I’ll be the first to admit I didn’t go into animation thinking this was where God wanted me to be, I went in thinking: “This looks fun.”

My mum was an animation buff so I grew up watching a lot of the classics with her. She was a great storyteller, and I feel that sparked a love for stories in me.

I went on to spend a lot of my youth reading books and comics, watching movies and TV shows, drawing random characters that popped into my mind, and my parents were always full of love and pride when I drew something cool (even when it wasn’t that cool) or when I won a writing competition.

Despite my interest in art, I was all set to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Genetics. But right before I left for university, my mum alerted me to a new art school that popped up in Singapore.

And in an abridged version of my personal lore, I went there on the spur of the moment thinking I was going to be the greatest animator in the world.

After graduating, I wasn’t the greatest animator in the world, but I did fall in love with the craft of storyboarding, and that’s been my bread and butter since.

I truly believe there are no accidents, and God had placed all those little road signs along my path pointing me to where He wanted me to serve Him.

As a creative, how have you seen God work in and through you?

I grew up as a second-generation Christian kid who went to church every Sunday. I made the decision to accept Christ into my heart in my early teens but I confess at that time I didn’t care enough to live a transformed life until I was 18 and in university.

It hit me then that if I’m someone who believes indubitably that this universe has a Creator – a higher being who wants to connect with each of us – it’s bonkers to carry on with life without letting that fact reshape your existence and every decision you make.

There’s just no way to be normal about it.

When you acknowledge the existence of a Grand Creator, you acknowledge that everything good and wonderful we can ever conceive comes from Him.

The ability to put pen to paper and inspire the next generation through media, be it music, writing, art, games or film – is a gift from God.

Personally, being able to use my professional skills at church is a privilege. For example, I was once asked to storyboard an entire stage musical play for a kids Christmas event and it was the most spiritually cathartic work I’ve ever done.

I also work with the youth at church and my experience leading a team at work helped a lot in my ministry. It’s weird, but most times I see my ministry as my real job, and my creative work feels more like the fun side hustle!

God has also been teaching me to bring my ministry to my workplace. When I read a script, I think: “What are the themes and values in it, and how can I align it to God’s standards?”

Or even with my story team — how do I be salt and light in their lives? Am I setting them up for success at work, and am I there for them outside of it? Am I valuing people the way God wants me to?

I’m still far from being the holy living sacrifice we’re called to be, but my hope is that I would continue to be transformed daily into someone whom the love of God shines through.

How did you feel when you won the Emmy? What was really special to you about “The Molecular Level”?

It’s an absolute honour for myself and the Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur crew. I believe there is a power in art, where each episode we produce is a vessel carrying not just a message, but also all the love and joy poured in from every person who had a part in it. We can only hope that when our viewers watch it, that love and joy reaches them.

Personally, the weight of this award feels a little heavier as a Singaporean artist in animation. I was told by an interviewer that I might be the first Singaporean to win an Emmy of any kind, even if it’s a Children’s and Family Emmy, and that floored me. I had to google it to check.

I hope this means something to fellow Singaporean artists that hey, look — we can do this. Some of you are already doing it. There are creatives far more talented than I in Singapore. With the right opportunities, we can do anything.

“The Molecular Level” was the finale episode of the first part of Season 2, so it had to hit hard. It had some big reveals and intense moments, and we were wrapping up a number of character arcs that spanned over the entire season.

I remember sitting with the writers in a two-hour meeting and we were talking about what drives the antagonist, Molecule Man, and I recall asking if the main learning point of the episode could be forgiveness.

We worked it into the story, and if you watch it, you’d notice all moments point toward that message. That aspect of the episode was really important to me as I hope it reflects even a sliver of God’s character.

There was also a big learning moment for me while working on that episode. Through both seasons, I had a team of amazing, talented story artists and editors who were some of the main contributors to the show turning out as great as it did.

It was the end of the first part of Season 2 and we just got an order for 10 more episodes, and given the nature of how intense this show was, my team was running on fumes by then.

I came face-to-face with my role as a director and had to ask questions like, am I focusing too much on the final product? They’ve given so much to this production already, are they still getting anything out of this? When was the last time I asked them that?

… the true value in creation is the people you work together with.

I remember stepping back a bit to look at the bigger picture, and I requested a week of rest for them where I took the chance to ask each of them what they wanted moving forward.

Turns out someone wanted to try sitting in the edit room, and someone else wanted me to do a workshop with them, etc. And I made sure to see it through.

It reminded me that the true value in creation is the people you work together with. That made this episode very humbling and special to me.

Through your time as a creative, are you able to share any fresh or deep insights on appreciating God as Creator?

