What’s something you’ve done that your past self would be proud of?
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I think my past self would be proud that I never gave up on writing and making art. I continued working despite not having a large audience, praise, or assurance that the work would go anywhere. I understand why people stop when their work receives little support. But for me, I never thought to quit. I did it because something in me still needed to make things, even when life seemed uncertain and I worried whether anyone was paying attention. I kept writing and making art because that invisible, persistent urge would not leave me alone.
Nothing glamorous or sexy about persistence. It meant making zines nobody asked for, experimenting with drawing when I didn’t even know I was any good at it, and picking up new skills just because a project needed them. Persistence required me to continue despite doubt, illness and the constant question: Does any of this matter? I had no answer and I simply kept going.
Perhaps that is why receiving an invitation to create a cover for the Mossery × KL Art Book Fair 2026 collaboration felt so special. It did not arrive because I had it all figured out. It arrived while I was still creating, learning and finding my way.
The cover is called Bejalai. Bejalai is an Iban word associated with journeying beyond the familiar in search of experience, knowledge and growth. The design features two bungai terung or eggplant flowers, traditionally recognised as the first tattoo an Iban young man receives. It marks his passage into a new stage of life.
At their centres are spirals called tali nyawa, the rope of life. The flowing forms connecting them suggest a river, representing movement and connection to home. I drew and coloured everything by hand using watercolour pencils, markers and black fineliners. The cover itself embodies, in many ways, the persistence that made it.
Pre-orders for the Mossery × KLABF 2026 cover run from 16–29 October. You can customise your name on the cover when you order. You can pre-order it here.
I don’t know where any piece of work will lead, and most may never lead anywhere measurable. But I think my past self would be happy that I kept producing them nonetheless.
I write about Iban culture, ancestral rituals, creative life, emotional truths, and the quiet transformations of love, motherhood, and identity. If this speaks to you, subscribe and journey with me.
