JOEL CHOONG IS TRISECTED.
TRISECTED was a username I chose in 2004, and it stuck until now. At first it was quite a random name that I came to, but as I grew older, TRISECTED stood for a trinity of sorts.
Artist Bio
Joel Choong (@trisected) draws and paints with a curiosity of world around him. Most of the time, Watercolor and Ink on paper are the medium of choice because of the fast drying and immediate nature of the materials.
The idea of capturing the present moment is crucial to his artistic approach, and this applies in the way he illustrates the objects in focus. The main message that viewers are encouraged to take away when viewing his work is that these everyday moments are precious for the artist, as much as they are for the viewer as well.
Diploma in Visual Communication, Graphic Design, Temasek Polytechnic
Bachelors in Design, Communication Design, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
Graduate Diploma in Intercultural Studies for Missions, Singapore Bible College
Joel the Creative
My creative journey started the same year, as I moved from soccer as a co-curricular activity, and started doing web design in my school’s IT club. I also started using programs like Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia Flash, and Macromedia Dreamweaver to create and imagine. By the end of 2005, my school teams had won awards for website design and storyboarding.
My professional skills and training in graphic design were furthered when I went into Visual Communication, in Temasek Design School, and later Communication Design, in Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. My focuses were in branding and typography.
Since then, I’ve also dived into calligraphy, watercolor illustrations, and urban sketching. Most of this work can be easily found on my instagram.
Joel the Christian
My spiritual life is something I can share deeply about, but as with most stories, it stems from the darkest times in my life.
I grew up in a Christian household, and I’ve always been active in church. My dad would play in the church band as a guitarist, and my mother would teach Sunday School. I would follow along and do pretty well there. There were ups and downs, but I always assumed a certain sense of safety in the Christian God, and I definitely enjoyed the camaraderie of Christian groups. Eventually, I served in music like my dad, and with my graphic design skills as well. I also led a small group.
But it was during my National Service (Singporean conscription army), where a horrendous night of training, coupled with the suicide of my younger cousin. I left the camp immediately in the morning, and I felt absolutely alone. A few weeks later, I was trekking in the mountains of Brunei, and I just knew that my feet could slip, and I could die right there and then. My team even got lost, so I was totally at my wits end. But we survived! Found everyone else eventually, and it was a realisation that life was definitely not in my hands.
Life wasn’t peachy immediately. There were other things going up and down. A year later, I was in a mission trip, and the leader asked if our Christian lives were only active when we were on mission trips. I felt a deep push to do more, after all, my life was in God’s hands. I decided to leave my then job in Events Management, and serve in a full time capacity for a Christian parachurch company, called Singapore Youth for Christ.
Fast foward to current day, and it’s been about 12 years of full time Christian service. I’ve gotten training in a number of different Christian programs, and a Graduate Diploma in Intercultural Studies, in Singapore Bible College.
One of my deepest reflection points is always how I realise I’ve not been a nice person to people around me since I was young, and yet, God chose to save my life literally in my darkest moments. He reassures me daily about the life I now lead, and the work I do for Him. Understanding Jesus’ death on the Cross, as a payment for my wrong, it makes the most sense and motivates me to serve people around me for God’s sake.
With that, comes the last portion of my TRISECTED thoughts:
Joel the Person
I have a huge range of interests, thoughts, and growing philosophies. Friends know I can ramble for hours, and about endless topics.
Through it all, I write about it. I give my points of view (unwarranted) and I try to make sense of it in a logical and practical way. Sometimes not, but hopefully it’s useful. In fact, it started because I wanted to be a lot more useful for the work I do with youth. To walk a mile in their shoes, or in their interests. In design speak, it’s to know my target audience as best possible.
I’ve become fluent speaking across generations, with constant exposure to different youth and adults alike. I strive to understand the world around me, and to make myself known to the world too.
I’m married to Clarice! Hopefully by the next time I update this post, I’ll be able to share about my child on the way too.