Still not quite content with her direction in life, Ala was keen to get into a role where she could be creative with her drawing every day. It was after her move to Sydney, that she decided to enrol in Design and Illustration at TAFE.

And she was a natural! Ala received top marks in her course for the year!! She was also awarded The State Medal, which goes to the person with the highest marks in any given TAFE course, in the state of NSW. This also means she was the top student among 30 illustration students that year.

Currently, Ala’s working on the pieces for her first show. At this stage the date hasn’t been set, but I’ll let you know when it’s on!

To see more of Ala’s illustrations, visit her blog.

How have you got to where you are today?

I’ve been drawing since I was a toddler. There was never any question as to what I wanted to do, although I got a bit sidetracked for a while. I want to do so many things. But always it goes back to drawing and art.

I chose to study illustration as opposed to enrolling in Fine Arts because the idea of having to write 50-page dissertations on art turned me off. I just wanted to grab a pencil and draw, and that’s what I loved about my illustration course. It was drawing, drawing, drawing and splashing around with paint every single day. Happiness!

In a few words, describe yourself…

I’m always looking for inspiration, and always looking to jive with passionate people with that buzzing creative energy that gets me motivated.

What are you spending your time on at the moment?

I’m trying to get a show together. Also, working with a team on an animated short films sponsored by Metroscreen.

Do you have a ritual for getting into the creative mindset? Or a creative process?

Right now, I’m doing Morning Pages, as instructed by Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist’s Way. It involves waking up in the morning and immediately filling up 3 pages with your thoughts… absolutely anything that comes into your head, whether or not it makes sense. I find that it’s a great way to free myself up, and un-censor myself.

Other things I do to get me into a creative mindset is cleaning up, or taking a nap. Or just doing something fun. Play frees me up.

What or who inspires you?

I love hearing creatives talk about creativity. It’s a shared experience with so many different interpretations. I love sitting down with artists, writers, musicians, dancers, and just hearing them talk freely about what they do and why they love it.

I also really admire people I know in my field who are completely dedicated to what they do, who are married to their craft. You need people like that around you to remind you why we do what we do.

What are you most proud of?

Creatively, I’m proud of having been the court sketch artist at the Ampatuan Massacre trial when I was visiting the Philippines. The case involved the politically motivated killings of about 50 journalists and civilians, news of which really affected me.

By sketching the trial, I felt I was using my skills for a really good public cause: being the people’s witness in the absence of the media. It was a huge responsibility and a special calling.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

An artist, actress, philosopher, and president.