by: MARIE SHANE KRIZZIA S. DELGADO and MARIA MONICA B. PADILLO
AT the age of 21, Abigail, or Abbey Sy seems to be certain of one thing and it’s that she’s in love with the art of lettering, whether it is for an important client or just for the satisfaction of doing it during her spare time.
In an email interview, Abbey admitted that she still feels overwhelmed whenever people praise her work because she was never the type of person who was always given attention to as she grew up. “I try to keep all the kilig feelings in,” she said in an email to the Colosseo.
AT the age of 21, Abigail, or Abbey Sy seems to be certain of one thing and it’s that she’s in love with the art of lettering, whether it is for an important client or just for the satisfaction of doing it during her spare time.
In an email interview, Abbey admitted that she still feels overwhelmed whenever people praise her work because she was never the type of person who was always given attention to as she grew up. “I try to keep all the kilig feelings in,” she said in an email to the Colosseo.
But she didn’t hesitate to look back to when she was still starting out. Back in 2010, she ran an online business called h.e.a.r.t where she sold hand-painted novelty items. Because of that, she gained some recognition and got featured in The Philippine Daily Inquirer. Her business was mentioned in an article published in the 2bU section of the newspaper and her blog—artistic-dreams.com—was included in there as well.
In the following year, she started to try out lettering and when she eventually mastered certain strokes and techniques, her work bloomed over time. Ever since then, she has acquired fame through various print media establishments such as The Philippine Star, under the Young Star section, and Candy Magazine, and online recognition from Instagram as a Suggested User and When in Manila, among others.
Aside from being a hobby, lettering unexpectedly became a part of her business as she ventured into various freelance projects.
What makes her an amazing person is the fact that in the midst of her actual job, in which she works as a junior strategist and performance planner at Tribal DDB Philippines, she still has time to do freelance work for her clients and blog about her daily creative endeavors.
But when asked if the latter ever became a hindrance to her daily life, she said, “I don’t see it that way because it is already what my daily life comprises. Like if 70% of the day is spent at the office working, 30% of it is spent on freelance work, updating my blog and Instagram, creating content, and painting and doing lettering work. So I guess it’s been tied into my daily routine already.”
She later admits that she sometimes gets frustrated that she has to document most of what she does but she can now feel the sense of enjoyment in it as it is her way of seeing how much of her life changes in a span of weeks and months.
Blogging and her extraordinary skills in lettering or typography created a wider world for Abbey. Her skills in art helped her meet new friends through various collaborations and workshops that she conducts. Abbey enjoys doing the things she love while catering to the interest of the public.
As time goes by, she sees the value of sharing her work with other people. She uses her admirable abilities and radiates her humble personality to inspire others and makes sure that she turns into the best version of herself each and every day.
It may seem that Abbey has been doing all of her work on her own but she’s not a lone island as her family and friends support her by helping out on tasks and manning her booth whenever she participates in art fairs and other events.
Like any other artist, or young person in general, using their talent to make themselves and other people happy, Abbey is not an exception to self-doubt.
It is evident that Abbey is composed of a certain humility that leads her to think that what she works on is not always as good as how she wants to see it.
“I am my own worst critic, so on most days, I always doubt if there’s anything worth bragging about with my skills,” she said.
Unbelievable as it may seem, she discloses the fact that she tends to underestimate herself but she continues to practice and work hard to make her pieces look wonderful as they do whenever she publishes photos of them on Instagram that instantly get numerous likes in a matter of minutes.
Abbey sometimes loses her sense of motivation too. Inspiration is something that is hard to grasp when one is not at the right moment or setting to do their work, so she confessed that she is not inspired all the time when she does her lettering work as the contrary may seem evident in her Instagram photos.
But during those times, she always makes sure that she does other productive things like reading books, going on a walk, and taking a nap before resuming work.
Lettering is not the only thing that consumes Abbey’s thoughts. When asked what other things interests her, Abbey mentioned that she always wanted to try out graphic design and illustration but she thinks that it is not really for her. Instead, she dreams of writing and publishing a book, conducting workshops, and owning a studio and a café in the near future.
