Student stories

Luci’s art trail from Hong Kong to Darwin

This article appears in: Creative and Performing Arts, Studying in Australia

Luci Lee was always destined to follow a creative path in life. Some of her earliest memories include painting, drawing and creating, and she approaches her work as a graphic designer and arts student with that same spirit of creative discovery today. Following her own art trail has brought Luci all the way from the bustle of Hong Kong to study a creative arts course at CDU’s laid-back Casuarina campus in Darwin.

As a life-long creative, Luci has always had a passion for arts, finding her professional creative outlet as a graphic designer when she lived in Hong Kong. She said she chose to study a creative arts degree because she wanted to extend her knowledge and top up her qualifications to complement her professional experience as a graphic designer.

Luci initially completed a Diploma of Visual Art in Victoria, opting to make the move to Darwin to study at CDU so she could explore new creative concepts and build the life experiences that inspire her art.

“The Northern Territory is so different from Victoria. I love the natural environment and exploring different cultures – studying creative arts at CDU has given me the freedom to do these things,” Luci said.

“I have found my place in this small but welcoming community. I’ve been able to immerse myself in the local culture much easier than I think I would have been able to in other states.”

Hands-on learning

Although managing full-time study and working as a freelance graphic designer has been challenging for Luci, she has relished the opportunity to fast-track her creative skills by applying the theory learned through her studies in her professional practice.

“I love my lecturers and classmates in the creative arts department. We share ideas and give each other feedback, which helps me improve my projects and creative conceptualisation skills.”

During her creative arts course, Luci had the opportunity to work with local council and other artists to show her works in public spaces in the Darwin CBD through an exhibition called CITYLIFE. She also created a public art exhibition on CDU’s Casuarina campus, which represented the relationships Luci has with society and culture.

“With my on-campus exhibition, I wanted to encourage people to stop, rethink and connect to their communities and environment because it’s so easy to disconnect when life gets busy,” Luci said.

“Through the experiences I’ve had of exhibiting my art in open spaces, I’ve learned about the joys and challenges of engaging diverse publics in art. It has encouraged me to do more in art and in engaging with others.”