Creative Minds: Jass Sin Lee on her future tattoos and trippy Photoshop dreams

Name: Jass Sin Lee

 

Origin: Klang, Malaysia

 

Places lived/worked: Malaysia

 

Pronouns: She/her

 

CV: 

 

Senior art director, Havas Malaysia 2024-present

Senior art director, Grey Malaysia 2021-2023 

Art director, Leo Burnett Malaysia 2020-2021

Art director, BBDO Malaysia 2019-2020 

Junior art director, Ogilvy Malaysia 2014-2018 

Side hustle: art teacher from 2012-present

 

1. How did you end up being a creative?

 

Would it be a cliché if I said I was born for it? Well, most humans are creative when we are born. From scribbling with a crayon to telling a story or finding our way through our house while playing 'floor is lava'. We have always seen things differently. Eventually, it led me to become interested in telling stories visually which led me to the creative agency life.

 

2. What's your favourite piece of work in your portfolio?

 

One of my favourite pieces would be Guardian’s Beauty Treats. The challenge was to stand out from a sea of promos in a crowded skincare and cosmetic space, with a limited budget. So, we decided to turn actual beauty products into sweet desserts like a cake, a smoothie and popsicles to dramatise the irresistibly sweet deals from Guardian. 

 

 

3. What's your favourite piece of work created by someone else?

 

The Immunity charm from 2018. It's a simple thread charm that is coded for specific vaccines for doctor's and mums to keep track of their baby's immunisation. This idea was simple yet effective showing how a cultural behaviour combined with creative thinking can help change a life.

 

 

4. What career did you think you'd have when you were a kid?

 

Doctor. I wanted to save lives. Now I'm saving JPEG's and PDF's.

 

5. What advice would you give yo a 10-year-old you, if you could?

 

It’s okay to be shitty at what you do. As long you improve, and you have fun doing it.

 

6. What's your favourite GIF/meme and why?

 

As of now, it’s the Pedro Pedro Pedro, the viral video of a raccoon dancing with his paw in the air in a circle format. Firstly, the raccoon is so adorable bobbing up and down with its tiny paws. Secondly, with the paws bobbing, it feels like it's motivating me.

 

 

7. What's your guilty pleasure?

 

Pinching humans. Not in an abusive way. I just have major cute aggression toward humans. Preferably arms. (Shh, don’t report to HR).

 

8. Tell us about your tattoo(s)

 

I don’t have any tattoos now, but I can tell you about my future tattoos. I’ve been planning it for ages. I wanted to tell a full story of myself in a full-arm sleeve. From an ode to my favourite food bak kut teh, a cute icon of a Pokeball to a deconstructed sculpture of David. Then my fickle mind stops me and it’s back to the drawing board again.

 

9. Do you have any recurring dreams?

 

I do. The recurring dream starts with me moving a pixel by a pixel in my Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. No matter how I zoom out. I could never see the bigger picture. What a nightmare.

 

10. Extrovert or introvert?

 

Loud introvert. I’m just someone who is animated with a low social quota. Once my social quota is finished, it's time to head back to my cocoon to recharge.

 

11. Do you have a catchphrase?

 

Feeding my soul, not my ego. That's my motto for life.