BE prepared to embrace failures if you want to succeed in life.
This was the collective message delivered by seven speakers at the TEDxWeldQuay 2013 at Whiteaways Arcade in Beach Street, Penang, on Saturday.
Themed ‘Artistry Within’, the event saw speakers like Penang-born songstress Bihzhu, who said every single decision she made so far, was based on love or fear.
“Fear will never go away, and it is good to a certain extent as it makes you think about what you really want,” said the winner of the 2013 Voice Independent Music Awards ‘Song of the Year’ and ‘Vox-Pop Winner’ in the cabaret song category at the US-based 12th Independent Music Awards.
“Let your fear guide you through your decisions, but at the end of it, always come back to love,” she said, adding that one has to be prepared for a lot of sacrifices.
Speaker Gary Thompson, from the US, who is co-founder of Cloud Inc, delivered a touching speech about Kethan Kumar, a young friend of his, who died of cancer at the age of 11, this year.
He said Kethan fought leukaemia for seven years before his passing and incidentally Thompson’s wife also suffered from cancer.
Seeing Kethan and his wife battle breast cancer, prompted Thompson to co-found the Consortium for the Local Ownership and Use of Data Inc, an online non-profit base for cancer researchers.
“I hope someday, we will not lose someone we love to cancer anymore,” he said.
Another speaker Simon Faure-Field, a sensory guru, said it was important to make customers feel comfortable before getting them to like and purchase products.
Boey Chee Ming, who has worked as a lead animator with Blizzard Entertainment, said people should not shy away from failures in life.
“Once you embrace failures, you will be ready to receive success.
“If every stroke is a success, then it is not fun,” Boey said.
Koh Yung Shen had always wanted to be a graffiti artist or a rapper, but realised that it would not help pay his bills.
After working as a copywriter for an advertising company, Koh made sure he worked hard enough and today, he is running his own brand of clothing — the Swagger Salon, best known for its LANSI caps.
Goh Choon Ean, the final speaker, said her experience with visual arts when her parents brought her to the theatres and galleries in London, helped her make up her mind about becoming an artist.
She is currently working on creating contemporary art installations which will spur people to live life fully and to bring positive changes in our society.
TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) is a non-profit global set of conferences, with the slogan ‘Ideas Worth Spreading’, which started in California 25 years ago.
Today, TEDx is a local programme, featuring self-organised events which bring people together to share TED-like experiences.
The Star is the official media partner of TEDxWeldQuay 2013.
