Work With Me

Interested in working together on a project? Keen to hire me? Got an interesting project? I’d love to hear from you! Get to know more about what I can offer you and how we can work together.

What I Can Offer
What I Want To Learn
What I’d Like To Do
Other Pertinent Information

Other Pertinent Information

I have a Bangladesh passport, with Malaysian permanent residency. This usually means that, outside of Malaysia and Bangladesh, I will need some sort of visa to travel and work there. I am happy to travel almost anywhere in the world but will need some help in the visa department. Currently I’m looking more towards Australia (since I already have been here 2.5 years) or another English-speaking country.

If I’m requested to go interstate or overseas, and it’s not already for a paying gig, I would like some assistance with logistical costs, such as travel and accommodation. This can be negotiated, but do consider that I’m a recent university graduate with not a lot of money to spare.

I have a native speaker’s command of English (speaking, reading, writing, comprehension). I have an advanced level of Malay (speaking, reading, writing, comprehension) and can speak Bengali conversationally but can’t read or write it. I pick up the basics of languages quickly and am able to work out conversations by context. I’m also eager to learn new languages and terminology.

A mentor has noticed that I am at my most productive and am most focused when given something “meaty” to work on. More menial and mindless jobs (such as folding envelopes) may result in me looking distracted – what’s really happening is that I go on “automatic” and I use my brain to read web pages or work on more mental tasks. I can multitask, and use a wide variety of resources for help – so when I’m checking my Gmail at work I’m not actually slacking off! I produce high-quality work quickly and efficiently and like to keep myself busy.

I work very well with constructive feedback and will often ask for ideas or comments at various points during a project. I can be a little sensitive with negative critiques, but I get over them quickly as long as they weren’t personal and unwarranted. I like hashing things out with others and working collaboratively with people – though sometimes I do prefer to work on my own for stretches at a time.

I will not work for the following: anything unethical and/or unhealthy, cigarettes and tobacco industries, alcohol industry, war or the military, anything exploitative, anything illegal, anything that takes away my choice and agency, anything discriminatory, any organisations or companies that support the prior-mentioned aspects in some way. I also won’t do telemarketing, call-centre work, or sales, but I don’t mind if your company has people in those positions – I’m just not great with them!

I absolutely cannot tolerate patronising and condescending people. It is a major dealbreaker and has resulted in the severance of a couple of past working relationships. I will treat you with the utmost respect, but I also demand the same respect and consideration – don’t talk to me like I’m a little kid. I’ll respect authority and hierarchy, but not when it involves disrespect and misuse of power.

I have the right to refuse any offer that comes my way, though I’ll usually let you know of my decision and negotiate where possible.

What I'd Like To Do

I would like to get involved in work that is creative, interesting, does social good, ethical, and connects people. I essentially want to support and empower people to be who they are while not sacrificing themselves.

Some professions I’ve been interested in include performance art, street theater, circus, burlesque, midwifery/doulas, teaching/education, training, creative therapy, curation, arts management, non-profit management, community development, guidance counselling, research, coaching, psychology, travel, cultural integration, diversity management, editorial and publishing, and so on.

Some things I’d like to do in my lifetime:

• Help other young people with their lives and passions through creativity, holistic health, and personal coaching
• Spend a year being trained as a competent circus acrobat
• Create festivals and gatherings that celebrate diversity and the creative spirit
• Work with an experiential education program, particularly one that deals with gap years
• Collect stories of why people do what they do with their lives
• Learn about the mysteries of the world with holy people in their communities
• Provide support services for migrant women who voluntarily and legally enter the sex industry but may not necessarily know about their rights and available options for assistance
• Meet with world leaders, diplomats, and migration officials to discuss abolition or relaxation of visas for young people, and youth diplomacy
• Speak at conferences and events about finding your own path in life
• Live with a master for a year and be mentored in their art
• Provide grants or microloans for young Malaysians and their passions, while also providing support and education in project management
• Form alternative schools (using systems like Steiner or Sudbury) in Malaysia
• Brainstorm ideas and strategies for people who know vaguely what they want to do but don’t know where to go next
• Mentor a young person seeking support where traditional life can’t help them
• Write a blog about all things batty – in nature, pop culture, fashion, mythology, and so on
• Design and curate a fashion line inspired by burlesque, saloon girls, and bellydance
• Create performance of everyday rituals made sacred, with slam poetry for chants
• Be a model for fantasy art portraits set in the Spice Route era
• Run an alternative education & careers expo to give young people options other than university
• Provide resources for DIY creators to maintain sustainable businesses while maintaining DIY ethics
• Provide counselling and relaxation therapy for young high achievers
• Run a youth center that doubles as a youth hostel
• Publish zines with puzzles and games based on themes
• Encourage empty-nest parents and retirees to turn their homes into Bed & Breakfast inns, creating extra income and providing companionship
• Make an open library of all my books and media
• Travel around the world with a crew of fascinating people going on great adventures
• Go on a major The Game-style treasure hunt

