Artwork by Lee Anchor
I was born and raised in Hong Kong. Growing up in Hong Kong, my family and I experienced hardship, where work and income were important for the family’s survival and basic needs of food and accommodation.
To help the family, every day after school, I did part-time work and quite often finished at 8-9pm. I was 12 years old when I started working. This affected my attendance and performance at school and my education became secondary to ensure my younger brothers had enough food to eat.
Notwithstanding my poor education, I began to realise my natural talent for drawing and design when my teachers regularly used my school work to demonstrate to other students. Drawing and art subjects at school became my relief from the stress of home life. It became my outlet when I was upset or had no one to turn to. Because of my poor up-bringing, I was not able to develop my skills and passions. …