KUALA LUMPUR: Many might link TikTok purely with entertainment, but an engineering graduate has put her drawing skills to good use on the social media platform to earn some money and build a career.
Instead of grooving to music with dances, Norlisa Ramlee, 26, is using stylus and brushes as a full-time digital illustrator to sell her artwork and custom-made items such as tote bags, stickers and keychains.
“Back in 2018, art was not just a hobby to me, so I came out with an idea of doing a part-time business during my studies with these skills that I have.
“Since the pandemic hit the world, it had also affected me in some way. After months of no luck in job hunting, I decided to be a full-time digital illustrator of my own small business.” she told Bernama.
The Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) graduate, who has been an active user on TikTok since November last year, not only promotes her products on the platform but also posts videos of her drawing from scratch to her followers.
“My main focus is digital illustration but I also offer canvas painting to my customers. The design of the product is upon customer’s request, and they will be charged according to the type and size of illustration offered.
“Due to the movement control order (MCO), there are a number of customers who placed their orders to be given as a gift to their friends or family who lives far away,” said Norlisa, the owner of @ggatorart.
Norlisa said she would take five to six hours to complete a job, depending on its complexity, and she can earn an average of RM1,000 to RM2,000 per month.
Her main target market is the youth, and she has attracted not only Malaysian customers but also those from Singapore.
“TikTok is a platform that is much easier to understand compared to other social media sites.
“If you keep up with the latest trend, your video will reach more viewers across the world.
“For individuals who like art posts, for example, videos relating to arts will be showed on their ‘For You Page’ (FYP) and TikTok will show more of the art videos on the users page,” she said.
She plans to launch new products for Hari Raya Aidilfitri and the Merdeka celebration and even collaborate with other small business owners in promoting their products and services. – Bernama
