20th August 2015
Peter Zhuo of Singapore always had a love of drawing from a very young age, creating everything from portraits of loved ones to doodles of cartoons he enjoyed. However, his adoration faltered after a bad experience with an art class. It was then that his grandfather told him he could be anything he wanted to be, and he decided to help the world through art.
He says that spreading the joy of art means reaching out to children. Once children learn just how much happiness can come from something as simple as putting pencil to paper, they, too, can spread that joy to others, creating a chain reaction of creativity and positivity.
Knowing the power of art and compassion, Zhuo traveled around the world to draw with children who had been affected by tragedy. After gathering these small pieces of art, he traveled to Japan to give the encouraging pictures to children who had been affected by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and resulting nuclear crisis. It might have been a small moment of kindness in the face of so much tragedy wrought by the disasters, but it was in these moments — acts of kindness organized by someone who knew how powerful art could be — that helped to ignite hope in people beaten down by circumstance.
Before he was changing lives and inspiring hope around the world, Zhuo got his start by drawing caricatures for paying customers at a fair. When he learned it could be lucrative, he started raising the prices on his drawing. However, he wasn’t content simply earning a living through art. Zhuo wanted to affect tangible, positive change throughout the world using art. He had to go through a brief period of depression to realize what his true calling was — not making art for money, but instead using art to inspire change and happiness for people all around the world. That was when Zhuo started traveling and teaching art.
Having a hobby is a great way to stay active and cultivate interests outside of work, school, and even simply life. That’s why you should consider enrolling in an art class through SGArtClass.com today. Even a basic drawing class taught by our carefully cultivated expert teachers could ignite a passion for art that lasts a lifetime. We offer a number of special drawing classes tailored to specific interests, including basic drawing for beginners, caricature drawing to impress friends and colleagues or even launch a lasting career, or portrait drawing to refine drawing skills you’ve already acquired in order to go to the next level with your work. The sky is the limit in learning how to draw and create other art, and you just might find your new passion after taking an art class.
To learn more about Peter Zhuo’s mission to spread joy throughout the world by using art, go to http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/the-art-of-spreading-happiness.