By Tramy Heung

Creativity is nothing. And creativity is all. Wing Shya has designed hundreds of album covers in Hong Kong. He is also the one who designs the exquisite postcards and posters for director Wong Kar Wai’s movies.

His real name is Shya Wing Hong. Yet, he prefers to be called Wing Shya.

Wing Shya and his workshop, the Shya-La-La Workshop Limited, have received over 20 design awards presented by the Hong Kong Designers Association since 1997.

Wing Shya believes that creativity can go to extremes, from nothing to all.

Creativity starts from zero. Wing Shya said, “An album without a package is already a package.

“You can write ‘The silliest pirated CD in the world’ on the album cover. Some people may like it. It’s the extreme,” said Wing Shya.

Some say Wing Shya is a rebel. He admits it. He doesn’t follow the majority.

A sucession of ground-breaking album cover designs can be seen in the local media. They include covers for the naked singer Karen Mok and the all-red Leslie Cheung.

He also creates photos for director Wong Kar Wai. Their collaboration started with Happy Together, 2046 and In the Mood for Love.

Though these works have not gained widespread recognition, Wing Shya is still proud of them.

The watershed of his life was when he was in his 20s.

In his teens, he said he was the worst student academically in Salesian School.

Completely neglecting his studies, he spent all his time on extra-curricular activities. He skipped classes often but still he sat for the Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination.

Fortunately he got a distinction in art and design and a pass in English, so he was qualified to study design at Lee Wai Lee Technical Institute.

“I continued to play hard in the institute. At the same time I thought I was a wonderful artist. I was interested in studying design in the ’40s and ’50s, which was the Age of Bauhaus.

“So proud was I that I looked down on those lecturers. Sometimes when they criticised my artwork, I scolded them. They did not know what I was doing, they were not qualified to criticise my work,” he said.

Graduating with excellent results and a lot of self-confidence, he was offered favourable jobs. But he decided to pursue further studies in Canada, where he could feel the sense of original art.

He was 22 years old then and it was a turning point in his life.

“At Emily Carr College of Art and Design, I was like being hit on the ground. The students and teachers were too excellent. My confidence just plummeted.

“But I learned a lot from Prof. Fred Peter. He said, ‘I am going to wash away your past and you will be reborn.’

“Then for the next six months, Prof. Fred Peter chatted with me every day about philosophy and art,” he said.

Wing Shya said that it was Prof. Fred Peter who pushed him to work hard. His inspiring words still influence him today.

He thinks that those years in Canada were an amazing experience. At first he chose the college because of the low tuition fees and its attractive catalogue.

Never had he thought that his artistic horizons would be broadened. The heavy workload and demanding graduation requirements made him tougher.

Apart from Prof. Fred Peter, he said director Wong Kar Wai and William Cheung, the art diector in Wong’s films, were the most influential people in his life.

“They taught me a lot about how to see things in shooting jobs. These lessons continued to inspire me for years after,” he said.

Japanese magazine editors appreciate Wing Shya’s photographic talent as well. Men’s Non-no, Popeye and Smart have been inviting him to shoot photos since 1998.

Reborn in Canada, what Wing Shya gained was self-confidence. When he came back to Hong Kong, he was reluctant to enter the design business because of the narrowness in Hong Kong society.

He said, “When people don’t appreciate you, you won’t work happily.”

In fact, he struggled about whether to come back. “I sacrificed a lot because I had set up a small design house there already.

“It made reasonable profits within half a year. Returning to Hong Kong would mean losing my income, effort and friends.”

But he wanted to set up a design house in Hong Kong run by a group of young designers. But the change brought him disappointment.

He felt bad in Hong Kong. People were unfriendly and did not appreciate his artwork.

He worked as a painter in a toy shop for $6,000 a month instead.

If his mother had not asked him to move out, he would still be a painter.

“My home lacked sufficient living space for the whole family. To move out, I had to find a new job. So I became the art director in J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency,” said he.

It was Jan Lamb, the Commercial Radio disc jockey, who brought him into the media field.

“He was my friend in the technical institute. Commercial Radio offered three times my salary at that time to recruit me.”

He entered Commercial Radio as a creative director. From pitch to T-shirt logos, most were designed by him.

Later, he got chances to design album covers for singers and work in photo-shooting jobs for magazines and movies.

He said, “It was frightening and exciting when the first album I designed was released. It was Cass Pang’s album. I remembered we did it in a very creative way. I was afraid the outcome was bad.”

Designing album covers, as Wing Shya said, is a bargain between the creative department and the marketing department..

He feels that artists face great limitations imposed by the market. But he appreciates the support of singer Leslie Cheung.

“He is a supportive friend. His mind is very open. He also respects our creativity. That is the kind of friend I like to make.”

Wing Shya is now 36 years old. Thinking back to his 20s, he feels sweet.

“It was a happy time. At this time I was drunk when dating a girl. There was fun all the time.

“Daytime was for Jan Lamb, the disc jockey. Nighttime was for my girlfriend. Nothing was cared about. Life was perfect.

“As for career, I think being 20 years old is a starting point in life. Even at 18 or 19, I could still play as hard as I could.

“At 20, I would feel anxious about the future. No one wants to have an unsuccessful career,” said Wing Shya.

That is why he went to Canada. Now he runs the Shya-La-La Workshop quite well.

He reminds himself to watch movies as homework every day to upgrade himself.

“If I had a chance to go back to 20 years old, I think I would still play as hard as I could. Maybe a person playing too hard in his teens would work very seriously as an adult,” said he.

Wing Shya said he has no regrets. “Except smoking too much.”

Wing Shya has met teenagers from different countries.

Said he: “I think teenagers in Hong Kong should see more, look more and read more. These can broaden their horizons.

“Try to love something you don’t love. Don’t limit yourself in one way.”

He once asked a local teenager what fire was. The teenager simply listed out all the definitions.

However, when he asked a Western teenager the same question, this teenager told him that it is hot when feeling it. This is what he means by “to explore and feel more”.

He refused to criticise Hong Kong people’s creative mind.

“When you see things in different angles, nothing is absolutely right or wrong. I don’t know how to judge them.”

Courtesy of Wing Shya

Wing Shya in Canada when he was 22 years old.