Designing smart cities, fulfilling mid-career dreams: How they found their purpose through an arts degree

When you think of fine arts, you might picture a studio filled with canvases and paintbrushes.

Though this may represent one artistic path, it was only the starting point for Hubert Loi, whose education at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, University of the Arts Singapore (Nafa) was the launchpad for an unexpected career – designing future-ready solutions for smart cities.

As a design strategist at French aerospace and defence company Thales Group, the 29-year-old leads a team that crafts compelling video animations, user journey maps and other resources to help various stakeholders – from clients to engineers and sales teams – better understand the projects different teams are working on. These range from borderless airport clearance to inflight entertainment systems.

“I find the middle ground and ensure that these innovations are not only technologically advanced but meet real human needs,” he says.

Hubert, who grew up doodling in textbooks and sketching observations, graduated with a Diploma in Fine Art with Distinction from Nafa in 2016.

While he was initially drawn to Nafa for “its long-standing history, credibility and strong roots in fine arts”, his three years there helped him realise that beyond gaining technical skills, art is also about communicating ideas, shaping perspectives and solving problems – all highly valued skills in the tech industry too.

“An arts education doesn’t only prepare you for an arts career but for any field where the need for interdisciplinary skills is growing,” he says. 

Bridging creativity and critical thinking

Hubert’s Nafa education equipped him with an interdisciplinary mindset to think beyond the canvas – blending design, business and strategy.

The curriculum included marketing and visual merchandising modules that opened his eyes to the commercial side of design, leading him to work as a visual merchandiser at department store Tangs for a year. 

In 2016, Hubert also helmed Nafa’s inaugural student-led interdisciplinary project, INterSPACE, which encourages creative collaboration from students across different disciplines such as dance, theatre and fine art.

Working with 13 schoolmates, Hubert transformed Nafa’s carpark into an exhibition space, pushing the boundaries of where and how art can be experienced. INterSPACE is now an annual event that has since been presented at the Singapore Night Festival and Nafa Open House. 

“It was a transformative project and I always credit Nafa for the start of my design leadership journey,” says Hubert. 

Regular consultations and critiques from in-house and guest lecturers further honed his critical thinking skills and confidence, as did an overseas exchange trip to Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University in his second year.

All these experiences prepared him to further his studies at Nanyang Technological University, where he majored in Visual Communications with a minor in Art History, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Design Art with Honours (Highest Distinction).

His advice to fine arts students: Be hungry to find out more, consider what is beyond your discipline and develop soft skills that can shape your career.

“In an evolving economy, the ability to adapt and think critically is important. Creativity and critical thinking can come together,” he adds.

Never too late to follow your dreams

While Hubert leveraged his arts education to enter the corporate world, 53-year-old Bong Chai Lee is proving that it is never too late to chase your passions and reinvent yourself. 

Since 2023, the mother of two has been pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Fine Art degree at Nafa.

She first pursued a Diploma in Graphic Design at Nafa’s old Selegie campus in the 1990s. After spending over a decade as a graphic designer in publishing, advertising and events firms, she put her career on hold to be a stay-home mum.

With her children now grown up, Chai Lee decided it was time to upskill and re-enter the workforce – and her alma mater Nafa was naturally her first choice.

By enrolling in Nafa’s programme, she is eligible for the SkillsFuture Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy which provides subsidised tuition fees for Singaporeans aged 40 and above.

Now in her second year, she says that the curriculum has honed her critical thinking skills, even on an everyday level, and given her more confidence to pursue a second career.

“I have my youth all over again!” she says, adding that upgrading her education has kept her feeling young and helped her to share common discussion topics with her son, 19, and daughter, 20. 

“It’s a new adventure and because you keep on learning new things, you keep thinking and moving, and you aren’t stagnant,” she says. 

Chai Lee hopes to pursue a master’s or work as an art therapist after graduation, citing the growing role of art in health and mental wellness. 

She got a taste of this when she took part in one of Nafa’s inter-industry collaborative projects with Assisi Hospice. Chai Lee and her coursemates created artwork as part of the Stories of Care exhibition, held at Assisi Hospice, inviting viewers to reflect on care work and the theme of mortality.

Chai Lee acknowledges that while it may be tough to step into the classroom after a long hiatus, she is grateful for the support from her younger classmates and Nafa’s technical officers for their advice on shaping sculptures or when firing up the pottery kiln. 

Her renewed passion did not go unnoticed, as she earned the Silver Award in the Emerging Artist Category at the prestigious 42nd UOB Painting of the Year competition in 2023.

“If I had a choice in the 1990s, I would have chosen fine art but in those days, people used to think that there’s no prospect for it,” says Chai Lee. “But now, you can venture into many areas with a fine art degree. It’s a dream come true.”

Visit the NAFA website to find out more about its various programmes.