What does it really mean to be a full-time artist in Singapore?
I first met Toby when I was looking for a Singaporean artist to design a mural for the office. And since then I've seen this young artist grow and blossom. I know he doesn't like to be 'praised' so I'll let him do the talking!
In this episode of the Wild & Wise Podcast, I sat down with Tan Xun Yi, Toby (tobyato) for an honest conversation about the quiet tension many creatives live with every day: the pull between staying true to your craft and making work commercially viable.
We talked about the realities behind the label “full-time artist", the discipline it takes, the trade-offs no one glamorises, and the internal negotiations between creativity, income, identity, and responsibility.
What stood out most was this: Being creative is not the same as being careless, and being commercial doesn’t automatically mean you’ve sold out.
This conversation isn’t just for artists. It’s for anyone navigating work that sits between passion and practicality, meaning and money, freedom and structure.
If you’ve ever asked yourself how to stay honest in your work while still making it sustainable, this episode will resonate.
Watch the full conversation here and if you like what you see, do subscribe.
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