Athena Tan

Everything that I do is driven by my desire to connect and enable people to convey their messages creatively. As the founder of Carpe Bloom (carpebloom.com), I have served as Editor-in-Chief, Director of Design and Partnerships, and am now fully focusing on leading my team of young women in partnerships and collaborations with international and local inspirations.

Carpe Bloom translates to seize the bloom .The phrase “Oh, you’re just a late bloomer” stuck in my head uncomfortably, like a gritty bit of food lodged between teeth — why should people have to designate themselves times to reach out for opportunity and expression in the future? Why not now?

I decided to branch out into digital magazines, carving out spaces in the Internet for young people from all around the world with Carpe Bloom’s in-house publication, Carpe Bloom. Each issue has a different theme and offers youth’s nuanced responses to positivity and empowerment, corresponding to certain periods of the year (e.g ‘exam season’).

I’ve had the privilege of seeing team-members come and go, finding their groove in the creative system after being our photographer, videographer, primary or secondary interviewer, copy-writer. I’m so glad to have bloomed with love and even more passion for the creative community after leading the team in exploring different opportunities to interact with the world, and with the community around us.

Carpe Bloom has always been reflective of society and youth’s concerns and their future. I also encourage the team to take on their own ‘affiliated projects’ that have to do with different areas that the community is considering — for instance, food insecurity, fashion, eating disorders, and Women in Tech. #WITs is our latest column that we enjoy producing — from graphics to concept to writing — due to the direct source of inspiration it is for us, communicating all of these wonderful #WITs’ stories.

If you ask me, watching our readership grow has been a real delight, but the real reward is being able to enable fellow young people to feel confident in what they want to do or try out for a while.

Carpe Bloom Singapore is a creative agency for young Singaporeans who seek experiential learning in journalism, design, marketing and taking charge of their passions.