The best experiences I’ve had were things I could not have imagined, so this is by no means an exhaustive list. But it gives a good idea of the direction I’d like to head towards – supporting others to support themselves in fun and creative ways.

What I Want To Learn

I’ve gained a lot from my experiences, studies, and relationships, but there are still a few more skills I would like to pick up:

• Human psychology – how do people interact with each other? Why do they feel what they feel? How can we relate to people better? Having some idea of how the psyche works in different situations can give me a better insight into people and society, helping us help each other more.

• Creative and holistic therapies – I’m particularly interested in art, music, and dance therapy. I personally use writing as a form of therapy and I feel there’s a lot of value to healing through creativity.

• Community organising – How do you get the people in your community together to speak up for their rights, or even just be good neighbours? How do you logistically hold a gathering or a meeting? I know people (including myself) who are very passionate about issues, but have trouble getting others on board. Some skills on that would be useful.

• Persuasion – I personally find this a little bit icky, as I’ve developed connotations of exploitation and manipulation with that word. However, I do see another side – communicating your views better while linking it up to the values and principles of your listeners. It’s less about tricking people and more about fitting puzzle pieces of understanding together.

• The practical side of administrating a venture, especially financials – I am very much a big-picture, vision person. I can do admin work if directed, but some things still stymie me. I’ve read books on starting and running ventures, but some sections – especially anything to do with money or business plans – are confusing! Hands-on personal guidance through these sections would be VERY helpful.

• Moving your idea into action – this links to the one above. I have tons of ideas, but am often not sure how to get them in action. Aside from the logistics, I’ll also like to know how to get over the hump of getting started, and developing greater self-motivation.

• Performance skills – I would love to gain more training in circus (particularly acrobatics and aerials), performance art, street theater, dance, and choreography. I have quite a number of ideas, but I’d like to learn how to transform those ideas into a creative act.

• Events, stage, and festivals logistics – I’d like to learn the logistics of running an event or festival that’s smaller-scale, artistic, socially conscious, and has strong involvement from the people. More grassroots than corporate. However, learning any sort of event skills is useful really!

• Guidance counselling – While I informally give advice and support to young people online, I would like to strengthen my skills so that I can support them better and more extensively. I have been thinking of going into career or guidance counselling, particularly with teenagers and their personal coping skills.

• Practical skills – Aside from all those soft skills, I’d like to know more about non-skeezy networking, financial planning, organising, languages, cooking, and anything else interesting or related.

I’m pretty open to suggestion and love learning anyway. I’m sure there are other things that I’d like to or need to learn that I haven’t identified yet!

What I Can Offer

I can provide the following:

• Idea generation and brainstorming – I’m great with ideas; I come up with them very often and keep journals of them. I like to combine separate elements to create an unexpected whole. I’m also very good at taking an established idea and nutting it out from different angles to figure out how to make it happen and how it can be improved.

• Visioning/big-picture work – My favourite aspects of projects is working out the vision, mission, and strategy of the project. I love to look up current trends and events and see how our projects can meet current needs. I’m very creative and imaginative, and can visualise well – so my “visions” tend to be very inclusive and taken in all sorts of perspectives. From those visions, I can also work out what needs to be done to make the vision reality.

• Strategy, policy, procedures, other organisational documents – I have written strategy papers, policy and procedures, and employee manuals for arts organisations. I have also developed risk management strategies, contracts, and evaluations, and have assisted with grants. As mentioned earlier, I’m willing to learn new formats and conventions, and do the required research. I’m especially strong in working out related policy and strategy from current trends and previous internal documentation, creating coherent documents to support the organisations’ work.

