Art pulls people together

This week's artist is Sun Woo-nam, a Year Seven student from Discovery College. She talks about how Beethoven helped her through a difficult time.

What was it like when I first arrived in this strange city, Hong Kong? Did it feel the same as living in Korea? Did people speak the same language, and did I know anyone? No. No one approached me until I made the first move, probably because of a language barrier. I felt I was on my own in a very strange place, until I found my best friend, arts.

I started spending whole days practising my violin. I joined dancing at a club and even tried my hand at Chinese painting. All these I did to overcome my loneliness but soon, they became a bridge linking me to others.

Through the arts, you can share everything, no matter who you are. The music I play, the choreography I dance, the paintings I draw make a connection between the audience and me. Our differences become insignificant as similar interests take over. Practising the arts is not to allow me to boast, 'I can do this!' but to let everyone share my thoughts in creative ways.

During my initial time in Hong Kong, I came to know Beethoven. Before this, I hadn't heard about this amazing musical genius at all. The day I found more than 20 million results in an internet search on him, he became my hero of the arts. I felt his situation mirrored mine. Being deaf, Beethoven expressed his feelings on paper. I, too, try to express myself through creative means. He wanted people to understand who he was through music, and I want to do the same through the arts.

All art forms help me connect with others. I hope to make my community recognise the real value of the arts - it does not lie in the artist practising it himself, but in sharing it with others and inspiring them to embrace art.

The Arts Ambassadors-in-School Scheme is organised by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. It encourages students to take their passion for the arts beyond the campus and into the wider community. The ambassadors will take part in a series of arts programmes during the school holidays.

Learn more about the Arts Ambassadors-in-School Scheme here