More importantly, Abbey wants to become an inspiration a lot of people with her works. She envisions herself creating a notable mark and recognition in the lettering and typography scene of the world.
Like any other successful personalities, Abbey strived very hard in order to chase her dreams. She had patience and perseverance with her every day that she did what she loved to do.
“Don’t let people bring you down, and just keep doing what you love. You’ll get there, eventually.”—she believes that dreams do come true if you would really work hard for it. It took Abbey four years to vividly conceive what career she wanted to venture on.
Trials, failures, and errors are indeed inevitable but essential parts of life. Without these, there would be no realizations in life.
Dreams are not always dreams if you only believe in what you can do. Always be the best version of yourself and show to the world how great you are as a person.
In the following year, she started to try out lettering and when she eventually mastered certain strokes and techniques, her work bloomed over time. Ever since then, she has acquired fame through various print media establishments such as The Philippine Star, under the Young Star section, and Candy Magazine, and online recognition from Instagram as a Suggested User and When in Manila, among others.
Aside from being a hobby, lettering unexpectedly became a part of her business as she ventured into various freelance projects.
What makes her an amazing person is the fact that in the midst of her actual job, in which she works as a junior strategist and performance planner at Tribal DDB Philippines, she still has time to do freelance work for her clients and blog about her daily creative endeavors.
But when asked if the latter ever became a hindrance to her daily life, she said, “I don’t see it that way because it is already what my daily life comprises. Like if 70% of the day is spent at the office working, 30% of it is spent on freelance work, updating my blog and Instagram, creating content, and painting and doing lettering work. So I guess it’s been tied into my daily routine already.”
She later admits that she sometimes gets frustrated that she has to document most of what she does but she can now feel the sense of enjoyment in it as it is her way of seeing how much of her life changes in a span of weeks and months.
Blogging and her extraordinary skills in lettering or typography created a wider world for Abbey. Her skills in art helped her meet new friends through various collaborations and workshops that she conducts. Abbey enjoys doing the things she love while catering to the interest of the public.
As time goes by, she sees the value of sharing her work with other people. She uses her admirable abilities and radiates her humble personality to inspire others and makes sure that she turns into the best version of herself each and every day.
It may seem that Abbey has been doing all of her work on her own but she’s not a lone island as her family and friends support her by helping out on tasks and manning her booth whenever she participates in art fairs and other events.
Like any other artist, or young person in general, using their talent to make themselves and other people happy, Abbey is not an exception to self-doubt.
It is evident that Abbey is composed of a certain humility that leads her to think that what she works on is not always as good as how she wants to see it.
“I am my own worst critic, so on most days, I always doubt if there’s anything worth bragging about with my skills,” she said.
Unbelievable as it may seem, she discloses the fact that she tends to underestimate herself but she continues to practice and work hard to make her pieces look wonderful as they do whenever she publishes photos of them on Instagram that instantly get numerous likes in a matter of minutes.
Abbey sometimes loses her sense of motivation too. Inspiration is something that is hard to grasp when one is not at the right moment or setting to do their work, so she confessed that she is not inspired all the time when she does her lettering work as the contrary may seem evident in her Instagram photos.
But during those times, she always makes sure that she does other productive things like reading books, going on a walk, and taking a nap before resuming work.
Lettering is not the only thing that consumes Abbey’s thoughts. When asked what other things interests her, Abbey mentioned that she always wanted to try out graphic design and illustration but she thinks that it is not really for her. Instead, she dreams of writing and publishing a book, conducting workshops, and owning a studio and a café in the near future.
More importantly, Abbey wants to become an inspiration a lot of people with her works. She envisions herself creating a notable mark and recognition in the lettering and typography scene of the world.
Like any other successful personalities, Abbey strived very hard in order to chase her dreams. She had patience and perseverance with her every day that she did what she loved to do.
“Don’t let people bring you down, and just keep doing what you love. You’ll get there, eventually.”—she believes that dreams do come true if you would really work hard for it. It took Abbey four years to vividly conceive what career she wanted to venture on.
Trials, failures, and errors are indeed inevitable but essential parts of life. Without these, there would be no realizations in life.
Dreams are not always dreams if you only believe in what you can do. Always be the best version of yourself and show to the world how great you are as a person.