From pottery, pyrography and macramé, to carving, crocheting and even a Chris Hemsworth lampshade, Making It Australia is currently hitting Aussie screens on 10 and 10 Play.

The program showcases the connoisseurs of craft – exceptional people who possess the knack for creating something totally resourceful and mind-blowing out of a few pieces of string and a bandsaw.

After every episode, Chattr will be speaking to the Maker who was eliminated the night before. Today we spoke to Mixed Media Artist, Sai-Wai.

Why did you apply for Making It?

“When you watch any sort of reality TV there’s that moment of asking ‘could I do that?’ even if it’s something ridiculous, like a survival show. There’s that terrible show Naked and Afraid, and sometimes my partner and I when we go walking to the seaside or go bushwalking will go ‘could you survive here naked and afraid?’. This is one of the things that I thought, ‘oh, yeah, I could do this!’. I love the American series, it’s really, really fun, I love Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman. 

“The other reason I really wanted to do it was that I changed careers. I’m in my mid 40s, and I started my art practice about eight years ago, I’ve come out of a long time in the fashion industry – 20 odd years in the fashion industry. So I just want to show people that you can pursue your passions. Also, I’m an Asian creative, I come from a Malaysian-born Chinese background. So I had a lot of bases to cover as well on that front, just wanting to make sure that there’s some representation in mainstream media. We’re really happy with the mix of people that were on the show. There’s a good mix.”

Tell us about your time on Making It?

“I had an absolute blast! Because of COVID, we couldn’t have a holiday this year or the year before so this was the big adventure holiday. I liken it to going to summer camp or craft boot camp or something like that, it was so, so, so much fun. The people that did the casting did an amazing job, they’ve managed to get a really good bunch of people together. The crew that we worked with was awesome, they made the whole thing really easy for us to slip into as well. I think that’s why you get genuine versions of all of us, because we were comfortable. I didn’t have to think about being anything else other than myself and just doing what I was doing. 

“It’s one of those shows that doesn’t set you up for failure. It is very nurturing, and that’s the whole nature of it. You didn’t have to be on your guard.”

You made some quite personal crafts, not least the hands as your self-portrait. What was it like opening up like that on national TV?

“I didn’t even think about it, that’s how comfortable I was with it. Also, I decided from the onset that I would be open to the experience. I thought, if I’m going to do something like this I might as well just be me. I can’t be anything else but myself. 

“Doing the whole thing about my hands was because I noticed so many people who are creative, that push themselves so hard, and they don’t take good enough care of themselves. That was my love letter to them as well. I’ve had a lot of friends who are artists and have pushed their bodies so hard from making their work, there is – like I said on the show – a real physicality about making and doing things. Sometimes there’s that idea to push through pain or just keep going, but you just have to be able to stop and rest and be okay with that as well. It’s something that I’ve had to learn the hard way.”

What would you say to people who don’t believe they’re crafty enough to try this sort of thing?

“I think everyone’s got a spark in them somewhere. There’s so much pressure on people to be good at things, and you don’t have to be, you just have to give it a go. Seeing people who are on television doing this sort of stuff, a lot of us have been doing it for a long time – it takes practice and it takes work. Just because you don’t get it the first time doesn’t mean you’re not going to get it after. Every time you do make a mistake, you learn from it.”

What’s next for you?

“I’m working on some exhibitions at the moment. I’m represented by Australian Galleries which is a gallery that’s both in Sydney and Melbourne but I’m going to have an exhibition in Melbourne. I believe it will be November, although with COVID and everything, there are moving targets.

“Then I have a really big exhibition next year where I’m working with another artist. I’ve worked with before, his name is Vipoo Srivilasa. He’s a Thai ceramicist I’ve worked with collaboratively before and we’re working on a much bigger project. It’s still embargoed at the moment, but I can say it’s happening next year. 

“So it’s kind of watch this space, and all that stuff will be on my socials anyway once it can be made public.”