Ellie Hong

Dedicated as an artist and art tutor for over 15 years and am looking forward to find a new field to bring my new passion for the society. My whole experience and life is filled with art and I truly believe that I can collaborate my talent with another industry with my heart and passion.

When I was young, my parents used to say 'Help people who really need help, share happiness and joy with people around you and find the meaning of life with them.' Their view of the world had a great influence on me and I started to hope to donate my talents to society. So I have been volunteering since I was a student. The job was mainly to teach drawing for free to children from low-income families who wanted to learn art, and sometimes it also included helping patients with mobility issues or taking them for a walk in Korea. After I left my mother country, I could meet and teach art to retired people in art class as an art tutor. And it was greatly helpful to understand how my talent can be used for their mental health and wellbeing, including their retirement life. 

As my partner got an offer from Weta FX, we had to relocate to Wellington and resigned my beloved job, I have been still communicating with some of my students and giving some feedback when they show their artwork. They still remember my class and say that I opened their eyes to enjoy their rest of the life. It was an honourable words I have ever heard.

I do exercise regular, not for me but for others. I believe that no matter how brilliant your talent is, you cannot do anything without your basic health and stamina. I have been swimming since 2013, started to run from 2021, and finished three times 10k marathons and my first half marathon in last year's Wellington Marathon.

When I was young, I also spent a lot of time with my grandparents as my parents were extremely busy. And they both loved gardening. I was also able to grow up close to nature and now I really enjoy New Zealand's beautiful nature. I got involved with one of the community gardens in Wellington - Miramar Prison Garden - and am cultivating my own small spots as a member. Plus, I used to volunteer to prepare special tea for some events or help organising such as donation seedlings or weeding.