There are people who will value your talent and passion. You just need to be brave in continuing your interest. Regardless of the slow sales, I continue this passionate hobby”
THE journey of our life is unexpected, and the unpredictable is inevitable. Yet, we are often taught to move on, to learn to push forward regardless of how difficult it may be.
For Chen Jean Nee, life to her consists of a stable job in the metropolitan city of Malaysia. Nestled in Kuala Lumpur, she was working for a reputable company in the secretary administration line.
However, things changed one day when her life took a 180-degree turn. It was a decade ago when her father passed away due to an illness, and her mother was diagnosed with a different illness.
The stress took a toll on her, and when her duties were done in Kuching, Sarawak, she returned to Kuala Lumpur. The following week, she had a life-threatening stroke which made her paralysed.
“I had a major stroke, I had internal bleeding in the brain, and I was paralysed. But with God’s grace and mercy, I managed to recover my mobility again after 18 days,” said the 60-year-old.
Soon after her recovery, she returned to Kuching permanently and has been staying with her mother whilst caring for her.
Although early retirement was due to her stroke, Chen was determined to remain active. She believed that if she continued to keep herself busy, it would lessen the risk of vascular dementia (as a result of her stroke experience).
Making herself with arts and crafts, Chen has been crafting ethnic clothing for dolls, doing origami and oil pastel painting.
Ethnic dolls making
Creating from scratch, Chen takes pride in ensuring each detail resembles the ethnic attires.
“One day, while I was browsing through YouTube channels, I saw a lady showing how to make an Indian sari for a doll. I thought it was very beautiful.”
“I realised that many wanted to buy the doll, including myself. However, I knew I didn’t have the chance to buy it because of the many people that were queuing up for it. So I thought, why not make it myself? So I made it and I thought it looked nice.
So I continued,” she said.
Although she began with creating an Indian sari for the dolls, she continued having a hands-on experience with the Iban and Bidayuh traditional costumes.
“I find that it actually feels very progressive. I try to improve as I go along. I would realise what I missed and then remembered to include them in the next designs,” she enthused.
After making these dolls, Chen would then sell them at bazaars. And when she manned the booths, she would also ask customers what was lacking and learn from there. Recalling some feedback, one would say that the skirts of the dolls were too short or that costumes appeared to be more modern than usual.
The struggles
Sourcing the dolls to dress is a challenge for Chen. She revealed it was much harder to obtain dark-haired dolls and dark-eyed dolls than blonde-haired ones.
Nevertheless, making the costumes for them remains a joy without challenges to her.
“The Iban costumes for the dolls are easier to make though the embellishments used are more expensive. Meanwhile, the Bidayuh dolls are cheaper, but making them can be time-consuming,” she expressed as she made the details separately.
Attaching them onto the dolls later on was a breeze.
Though her passion to create these dolls remained, she lamented that not many appreciate the art, hence sales could be slow. The lack of interest does not deter her. She continues to participate in different handicraft bazaars around Kuching.
Currently, she displays her crafts at the Sarawak OKU Skills Development Association (SOSDA) sales gallery which showcases and sells crafts and artwork of Sarawakian disabled persons at Boulevard Shopping Mall, Kuching.
“There are people who will value your talent and passion. You just need to be brave in continuing your interest. Regardless of the slow sales, I continue this as my hobby,” she said.
Passion for the arts
In her younger school days, Chen never batted an eye at art.
“My work was always graded as D, E, or F. In fact, when I was younger, my father had to help me with my arts and crafts!” she said.
But due to her stroke, she turned to art to remain active. After learning to make ethnic dolls, she honed her skills in folding origami and has managed to create bookmark dolls. After that, she learnt to paint landscapes — through simple artwork.
Though the future remains uncertain for Chen, she is content with the turn of events in the last decade.
As she continues to dabble in arts and crafts, her passion remains as she learns to see the value in the things she appreciates.
Those interested to view her artwork can visit the SOSDA sales gallery at Boulevard Shopping Mall, Kuching, or contact her at jnchen@yahoo.com.
