Michael Liew makes a striking career change that leaves him more fulfilled and happier than ever
At the age of 50, Michael Liew decided to leave corporate life and lean into his creative urges. From the green frog etching on his face mask to the interconnected ropes on his denim shirt and the geometric design on his Onitsuka Tiger sneakers, he is a walking, talking advertisement of what he now does for a living—customised hand-painting on apparel and leather accessories.
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In actuality, he started doing this more than 20 years ago before the onset of his corporate career. He’d work with a tailor, offering customised designs should their customers want to make their tailored outfit look special. But it fizzled as more work and raising a family came into the picture.
His career was as varied as his designs. From being an English teacher for four years, to joining an electrical company and then making the switch to fashion retail, where he managed everything from shop operations, inventory, merchandising, staff hiring to even window dressing. Then an opportunity arose to work in the beauty industry and that’s where he was for the past 20 years.
“Actually I never planned to do what I eventually did,” said Liew. “If you asked me, when I first started my career, I always thought I was kind of an introvert, and that being an academician was enough. While I love teaching, it was kind of frustrating because I couldn’t further myself. And so I moved on and tried something else.”
Reminiscing on his experiences, he adds, “My whole life has been like, ‘I don’t know, let me try it out. I won’t know until I do it.’”
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