Scientist, Artist, Fish Whisperer

Growing up, "pursue your dream" was not the kind of sentiment I heard very often. I come from a relatively average family, so my parents had very justifiable reasons to believe that "doing what we love" is perhaps too much of a luxury, we had to get by with "loving what we do" instead. I refused to make that compromise...

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Came the time I had to choose a university program, and I put biology first with no hesitation. It took a lot of convincing, but they finally relented... and so what became an eight-year journey of excitement, discovery, and saltwater-drenched hair began. I was in awe of everything during my undergraduate years: growing bacterial cultures on agar plates, raising a colony of Drosophila melanogaster to name a few—nothing captivates me quite like the subject of marine sciences, though. From identifying preserved fish specimens to the snorkelling trips, from volunteering at public aquaria to researching shell-selection preferences of hermit crabs; I was obsessed by the curious nature of marine fauna and the particular intrigue that comes with it. It was around this time that I tried making biological illustrations... and a couple of extra points for the inclusion of a hand-drawn anatomical illustration of a hermit crab in my final thesis are ever proof that it was the right investment.

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Long story short, graduating with honour from the program allowed me to then pursue a Master's education at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) for the Marine Science and Management program, during which my experiences as an aquarist led to me being given the responsibility to care for life fishes on display in the teaching laboratories... and gained me the moniker of 'the fish whisperer' (check out my other website if you want to know more about it). Evidently much greater appreciation of art amongst Australians made me want to invest even more into improving my illustrating skills, and what better way to seek inspiration than to explore the rich coastal areas of Sydney? That's how I went out there, with my first-ever underwater camera and literally zero prior experience in wildlife photography. Practice certainly doesn't make perfect, but at least it makes you better. I'd be lying if I said I would call myself an expert in taking wildlife photographs, but at least the growing confidence has allowed me to use the bit of skill I have to contribute to platforms such as iNaturalist.

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Perhaps just to summarise this already-too-long section, the journey of mastering new skills—be it scientific illustrating or wildlife photography or pretty much anything there is—is never easy. It takes determination, sure, but at the very least it pays off when it happens to be what you love or are passionate about. It makes the journey less painful, more enjoyable; less daunting, more thrilling. One thing I learned is that the tremendous effort you have to put in to "do what you love" is still easier by far than trying to "love just [whatever] you do". Now—officially past my teens—I've been making biological illustrations and taking wildlife photographs for a great couple years of my life; some of my favourites I put here. For all of the curious souls who have been kind enough to visit my humble portfolio, I hope you find it enjoyable and worth your time. For me? It's simply a reminder of my stubborn unwillingness to compromise... and to keep it that way.