• Arts, stage, and creative management – I’m trained in arts and creative industries management, mainly around festivals and events. I have experience with stage management and backstage work, and have also written planning documents and proposals. I enjoy most aspects of the management process and function best as the mediator/connector between leadership, other team members, and other stakeholders. I am also able to take on leadership roles if needed.

• Professional & creative writing and editorial – I have skills and training in business correspondence (letters, memos, reports), media (newspaper reports, features, interviews, blog entries), academic papers (mainly short reports), speeches and debates, and creative writing (poetry, short stories, scripts, non-fiction). I’m willing to learn new forms and formats. I’ve also done editorial work for school yearbooks, magazines, academic papers, speeches, and personal applications, especially for those with English as a second or foreign language. I focus on maintaining the original writer’s voice while making their message clearer.

• Internet and computing skills – I’ve been using computers and the Internet almost all my life, and am strongest in using them as tools for social networking, communication, and information sharing. I have some experience with web design and coding but I’m stronger at working out what websites need and how to achieve that. I learn new technologies, software, and websites quickly, often with little training needed. I’m a fast typist and can work my way around various OSes (Windows 3.1 – Vista, Mac OS X, Ubuntu), office suites (Microsoft Office, OpenOffice), graphics software (mainly Adobe Photoshop with a little bit of Illustrator) and other software as needed.

• Research skills – I love research – whether through the Internet, libraries, or personal experience. I’m very adept at using search engines and databases to find relevant information, as well as offline resources such as libraries, and collate data collected into useful information. I’m strong at interviews and can track down relevant people, companies, and other human and organisational resources. I’ve done research work for debates, which involved looking up sources that support all sides of a proposition, and therefore can also be a useful “devil’s advocate” if needed.

• Performance and presentation – I have training in singing (pop), dance (basic tap and hiphop), circus, and improv, and have also participated in public speaking, choirs, choral speaking, stand-up comedy, stage magic, skits, and poetry slams. I can create my own performative work or work off an established piece, and am able to improvise with the audience. I am a quick and motivated learner and pick up moves/lines very quickly. I can present on radio, television/visual media, and to a live audience.

• Public speaking and small-group presenting – I have talked to audiences of young people, academics, and communities about issues such as life after school or university, Internet censorship, and alternative education. Such talks were very well-received and have inspired others on their journey. I am able to prepare engaging and interactive presentations that are casual and fun while also inspiring and supportive. I can also (co)manage or (co)moderate small groups for workshops or forums.

• Administrative skills – I have assisted with all manner of admin and office work – typing up documents, returning calls, packaging and sending out mail, booking tickets, anything really! I’m available as help for the harried person who doesn’t have enough hands or time. I am a very quick and efficient worker – I’ve had people try to find things for me to do because I’d completed everything else! I am careful with my work and make sure it meets the standards and needs of the organisation.

• Cross-cultural skills – I’ve lived in different environments amongst different cultures and have a strong appreciation for diverse points of view, ethics, and foundational beliefs. I can usually work out why something is important to a certain culture, which will help a lot with dealing with people from other cultures. I’m a major advocate of considering diversity and special needs when planning events or workshops (such as dietary requirements or language issues) and can help analyse your program to see how it can be made more inclusive. I also have a knack for working out what people are trying to say in broken English and help communicate between two people speaking different levels of the language.

• Energy and enthusiasm – “Energetic” is the one word that is often used to describe me, both by those who know me well and by recent acquaintances. I’m always the first to volunteer and contribute, and I give my all to projects and causes I find interesting and worthwhile. Even at my lowest point, I tend to have more energy than the average person, so you can count on someone to keep the group battery charged!

• An eager student – I love to learn, especially through experience and guidance. A former supervisor has noticed that I’m completely focused when I’m given something meaty to do – something that requires me to learn a lot and get my brain going. I learn most things quickly and am not shy to ask questions or request help. I am eternally curious.

• Friendliness and kindness – I aim to treat everyone with respect and dignity, and show that through my interactions with people as well as my work with them. I am open and friendly, even if I seem a little shy and awkward at first – I’m always up for getting to know more people and their life stories. While I am direct and tend to put the aims of the project first and foremost, I’m also sensitive to personal needs and ultimately strive to seek a solution that benefits everyone without harming anyone.