Many young Filipinos are currently spending the quarantine time at home honing their skills and creativity, and finding ways to express themselves. With all of this free time on their hands, there are those who even go the extra mile when it comes to being creative.
One of these young Filipinos is 19-year-old communication student Thea Sophia Disabelle from Bantayan Island, Cebu, who stirred a buzz on the Internet after creating art not just through an unconventional method: soy sauce. Yes, that’s right. The very same soy sauce you ordinarily see in kitchens at home.
Photo from Thea Disabelle
Thea first made soy sauce art back in March. “It all started when I poured a little amount of soy sauce into a saucer since I needed it for my fried fish,” Thea shares. “After that, I paused for three seconds while staring at it—something was beautifully formed. After I had my breakfast that day, I asked myself, ‘Why not make art using soy sauce?’”
While Thea always had access to Silver Swan Soy Sauce since she was a child, it would take her a few more months before trying to make another piece of art with it. This is when people took notice.
Photo from Thea Disabelle
“I posted it on Facebook and didn’t expect to get many likes, comments and shares,” she shares. “It went viral and I was so overwhelmed.”
Although Thea also creates art using more traditional mediums such as paint, pastels, and pencils, she likes the convenience that soy sauce allows, recommending it to artists who may have challenges getting art materials during quarantine. Made of high quality soy beans, Silver Swan Soy Sauce also provides artists with a unique texture to work with, distinguishing it from the usual materials and providing a tamang-tamang timpla even to art.
Photo from Thea Disabelle
“The texture looks so cool after a while,” she says. “Artists just need soy sauce, a large plate, and some imagination. It’s tricky to do this kind of artwork because you’ll have to start all over again if you make one wrong move. It might be an ephemeral artwork, but it’s worth the effort.”
As some artists find new ways to make breathtaking art with everyday items during quarantine, Thea believes there’s no limit to what anyone can create as long as they keep trying. She actually wants to pursue a fine arts course and eventually turn her hobby into her life’s work.
“I encourage them to be creative and make use of their time through art,” she says. “You don’t need expensive art materials—you just have to go to your kitchen, get some stuff, and turn it into your masterpiece. It’s just a matter of creativity, dedication, and willingness to learn something new. You just have to be creative in making nothing into something. That’s how art works.”
As a token of recognition for Thea’s astounding creativity and resourcefulness, NutriAsia, the makers of Silver Swan, will be sending her and her family more of their products for their use—whether it’s for their food or for more of Thea’s art.
Photos from Thea Sophia Disabelle’s Facebook Account.
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