A solo trip to Taiwan has inspired Isaac Liang, a freelance illustrator, to actively pursue his creative dreams.
His parents were initially against the idea of him going overseas. 29-year-old Isaac was born deaf, and has limited speech. Isaac can communicate in basic English and through hand gestures. However, he does not read nor write Chinese, a concern for his parents when he announced his plans to travel to Taiwan. “I asked him, ‘Aren’t you scared?’ He won’t even be able to read the road signs,” says Mrs. Liang, Isaac’s mother.
Yet, Isaac was determined to make the trip, and had friends in Taiwan who could guide him around. Eventually, he managed to assure his parents of his safety and well-being there.
“I can’t stop him because he’s already grown up and he is independent as well. It’s something I’ve instilled in him at a very young age.”
In Taiwan, Isaac displayed his ingenuity in problem-solving, developing unique solutions to get around communication barriers. “I would type the English words into the Google Translate page and app, and the translation would show up on the screen,” he shares. “I would also print the addresses and photos of the places I want to go for taxi drivers.”
The trip to Taiwan sparked Isaac’s creativity tremendously. “I fell in love with the artistic design and spaces,” he says. Additionally, Isaac’s place of residence, Planett, which is a co-working space where travellers can pursue their own personal or freelance projects, also inspired him.
“The place gave me a lot of ideas and the creativity to do my own thing.”
Besides challenging him to be more creative, Isaac also came back with a heightened interest in other business avenues. He has since thought of setting up his own co-working space. Apart from that, the success of his trip to Taiwan has also encouraged him to travel more and expand his artistic talents. Places of interests include Japan, Australia, America, and Europe. “I want to travel around the world as a nomad working traveler,” he shares.
In the meantime, Isaac is working on publishing his own story book, which draws from his real-life experiences.
“It’s an idea that I’ve had for a long time. It will be based on my experience as a deaf Singapore illustrator and what it’s like to live in a ‘soundless’ world.”