What makes some of these local or global creatives tick? In this weekly column, Daniel Chew, co-founder of Beyond The Vines, shares his many inspirations and obsessions.
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1. Family: The best gift that my wife Rebecca and I can give our children is a happy marriage. Because they exist, they bring meaning and purpose to the things I do. They put the why in the what I do.
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2. Spiritual Belief: Starve the fear, doubt the doubt and walk the faith. It brings comfort to my soul knowing I am at peace with the One who made me and to live life loved.
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3. Miles Davis: I love jazz; it has no rules, celebrates the moment and improvises as it goes. Much of that, I carry with me in life.
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4. Books: This is where I used to spend most of my weekends. I love walking in and smelling the scent of fresh paper; I’d like to think it makes me a little smarter.
Walking pass aisles of books, I like to pick up ones that either naturally interest me or ones that are of a completely different genre. I have come to learn to read widely and to keep my mind open to learn.
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5. Japan: To wake up in different cities, soaking up the local way of life, comprehending and accepting the diverse cultures living under the same sun.
Japan intrigues me the most; the extremities of being so advanced but also so traditional. Their discipline to a single craft for a lifetime is unfathomable.
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6. Golf: When time cease to exist and space is infinite – the endless pursuit of the perfect game.
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7. Beyond the Vines: Rebecca and I created a brand that is honest in its design, innovates functional products to fulfil psychological criteriasm, all with a keen eye for aesthetics.
Beyond The Vines is a means to an end but not the end itself. The end itself is to simplify and enrich people’s life through good design.
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8. The Grandmasters by Wong Kar Wai: The poetic cinema of Wong Kar Wai; more imagery and style than reason and substance.
The remarkable fight sequence in the pouring rain that brings out the strength of a single raindrop.