Telling stories through digital art
Pursuing a degree in Media and Digital Practice at MDIS gave Mr Calvin Goh a deeper understanding of the media industry
By Audrey Ng
October 21, 2020
When Mr Calvin Goh started creating digital art, he didn’t put much thought into the storytelling and symbolism behind it, as long as what he created looked aesthetically pleasing.
But curriculum module The Entertainment Industries changed his perspective; he learned about different techniques on how to capture an audience’s attention, get them interested and elicit a reaction.
Now, whenever he creates a new piece of work, he tries to put more thought behind the symbolism of elements used in
a scene or artwork.
Turning a passion into a career
The 22-year-old is currently a final year student at the Management Development Institute of Singapore (MDIS) pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Media and Digital Practice (Top-up), awarded by the University of Portsmouth in the United Kingdom.
He has always enjoyed creating art from a young age, and studying digital media was the way forward to turn his passion into a career.
His interest in digital media grew when a good friend from secondary school showed him motion graphics videos he had made. Mr Goh was so impressed that he decided to pursue further studies in digital media.
After secondary school, Mr Goh attended the Interactive and Digital Media course at Republic Polytechnic, where he learned the basics of interactive and digital media.
At the same time, he also picked up graphic design and video editing skills from You- Tube tutorials. After completing his National Service, he started streaming his design process on live platform Twitch and slowly gained recognition online. This eventually led to recommendations and commissions for design work.
Now, Mr Goh freelances as a graphic designer while studying at MDIS.
“The ability to express and translate what I perceive in my mind into digital artwork is really fascinating,” he says. He is glad that he found a suitable university to pursue his passion and learn more about the industry.
Studying Media and Digital Practice at MDIS has helped him understand the industry, and he has gained deeper insights into media culture and how audiences consume media.
He plans to continue freelancing as a graphic designer and hopes to find a job in the film industry when he graduates in May.
“I have great appreciation for the work that goes into filmmaking and hope to continue my passion to create great films and videos,” he says.
