Artist Interview: Valerie Ann Chua, LISTEN TO THIS QUIET GIRL

I am happy to announce that I have thought of a brilliant idea to do specials like interviews  for my blog, featuring people who I know, may it be in a personal basis or through their crafts and profession.

And for this special, I am ecstatic and filled with joy because I got the opportunity to interview one of my favorite artists in the whole wide world, Ms. Valerie Ann Chua.

For those who know the blog/website Quiet Girl, you may be familiar with her and her work which features her subtle paintings and style. And for those who aren't, you may want to get a dose of this fabulous individual.

All Photos shown in this post are credited to Valerie's Sketchblog and Valerie's Online Gallery

Valerie is a self-taught visual artist from Manila, Philippines who specializes in traditional media such as watercolor, gouache and acrylic and is also skilled in traditional and digital collage work. Her work is predominantly influenced by East Asian watercolor artists and magical realism literature and poetry.

Info Credit to Valerie's Online Gallery

Valerie has already shown the world her talents in painting. Her astounding work has been featured in numerous magazines both here in the Philippines and around the world. She has done endorsements with the shoe brand KEDS , where she designed limited edition pairs, called Blue Forest.

This KEDS... How I wish I had a pair...

 She has had countless exhibits where her paintings were featured. One of them was at Fashionary Exhibition in Hong Kong last 2012. She has also been featured on the lifestyle show etcetera on ETC, a lifestyle channel for fab Filipinas all over the country. She has definitely made a splash in the art scene with her amazing work and vibe, now let’s get to know her better as I ask her some questions. You ready?

1. What were you like as a kid? Were you always this inclined to art and painting?

Valerie: I started getting into art late, around high school. When I was younger, I liked art although not in a very serious way. I dabbled in it sometimes though most of the time I was busier with animals, another interest of mine.

2. How did Quiet Girl start and when did you decide to feature your paintings on a larger audience or clientele?

Valerie: Quiet Girl is actually a blog I made in 2011. The blog name wasn’t very creative though. It was derived from my Chinese name An An, which means quiet or tranquil. In person, I really am quiet so I settled with the name. I’ve been blogging since the year 2000, except that I’ve been changing platforms and Quiet Girl is the more public one. A few months ago, I closed it as I got tired of having a public life and I felt that I was betraying myself whenever I made less intimate and less opinionated posts to suit the general populace. 

Featuring my works publicly started in 2009. I started painting around that time and I think that every artist has an inclination to record their works and their progress and I did mine through social media circles. I believe that it’s the proper thing for every artist to do whenever they plan to have a career in art or just challenge themselves an open their art to newer audiences.

3. Have you had times when you thought you were gonna give up? What/Who are your inspirations during these times? If you had any musical inspirations, who were they?

Valerie:  All the time. I think that whatever career or work path you get into, there will always be times of extreme difficulty and hopelessness. I experience it at least once a year. I used to cry about it but right now it sometimes turns into an ugly sort of cynicism. I cry and laugh all at the same time and then after 2 days to a week I’m back on track. I have a close set of friends who’ve been with me for over 10 years, some who aren’t even in the Philippines anymore, and we constantly keep each other in check whenever there’s a problem. I think friendship is one of the greatest things ever made and I feel so privileged that I have friends who listen to my troubles.

My biggest musical inspiration is Tori Amos. I’ve been with her music for more than half of my life already. I get a lot of ideas from her. She says something I hold close to me: “When you stop putting yourself on the line, and you don’t touch your own heart, how do you expect to touch other people?” I think that’s enough motivation for anyone to work their hardest.

4. You seem taken with Japanese culture. What made you take interest?

Valerie: I started watching Sailormoon when I was 10 years old and everything Japanese naturally stuck to me. I think that Japan is a very magical place that really gets stuck to anyone who takes a peek at their culture.

5. What would you like to say to people who would like to venture themselves in the art scene? Any messages to your fans?

Valerie: : I was told that to succeed in your career you need 2 things: strategy and hard work. You can’t have just one. Purely hard work won’t get you anywhere. You need to give your work direction, you need to challenge yourself, and you need to find avenues for your work to grow and be seen. Don’t forget to enjoy what you’re doing. If you lose enjoyment in the thing you’re supposed to love the most, stop and think for a while and find what’s wrong and change it. Most importantly, be sincere and kind and always listen to yourself before others.

NOW for RAPID QUESTIONS:

Sweet or Savory? Salty

Girly or Edgy? Both

K-Pop or J-Pop? Japanese for rock and folk, Korean for YG Entertainment music

Blue or Pink? Violet

Flats or Stilettos? Sneakers

Movies or Music? Music

Coffee or Tea? Tea

Quiet or Loud? Quiet

Dog or Cat? Dog

(It’s cute how Valerie puts on her own answers…HAHA! Well, she’s boss!)

MORE PHOTOS:

HEY HEY HEY! Look! It's Georgina Wilson! KYAAAA!

And Ford Model, Danica Magpantay

  Valerie's work incorporated in fashion and photography

I hope you guys enjoyed that interview with the wonderful Ms. Valerie Ann Chua. Isn’t she fantastic?

I would like to thank her for being such a good sport and doing me such an amazing favor. You have definitely made my day when you agreed to the interview. My blog is not that huge but the gesture is such a big deal and that’s enough for me! THANK YOU!

If you’re interested to know more about Valerie and her work then please,

visit her blog: valeriechua.tumblr.com

You can also follow her Facebook page: www.facebook.com/chuavalerie

Also you may follow her on Twitter: @Vinylrain

You can also check out my Twitter page: @jayvwrites27

Also follow me up on Instagram: @jayvwrites27

Again, thank you for checkin’ out my blog and may it have inspired you. Look forward to another special about cosplayers, musicians or writers! Cheerio!