I came to a realisation one day that there is a reason we humans are drawn to stories. It’s wired into us. We crave purpose and the truth behind our existence. Why are we here? What are we meant to do? Where are we meant to go?

We flock to entertainment — cinema, books, television, music — looking for answers or inspiration. And that’s because the truth is each and everyone one of us is a walking, changing, complex story.

But we’re incomplete, our endings aren’t always great, our character arcs are a mess, we make all the wrong decisions, and our Hero’s Journey doesn’t feel heroic at all.

I’ve always been taken by a quote from C.S. Lewis: “If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.”

And that’s it, really. When I looked at the Bible, I realise this is THE story. This is the original Hero’s Journey we’ve all been wired to be compelled by.

We humans are desperate to find hope and answers in the media we consume because we’re trying to fill in the gaps of our story, but that hope lies in Christ, the original Hero. We just need to journey with Him.

And so Hebrews 4:12 rings so true to me, the Word really is alive. Recognising that God is the ultimate storyteller changed a lot about how I viewed the work I do in the entertainment industry. 

How does God help you in your work?

He’s the reason I’m able to do any of this.

When I take a good honest look at my career journey, there is just no way I got to where I am now on my own. He’s placed the right people at the right places and moments in my life, and I go to Him when I need wisdom for choices I’m not sure about.

The real question is, how are we assisting the Kingdom of God? Am I living a life that shines His light onto others, both in and out of work?

I thank God for the Emmy win, but in the grander scheme of things, what does it bring to God’s glory and how do I use it for Him?

How do you navigate being assigned to create work or scenes that don’t align with biblical principles?

I’ve learned a lot over the last few years when faced with this sort of situation in the world of entertainment.

The first thing to acknowledge is that at the end of the day, as long as I’m working on someone else’s show, that is their story and not mine.

The next thing I learned is to listen. Sometimes our knee-jerk reaction is to reject things first, ask questions later.

But I read a book about the steps of evangelism, and it said the first thing to do is to listen to someone else’s story before we start telling them about God’s. And isn’t that so true? Why should they listen to me if I’m not listening to them?

I learned to see all opportunities as a step of evangelism. So, I deny the initial reaction to turn away, look properly at the script material I’m given and listen to it – and then use discernment to make a decision from there.

Many times, I realised that the issue isn’t as unbiblical as I thought, that there is a strong line of godly truth running through the message if you care to look for it. And as a director, I get to shine the spotlight on that.

Other times, if I’m faced with a message that isn’t something I can bring myself to endorse, then I’ll either see if there is a way to turn it into something that aligns with His will or, if that’s undoable, settle for the last resort: which is to gracefully and sensitively bow out.

What would you say to student/budding artists, animators and Kingdom creatives, as a Singaporean who pursued a career in the arts and found success?

I’d say to make sure your definition of success is the same as God’s, and not the world’s. You can have all the rewards this world has to offer, while being spiritually bankrupt.

Don’t let your work define your self-worth, because your work can fail you. But root your identity in Christ, because He never fails.

Regarding the state of the industry, I know it’s a tough time for creatives right now all over the world, and animation in Singapore might be in the midst of one of the deepest valleys of its time.

I also have the presence of mind to admit that I’ve been very blessed with the opportunity to move to LA and start a career here, and that’s not something that comes around often.

So maybe I’m talking from a point of privilege, and I can respect it if no one thinks I have a say in anything that happens back home.

But if you care for one piece of professional advice from me, it’s for Singaporean artists to never let anyone or anything diminish the value of your creativity, your craft and the powerful, compelling stories that God has given you.

We have the talent, we have the work ethic, but we’re missing a platform, and what little we had feels like it’s being ripped away. The only thing left to do is carve a space out for ourselves, if no one else will.

Lunella is the smartest there is… but for other 13-year-old girls who are really just trying to figure things out — do you have any words of advice?

Lunella is a super genius and even she was trying to figure things out! This world has not been the safest place for girls and women, and though things are changing slowly, we’re often told we don’t have a place at the table, and we have to fight tooth and nail for a spot in the corner.

But we have a God who welcomes all to His house, and so I encourage you to move forward knowing you are loved and wonderfully made in His image, along with all the gifts He has bestowed upon you.

And pay it forward by thinking about how you can be someone who contributes to changing the world in accordance with God’s standard, so that other young girls in the future will know that they are just as welcome to the table as the next person.

Do not be afraid, He is with you.

Do you have anything fun or cool to share about your work on the upcoming Beyond the Spider-Verse?

All I can say is I’m a story artist on the film, and I’m having a blast working on it! It has been very creatively fulfilling and I feel like I’m learning heaps from the other artists I work with!