"Vote for Art", Dr Juliana Hazrin, Artist Extraodinaire

"As to an occasional copy of verses, there

are few men who have leisure to read, and

are possessed of any music in their souls,

who are not capable of versifying on some

ten or twelve occasions during their natu-

ral lives: at a proper conjunction of the

stars. There is no harm in taking advantage

of such occasions."

FitzGerald, En una carta a Bernard Barton (1842).

“I am here for change”, said Dr Juliana Hazrin, a visiting lecturer here at University Malaya during an exclusive one to one interview with the creative expert. Dr Juliana is now a free-lance creative director consulting with big companies in order to create advertisements and branding ideas while advising companies on consumer interests. This career woman has a stunning twelve years of creative experience under her belt and holds another two years of free-lance experience.

(Image 1: Dr Juliana, on the right with the newly appointed once again Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad)

The inspiring graphic designs PhD holder first came in touch with CITra, University of Malaya’s very own Centre for the Initiation for Talent and Industrial Training when she was approached by CITra officers to teach art classes to undergraduates for their extra-curricular course, mandatory for each University Malaya student. Three years ago, Dr Juliana suggested instead of a regular painting class, traditionally on paper, why not paint on glass?

Although the course was a little shaky at the time, CITra was impressed by Dr Juliana’s passion and drive to educate the youth on the importance of art. She says, “Nowadays, everything is digitalised. I thought to myself, why not put a spin on things- use the traditional forms of a brush and paint but on a different canvas.”

When asked why she chose to pursue a career on the creative side of things, Dr Juliana says, “Art is how one views the world. To me it encompasses values, ideas, and helps to correlate to each other what the imagination is capable of, without minimizing thought or the power of creation. Art is the fabric of being human. It is essential for society”

She also emphasises how far art has brought students from all walks of life and majors together to work on a project often deemed unreasonable and unnecessary by numerous government schools. As it is, the Ministry of Education in Malaysia is stressing on the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) more than ever. She says it’s nice to see students reminisce a slice of their childhood when they used to study art or PSV (Pendidikan Seni Visual) in school.

In Malaysia, it is painfully obvious to admit that there is a lack of experimentation when it comes to art. At most, schools teach students the basic art of batik, but that’s as far we as a nation are willing to go. Dr Juliana says, “Schools are about maths, science and history. Nothing else. What counts is your ability to memorise.” Although STEM makes the modern world we live in, from smartphones to spacecrafts, and medicine to the internet. The arts are what make living in this modern world worthwhile.

When Dr Juliana ventured to tell us on what inspires her, she talks about her son. “Art is a form of an expression” She says, you don’t need to be the best at something. “Art is about you- fulfilling your needs” Although her son can barely form a full sentence, Dr Juliana explains the wonders of art as she sees her son growing exponentially through means of intellectual stimulation. She adds “For me, art is a testimony of the human condition. It encompasses all our struggles, joy, tantrums, sadness, love, beauty, hatred, questions; every aspect of humanity, of the way in which we perceive our world can be expressed artistically.”

(Image 2: One of the many productions by Dr Juliana)

Although most people seem to think of art as an unnecessary part of life, Dr Juliana strongly differs. At this day and age, it’s the creative mind that counts. No one wants normal and people certainly don’t want the predicted. “Working in a risky environment is the most exciting element of my career. One day they love your ideas, another day they want you to scrape it off. ” Dr Juliana adds, that it is extremely fulfilling to witness her message translate through her art.

What she hopes to see in the future is a better awareness of arts here in Malaysia. There is no point in having the Asian mentality of looking down on arts anymore. Art in Malaysia, more than anywhere in the world tells a story of culture. Not just the traditional forms of the main cultures in our Nation, but the growing cultures too. Every new building is an architect of the current views our country holds. (Image 3: An artwork by Dr Juliana for rexpo)

We all live in art, even if we are not aware of it. Art is not a distraction, and it is not so much a matter of importance. It is life itself much like death, impossible to endure without it and unbreakable from human kind.