Kota Kinabalu: Keningau-born artist Olive Yong, who was once told there was “no future” in art, has transformed a digital drawing of a chubby cat into the globally followed Bichi Mao creative brand.
According to Catalist Malaysia, Olive initially pursued music education at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris with plans to become a piano teacher before Yap Wee Lim introduced her to digital drawing while they were at university.
She subsequently began sharing Bichi Mao online and attracted about 60,000 followers within six months before expanding into books, merchandise, commissioned work and event appearances.
Bichi Mao now reportedly has more than 2.5 million followers and over one billion GIF views, while 10 books have been translated into more than 20 languages.
What began as a simple digital sketch has grown into an internationally recognised creative brand, challenging the belief that pursuing art cannot lead to a viable career.
