At only 28 years old our alumna in Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Interior Architecture Nito Tan owns Nito Art Design. Based in Pontian, Johor, the company aims to give art a purpose by educating students and sparking their passion in fine arts skills while maintaining fun and imaginative innovation.
As southern Malaysia’s largest city known for its fearless souls and its myriad of museums, temples, and mosques as well as exciting festivals, Nito mentioned Johor is the perfect place to base Nito Art Design at.
“We love festivals! Each time we come up with projects in conjunction with organisers to motivate our students and celebrate their achievements in each art piece they produce. We have exhibitions and yearly themed festival artworks. We mostly guide students from Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) who study Pendidikan Seni Visual (PSV) and work together with teachers to guide them on scoring. We also have regular workshops and take up on commission artwork such as mural painting, portrait, oil /acrylic paint, as well as interior design renderings.”
Incensed by her passion for arts and determination to educate the younger generation, Nito opened a second studio ‘IKAGAI’ which she said represents the pursuit of life-defining goals.
Sharing some of her favourite projects, Nito recalls a project they did during Christmas in 2020 titled ‘Ikigai with NAD’ which represented hope for children amidst the pandemic. “We compiled all the kids’ drawings and custom made a sketchbook diary planner for them. In a few years we hope this reminds them of how precious it is to spend time with family.”
Recently, the team collaborated with students and parents to produce more than 100 canvas acrylic painting to celebrate this year’s Chinese New Year. They also collaborated with Jom restaurant on a mural painting approximately 14 feet in height.
Just like any company around the world Nito mentioned they went through some challenges but however learned to overcome them through utilising online classes.
Nito is currently amid planning the company’s upcoming project which will be an art exhibition of Johor to be announced soon on their social media platforms.
Giving a word of advice Nito said following one’s heart is the beginning of all things good. “Find your reason in life so that your career doesn’t become a job but a passion. Things don’t always start easy, but with determination you will surely go places. Remember, success doesn’t come in day or year, it’s built through struggle and hard work and overtime your success will speak for itself. So, start a hobby, implement what you learned and innovate into a passion - that’s what I learnt from Limkokwing!”
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