The Unconventionals
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine|April 2018

As more are opting to leave traditional full-time work in favour of more flexible arrangements, freelancing is no longer the refuge of the unemployed trying to make ends meet between jobs. Four individuals share more about their decision to eschew the established path.

Joie Goh
The Unconventionals

FOR THIS MULTIFACETED performer, playwright and leather crafter, who, at 31 years old, will soon be adding “stuntman” to his list of hustles, the decision to work as a freelancer was a no-brainer. The first male Singaporean to graduate with honours from Lasalle College of the Arts’ acting degree programme, Erwin Shah Ismail’s closest experience to a conventional full-time office job was a 2006 stint as an intern conducting training lessons for Microsoft Outlook to clients at their respective workplaces.

The gig convinced Erwin that full-time employment was not for him, but it also unlocked his passion for public speaking and performance. Despite being labelled primarily as an actor, he notes that acting in itself is a multiple hustle: apart from acting on stage and screen, Erwin’s roles also include voiceovers, singing and hosting — often in multiple languages like Mandarin Chinese and Malay.

“As soon as I graduated I started living the freelance life, living pay cheque to pay cheque,” he says. “There isn’t a repertory theatre environment where a theatre company hires an actor full-time on monthly wages.”

Besides, he adds, he didn’t want to be bound to one company, preferring the liberty to do more screen work, perform onstage in different genres and have free time as and when he desires.

Leather crafting, on the other hand, was something he fell into quite by chance three years ago. “I had some free time and decided to pick up a new hobby with the intention to make it a continuous couple activity with my then girlfriend (now fiancée) Tiffany Tallon,” he says. “We both started on a leather crafting workshop to make our own passport holders.”

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 2018 من T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 2018 من T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من T SINGAPORE: THE NEW YORK TIMES STYLE MAGAZINE مشاهدة الكل
Look At Us
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

Look At Us

As public memorials face a public reckoning, there’s still too little thought paid to how women are represented — as bodies and as selves.

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2021
Two New Jewellery Collections Find Their Inspiration In The Human Anatomy
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

Two New Jewellery Collections Find Their Inspiration In The Human Anatomy

Two new jewellery collections find their inspiration in the human anatomy.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2021
She For She
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

She For She

We speak to three women in Singapore who are trying to improve the lives of women — and all other gender identities — through their work.

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 2021
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

Over The Rainbow

How the bright colours and lively prints created by illustrator Donald Robertson brought the latest Weekend Max Mara Flutterflies capsule collection to life.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2021
What Is Love?
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

What Is Love?

The artist Hank Willis Thomas discusses his partnership with the Japanese fashion label Sacai and the idea of fashion in the context of the art world.

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2021
The Luxury Hotel For New Mums
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

The Luxury Hotel For New Mums

Singapore’s first luxury confinement facility, Kai Suites, aims to provide much more than plush beds and 24-hour infant care: It wants to help mothers with their mental and emotional wellbeing as well.

time-read
7 mins  |
March 2021
Who Gets To Eat?
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

Who Gets To Eat?

As recent food movements have focused on buying local or organic, a deeper and different conversation is happening among America’s food activists: one that demands not just better meals for everyone but a dismantling of the structures that have failed to nourish us all along.

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 2021
Reimagining The Future Of Fashion
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

Reimagining The Future Of Fashion

What do women want from their clothes and accessories, and does luxury still have a place in this post-pandemic era? The iconic designer Alber Elbaz thinks he has the answers with his new label, AZ Factory.

time-read
10 mins  |
March 2021
A Holiday At Home
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

A Holiday At Home

Once seen as the less exciting alternative to an exotic destination holiday, the staycation takes on new importance.

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2021
T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine

All Dressed Up, Nowhere To Go

Chinese supermodel He Sui talks about the unseen pressures of being an international star, being a trailblazer for East Asian models in the fashion world, and why, at the end of the day, she is content with being known as just a regular girl from Wenzhou.

time-read
7 mins  |
March 2021