By Cristy Ho
John Choi, Design Instructor in IFT.
“The gaming industry is not everything, we could survive under it,” said John Choi, 46, a design instructor specializing in paper carving, modeling and art drawing for nearly eight years. He is currently promoting the creative industry at the Institute for Tourism (IFT).
“The creative industry is no longer an unfamiliar name, due to the proliferation of knowledge, these short term courses are increasingly popular. Take my paper carving program as an example. My students are always pleased by the outlook of their design and have curiosity with further extension of paper dimensions, I am happy that this art is being loved by people,” Choi added.
Choi claimed that he discovered his interest since secondary school and that it is the love of arts that has guided him till today. In recalling the years when he was still a design student, money was considered to be an important thing for him since expenses on design courses were high. He recalled that he often had to sacrifice his time on part-time jobs or on freelancing in order to cope with his needs. Choi commented, “Being a teacher for so many years, although not many students will inherit this kind of art, but I still urge the young generation to participate more in outside activities, try to find out more about themselves and their interest instead of working immediately.”
John Choi‘s work of
paper arts.
And asked about the imbalance in Macao which has occurred recently, he claimed that there is certainly an “imbalance” going on as Macao is focusing more on the gaming industry, people might think that it is constraining the development of other industries. However, thinking in another way round, the gaming industry did help indirectly. “Because of this rapid growth in the gaming industry, extra resources can be placed to help in the development of other industries, so, to me, the gaming industry results in both pros and cons,” remarked Choi.
“In my opinion, with the help from the government and the rapid growth of the gaming industry, I suppose the creative industry could lead to success one day,” Choi concluded.