KEJJ Co.

The Artists' Collective

Festive Vibes

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I love December! I also work the hardest in December because it’s the season that Christmas cards are in season, everyone’s getting gifts. It’s also the time of the year that I can never find time to exercise. But I’ve been cutting cardboard after cardboard, carrying heavy supplies, and having the worst back aches – I guess these can be considered exercise?

Stay tuned, when I can find a pocket of time I’ll share some of my favourite tools a.k.a. my BEST investments. Till then, we’ve got new items listed in store FINALLY. Go ahead and check them out 🙂

We will also be at three church fleas:

  • 10th & 17th December @ Riverlife Church
  • 16th & 17th December @ St Johns’ St Margarets
  • 21st & 22nd December @ St Andrews’ Cathedral

I am severely sleep deprived and dozing off at my keyboard, so I’m going to sign off here but I promise I’ll be back.

Life of a part-time artist

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In May, I said I was going to halt Brush Lettering classes in June to re-work my syllabus. I had a list of to-dos, and somewhat excited to get them done. June has almost come to an end and I have neither blogged, nor done anything on my to-do list. And so that’s how it is for a part-time artist.

Most of the time I have more ideas in my head than I can put down on paper. I conceptualize works on the go and have to kickstart doing them the moment I sit down in my room.

So what have I been up to all June then?

Prepping for the wedding of two very dear friends with tonnes of handmade bowties, and a set of eight frames for wedding decorations (which would then migrate to their home wall, YES to functional wedding decoration!). Over and above that, a wedding sign which I’d reveal sometime later, and cute angpow boxes.

In the midst of the busyness, I took some time off in June to rest, and pamper myself. So I got my hair done ash brown/ash beige, that unfortunately didn’t stay very long. I also got my lashes done for the first time. Actually this is the most i’ve ever put into looks. I guess the wedding was just a good excuse.

Well the point of my post today was to say that as a part-time artist, it’s hard to do the million and one things in my head. And sometimes I’ve really got to prioritize. Having to do wedding work meant putting new ideas on hold, or a hiatus from KEJJ, that sort of thing. I need to stop because this sounds like a personal blog ramble already; it’s just that we haven’t been here for over a month (unacceptable!). All that said, June has been a good month, we’re more than half way into 2017. A two-day-late Selamat Hari Raya to our Muslim friends, and we’re back to reality (ahem, work) tomorrow.

Past Projects, Future Collaborations

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At our last KEJJ meeting, we decided to work towards becoming a social enterprise, with the aim of reaching out to those in need and becoming an advocate for the environment. However, considering how all the co-founders of KEJJ are only doing this part time, we’ll be taking this slow. Below are some of the one-off projects we’ve taken up as well as steps we’re taking towards becoming a socially responsible collaboration thus far:

1. Sustainable Jewellery Project (2014)

Janna went to Thailand to teach the kids of Bethlehem home how to make jewellery out of materials sourced in Thailand itself. The kids learnt to make necklaces using cloth and wood. The necklaces they made were then brought into Singapore for sale to raise funds for the kids’ outreach to the people in Omkoi, a rural village in Thailand.

The kids learnt to saw, sand, paint, drill and braid these necklaces.

2. Retire Lazarus Project (2015)

Janna and Kristen returned to Bethlehem home the following year with the same goal of sustainable fundraising in mind and taught the kids how to weave necklaces from recycled cloth and yarn, and bracelets from locally-sourced material. The products sold out in Singapore and raised enough to buy the orphanage a new van to replace Lazarus, their very old secondhand van whose engine already had to be revived once in the past, earning it it’s name.

Charm bracelets and weaved necklaces made by Bethlehem Home kids.

3. Kristen Kiong x Kins (2017)

In between Chinese New Year and Valentines’ Day, Kristen worked with some of the ladies of Kins by hello flowers! to teach them to paint flowers and galaxies, which were made into postcards to go with Valentines’ Day bouquets. The goal of this little project was to equip the ladies with additional skills to contribute to supporting themselves financially.

4. Gradual switch to environmentally friendly materials (2017)

A new series of fine silver jewellery have been launched. The materials used are mostly recycled precious metal and lab-created stones. We do not support unethical industries that we are aware of and seek to keep ourselves updated on the industries relevant to us.

We’re now looking for more opportunities! If you’re an artist interested in such causes or an organisation interested in hosting a project, do contact us at [email protected] and we’ll consider collaborating!