What's Your (INspiring) Story: Jian Goh & Drawing Comics

One of my interests is on designs & illustrations. And having worked with a few designers before, I thought I'd invite one to come on board and share his/ her story.

Again, using the power of social media, I tweeted and got answers on who to feature. Eventually I was referred to Jian Goh (aka AkiraCEO), a comic artist who draws comics and then publishes it on his blog. His famed character is the cat, Miao, and this, is his story..



I can't really remember how I started to love drawing. It could be my addiction to comics or could be the drawing class I was sent to when I was 9. Hmm maybe my dad noticed I love drawing very much and sent me there.

I remember my first time drawing comic was during primary where I met a bunch of classmates who love drawing as I do. It was such a fun time as we came up with our own comic stories which we drew on a exercise book and shared them among ourselves. I still remembered my story was titled the Legend of Crystal.

Being the only son in the family, I was taught and guided to become an engineer, an occupation my dad wished me to be. And so I enrolled into an engineering course, graduated and now an engineer as wished. Don't get me wrong, I'm interested in engineering, the same goes to cooking, photography, music, and 19-20 other stuffs I'm intersted in but nothing as passionate as drawing.

Even though I know I'm becoming an engineer, my drawings and doodlings had never stopped before. I will always doodled something out when I'm free but all of these just to pass time. Until I was introduced to blog and vector art, I became hooked and made blog my platform to practise and showcase the work.

As vector art is somehow different from drawing with a pencil that I'm have been doing over the years, I would sit in front of the PC and draw for hours just to polish the skills and techniques. My dad was kinda against it in the beginning because I spent way too much time on it. He would always complained and asked me to spend my time reading engineeering related material instead. Usually I would just ignore it but I remembered there was one time that I became so frustated that I replied him that drawing is what I am, what I have left.

Things change when I started to gain from what I do and even got hired as a designer for a couple of companies. Now my dad would always asked me to spend my time on drawing instead, and even share some ideas with me. And now I'm an engineer, a comic blogger and a designer. Without any acadmic behind drawing and design, I'm very surpirse with what I got into. I think all we need is a passion and a heart that never gives up on it.


If I would have given up, then I would not have Miao&WafuPafu today. Now, my current joy was not to be able to settle a problem as an engineer but to see my readers enjoy the comics I made. It made me smile when how happy my comic made them. I hope one day I would be able to have my own comic series.


*This is the 8th feature of this 12 week series. If you've missed out on any or would like to read the rest who have been featured, visit: What's Your (INspiring) Story series.