Yet bold is a word that has maintained its valiant stature and grace through centuries, surviving births and deaths of empires as a badge of honour. To be bold is to be courageous, confident and able to take risks, yet what that means for everyone is different. We all have boundaries and interpret conventions differently; to that extent, an action can never be universally deemed ‘bold’.

From left to right: Lucas Jong, Zhin Sadali, Mako Chia, Keyana, Israfil Ridhwan, Weish, Dzak, Khally

Or can it? Nothing is truly fixed in a world where we are both the jury and the judge, especially in the creative parts. Defining one’s meaning, both semantical and literal, is brave and commands respect because you go against the grain. Yet the act can also be so simple because it is about being unapologetically true to oneself, whether or not that aligns with society’s expectations.

Here, we invite eight multi-hyphenates spanning the disciplines of music, fine art, movement and image-making to join this conversation. They give their two cents on what they think being bold entails and how ‘being bold’ takes shape in their lives.

Lucas Jong, model & photographer
A creative’s boldest moment is not a one-time experience. Being in all these different situations as you progress in your career demands a certain amount of boldness out of you each time. Each time you show up, you muster a certain level of boldness; over time, it slowly compounds. But it never gets easier — that’s the best part. Part of the fun about trying all these ways of expression is learning to fail at it. Only then can you grow.

Zhin Sadali, host and actor
Bold is all about putting yourself out there in the presence of self-doubt. Just do it first, and think about it later because sometimes those consequences are all just in your head, and the true potential is out there. I’m a firm believer in manifestation, so putting ‘host’,and ‘actor’ in my Instagram profile description was what really started it all. Nobody says that your profile description has to be what you have done, so I put whatI wanted to do. And here I am.

Mako Chia, model and DJ
Putting myself out there as a model and a music person makes me feel bold. Seeing different people come from different places helps me see who I want to become and the journey I should take. It is about being limitless with where you see yourself going, and I’ve been really enjoying this process of self-discovery.

Keyana, singer, dancer and model
Being a creative in any way has a lot of risks in Singapore. I have a lot of fear every step of the way, but the satisfaction I get from achieving what I set out to do makes all the fear worthwhile. After attempting to make my first album twice over the past two years, I finally feel like I’m in a place where it can actually come to fruition. I’m very scared, but when I eventually release the album, that would be the boldest moment of my life. A hundred per cent.