The greatest villain in an artist’s life is the creative rut. We’re talking about the times when your muse has gone frolicking in a field somewhere, while you’re at your desk staring at a blank screen. If you’ve ever been personally victimized by your lost inspo, we may have a solution to ease your troubles: Scout Creative Talks 2019 (Grab your tickets here.)
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For this year’s roster, we’ve tapped creatives from different fields to talk about the secrets of the creative trade, and being an artist in today’s terrain. Expect some deep-dive conversations on content creation, visual art, film, fashion, photography and branding. Who knows? Your muse may just be waiting for you there.
Need some more motivation to drop by? We’re giving you a sneak peek on who to expect:
Yeo Kaa for Art
If the phrase “more than meets the eye” could apply to one, then Yeo Kaa’s artwork fits the bill. Known for her candy-colored world that masks dystopian undertones, Yeo Kaa unapologetically speaks of the taboo.
After bagging a win in a University of Santo Tomas’ on-the-spot painting competition along with her coursemates, the rest has become art history. Her works have appeared in group exhibitions such as Art Fair Philippines, Art021, and Sydney Contemporary, with solo exhibitions in Manila, Singapore and Berlin. Yeo Kaa has a couple of residencies under her belt, having recently completed Arndt Art Agency in Berlin, as well as Sarang 1 in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and Arteles at Haukljärvi, Finland.
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Coco Quizon and Jess Wilson for Branding
If you’ve heard of Sunnies Studios, you may have Coco Quizon and Jess Wilson to thank for that. Coco, the group brand manager for eyewear, has turned branding into an art form with this much-talked-about name in fashion. Other than that, she’s the mind behind several PR campaigns across notable brands like Magnum, Lady’s Choice, Axe and Unilever. Coco also co-founded the digital marketing firm, Get Social Digital.
Partnered with her is Jess Wilson, the brand manager and co-founder of makeup brand Sunnies Face. Jess kick-started her branding career with British luxury department store Harvey Nichols, and eventually took her turn as Lancôme’s product manager. Fast-forward to 2018, she, along with her business partners, founded the label now famously known as Sunnies Face.
LA Aguinaldo for Content Creation
We all love, love, love our boy wonder LA Aguinaldo. But before we got hooked on his daily vlogs, he worked as a full-time model, receiving accolades from the Asia Model Star Award in Seoul and Canada Philippines Fashion Week Model of the Year. While he still remains passionate about posing in front of the camera, vlogging became his main gig. He began his vlog series “LA All Day” around 2017. Two years later, he garnered a solid fan base and 26,000 subscribers waiting for his day-in-a-life snippets.
Carl Jan Cruz for Fashion
When it comes to the fashion scene, Carl Jan “CJ” Cruz is making his presence known. CJ earned his degree in fashion design technology for menswear in the London College of Fashion, and interned for notable brands like Céline and Eairth Menswear. In 2015, he launched his eponymous brand, Carl Jan Cruz. CJ’s line has been making waves across the globe, with his pieces in community-focused stores such as Tropa Store in Manila, Maryam Nassir Zadeh in New York, Esmeralda Serviced Department Store in Tokyo, and 100% Silk Shop in Toronto.
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A storyteller in his own right, CJ dubs his collective pieces as his “visual autobiography.” While part of CJ’s cultural identity lies in the city of London, his designs draw from his Filipino roots: the modern yet functional Pambahay, Pang-alis for the on-the-go pieces designed for daily wear, and Pang-okasyon, a more extravagant selection meant for special festive events.
CJ’s works have been showcased at Amazon Fashion Week in Tokyo, Vogue Talents, and Helsinki Fashion Week, and worn on the red carpet of the Met Gala. His capsule collections have been featured in publications such as Vogue Italia, Fashionista, 10 Magazine, The Face Magazine, and Fucking Young.
Petersen Vargas for Film
This film circuit darling gave us unique tales under a queer and regional lens. Petersen Vargas’ short films “Lisyun qng Geografia” (2014), “Swirl” (2014), and his coming-of-age feature debut “2 Cool 2 be Forgotten” (2016) raked awards in the Philippines and all over the world. He bagged the Best Direction award at the 2015 Cinemalaya for “Lisyun qng Geografia” while his full-feature film received a number of recognitions, including Best Picture at the Cinema One Originals Film Festival, the Best First Feature at the annual Young Critics’ Circle Awards, and the Audience Award at the Torino LGBTQI Film Festival.
Read more: Save the date! Scout Creative Talks 2019 is coming up soon
Branching out of cinema, he created “Hanging Out”—the first gay web series in the country. Currently, he’s working on his second feature“Some Nights I Feel Like Walking,” has been selected for the 3rd Southeast Asia Fiction Film Lab and the Locarno Open Doors Hub.
Mark Nicdao for Photography
When it comes to the art of the photograph, Mark Nicdao knows the ropes. As one of the most sought-after celebrity and fashion photographers in the Philippines, Mark earned his certificate in Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines. His portraits have been the face of several magazine covers, featuring both local and Hollywood celebrities. Mark’s solo photo exhibit “Alive” featured an unconventional look to celebrities, hued in black and white. His foray into art earned him a cool P1.8M for a mixed-media work at a Leon Gallery auction.
Hyped yet? Scout Creative Talks 2019 is happening at SM Aura’s Samsung Hall on Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Get your tickets for Main Hall at P600, and Balcony for P400 here. This event is powered by Hinge Inquirer Publications in cooperation with Bumble, and special thanks to Reef and Jansport.