, to say the least. She is how Malcolm Gladwell, writer of David and Goliath, would describe: an underdog who battled against the giants — and succeeded. When asked if she thought passion is overrated, she replied luck is overrated.
 

Leah graduated with an Accountancy degree but decided to bite the bullet and change industryy.

An arwork done using the Tombow's Dual brush Pen N14. 

When asked if she thought passion is overrated, she replied luck is overrated.

These days, she hops around different cafes to finish up her work and draws inspiration from books and podcasts to spread a message of love. Her time, spread out among educating others, expanding her knowledge and training her skills, is now more flexible than before. Leah maintains, still, that she is redefining success as she grows in understanding of herself. After moving on to pursue calligraphy and wall murals, she is beginning to see how she has much space to grow in her style.

‘How I define success now is being able to see an art piece and recognize the artist immediately without affiliation. And ideally, though less tangibly, when it creates an impact,’ she shares. This is shaping how she will begin her new creative venture, Passion Parade, an apparel line that allows her maximal creative and philosophical freedom. As with how she began, she is wanting to use her craft to share positive messages.  

Leah Chong hard at work for a wall mural project. 

‘Some day, when people walk past a wall mural or see the message on my shirts, I hope it speaks to some of them. Who knows right! Maybe they are having a bad day and a quote they are looking at just speaks to them.’

Caught somewhere between her own passion and the realities of society, she still fumbles for the right words to express herself. But she remains ever so soulful as she chatters on. A time bygone is not a time lost — Leah teaches us a lesson of growing up without losing oneself, of holding on to the dreams she had in a childhood that ceases to exist in time but in one’s heart.

The formula for happiness? Perhaps as Leah would say it herself, the formula for happiness is the formula for purpose. She has found hers.  

Photo contribution by Leah Chong (@leahdesign)