Meet Yik Keat, photographer, content creator, and member of the Robb Report Singapore Thought Leaders community
The non-proverbial leap of faith is a transformational, destiny-charting experience. At 21 years of age, Yik Keat found himself at a crossroads: pursue Aerospace studies or risk it all for his love of photography. Six years after making the bolder choice, he stands atop 2.1 million TikTok followers and a cool 1.1 million on Instagram.
Louis Vuitton, Apple and ION are only some of the brands that have sought his distinct style, a style vouched for by international pop phenom Lauv, who enlisted him to document his Asian and world tours. As an artist working in the digital age, his purpose is clear: “With the advancement of technology and AI, people will seek more soul, authenticity and more raw moments in photography”. Dutifully and dashingly, he leads by example.
What lights your creative fire?
I feel like people are neglecting beauty in the day-to-day. If we look up, we can see so many things happening; they all can be very cinematic, very beautiful if seen in a different perspective. That’s what drives me.
Do you have a daily routine?
I don’t have a fixed daily routine: it can go from just having coffee to people-watching to going all over the world touring with music artists for their concert world tours. If you remove the travelling, a typical day for me would be to send emails and handle logistical stuff in the day, go for a run in the evening and do all things creative (generate ideas and search for inspiration) at night.
Was there ever a career setback you faced which you later discovered was an advantage?
I believe COVID-19 was the ultimate blessing in disguise and setback which, now, is the greatest turnaround point for me. During the pandemic, I lost all my jobs, much like most of the creatives out there. In that void, I used the ample time I had to experiment and do home photoshoots, which ignited my new passion for educating audiences on creative workflow and photography.
What advice would you give someone who is already successful?
Find that kid in you on a frequent basis. The kid in you when you are curious about life, when you started finding your passion.
Photography by Eugene Lee, Enfinite Studio
Hair & Makeup by Sophia and Victoria, Suburbs Studio
