Don’t Worry, I Can…

Jia Yi is a bilingual drama educator and arts practitioner based in Singapore.

She has been involved in theatre since her secondary school days and was trained in ARTivate, the youth wing of Drama Box, a local theatre company that creates works that raise social awareness and inculcate civic responsibility. She graduated from the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, with a major in Psychology, which provided her an additional perspective into the human experience to support her role as an artist.

In her exploration of Theatre for Young Audiences, she performed in an immersive theatrical experience for babies titled You Can Reach The Sky. In 2020, she co-created and performed in a series of online videos on the Babies Book Club platform, an online interactive play space for babies.

As community artist, Jia Yi also adopts the Asset-based Community Development (ABCD) approach in facilitating conversations with her young audiences, and tapping on their existing strengths to create new works.

Jia Yi has performed in plays that involved object puppetry, rod puppetry, life-sized puppets, and mask work. In recent years, she has also ventured into other roles such as that of a producer, director and facilitator.

Melissa Tan is the illustrator behind Paintinks by Melt. She has an endless love for animals and absolutely no regard for perspective—which is probably why her art turns out a little whimsical, a little wonky, and (hopefully) a lot delightful.

She is best known for painting pet and family portraits that capture the unique quirks and charm of the ones people love most. Melissa also believes strongly in using art for good and regularly takes part in fundraisers that support both people and pets in need.

Outside the studio, Melissa works with children and youth with special needs. She holds a degree in psychology and has over 20 years of experience in this field. More recently, she became a certified personal trainer, with a special focus on helping children with special needs become fitter and build confidence.

Whether through art or movement, her goal remains the same: to bring more joy, connection and colour into the world.