10 Questions for Tanes Jitsawart (’03)
10 Questions is a feature in the newsletter where we introduce you to Alumni by having them answer 10 questions. It’s not your typical alumni profile, but a nice way to learn a bit more about fellow alumni. We recently caught up with Tanes ”TJ” Jitsawart (‘03) to see what he’s been up to and to ask him 10 questions.
How do you spend your weekends?
Reviewing my photos from the archive. I look back at the past job/work to see what could have been improved during the shoot because photos normally reflect what’s happening during the shoot. For example, if I had planned the workflow well in terms of on location shooting. If it’s a studio photoshoot, there’s always a setup of the look and feel of the image prior to the shoot, which requires a lot of pre-planning too. Overall, it’s just a self reflection when I go through the photos shot that day.
What podcasts do you find inspiring?
“I use Clubhouse more often because of its two-way communication features.”
Clubhouse is a social audio app where users can communicate in audio chat rooms that accommodate groups of thousands of people. Similar to Spotify Greenroom or Twitter Spaces (Wikipedia)
Have you ever had five minutes of fame? When? For what?
“I was an Olympus Ambassador for Malaysia and a Profoto Ambassador for two years. Olympus were looking for a professional photographer who had the ability to use their camera system in a different kind of field and my style of motorsports and commercial fit well which I feel helped overcome many obstacles during the two years. It was really a win-win situation, but the road that led to the collaboration was a very long one.”
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
“Don’t rely on anyone but yourself.”
What’s your current favorite show to binge-watch on Netflix?
“Suits”
What’s something that you love that everyone you know hates?
“I don’t think there’s anything.”
What style decisions do you regret from your ISKL days?
“Red hair color. There is no story behind it really; I was pretty much just exploring styles and colors as a teenager! ”
Who was/were your favorite staff/faculty members at ISKL?
Mrs. Virgina “Ginny” Bieberich (alumni faculty ‘97-07’). She was my art teacher and was very attentive during my time in ISKL. There are a few teachers that I would talk to when I had a problem, such as coping with homework because of the language barrier as an English as a Second Language (ESL) student. As an ESL student, it was difficult to express myself all those years, and not every teacher paid attention to these details, but she did. She would sit down and talk to me slowly, so I could open up and talk about my problems.
Also, Mr. Ewan Crouch (alumni faculty ‘97-’03) who taught Environmental Science. He took the time to talk to me after class and make sure I understood what he was teaching. It was like a recap of the whole lesson. ”
Who is one other alumni you are in touch with?
“Otto Von Nostitz (‘03), Ching Wen Chan (‘04), Varqa Buehrer (‘03) and Fadzly Kamilan (‘03). Quite a few actually. Some of them are still in Kuala Lumpur. ”
If you could relive one day of your life at ISKL, which day would you choose to relive?
“International fest. There was plenty of food, and dressing up in national costume was so much fun. ”
Tanes is currently working on a project with an Italian car manufacturer brand. He enjoys driving around searching for locations in west Malaysia to be featured for the project. If you want to get in touch with him, you can find him on our Alumni Portal at https://alumni.iskl.edu.my/.
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Written By: Aleia Zulkifly and Tanes Jitsawart
