Meet Ginger Ooi

We recently connected with Ginger Ooi and have shared our conversation below.

Ginger , thanks for taking the time to share your lessons with our community today. So, let’s jump right in – one of the most essential skills for unlocking our potential is self-discipline. Where does your self-discipline come from?

It’s a classic tale of a small town girl moving to the big city. I was born and raised on a small island in Malaysia called Penang and while my love for my home runs deep within me, my exposure to the arts and media from around the world instilled in me a deep desire to explore. Boarding that flight to New York with two suitcases in 2017 was the biggest step I’ve ever taken, and while I was excited to do it, it wasn’t until I was saying goodbye to my family at the airport terminal did it really dawn on me what I had chosen, but to this day, there are no regrets.

My first night of sleeping in my NYU dorm was filled with tears; it was jarring to be alone in a foreign place I had never set foot in before. There were definitely some culture shock moments, from learning that Chipotle was not a classy restaurant to wondering why strangers in the elevator would ask me, “How is your day going?”

Nevertheless, it was my time in college that strengthened my self-discipline and helped me find my purpose and what I’d like to pursue in life. Using my background from Malaysia and seeing people from all walks of life in New York, I realized every person has a story to be told, and I’d like to be the one telling them.

Now, my professional work furthers my pursuit of artistic storytelling. Currently, I am a Photo Editor at Assouline Publishing, which is known for its luxurious coffee table books with rich imagery. In my role, I help tell stories through imagery. Sometimes, it’s for cities, cultures, films, brands, or even the story of a style or a concept. A picture is worth a thousand words, and these books are hundreds of thousands word stories on said topics. In my over four-year tenure at Assouline, I have worked on almost fifty books on a range of topics and have worked alongside clients such as Netflix and Bulgari. As the photo lead on many projects, self-discipline is a strong element. From researching imagery, finding the perfect pairings, licensing and obtaining the high resolution files while communicating across all departments the current status, it may seem daunting at first but these responsibilities are similar to a huge mountain that needs to be crossed, but I’ve learned to break everything down into small hills that I can overcome.

Just like how that teenage girl took the first step by boarding that plane alone all those years ago.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

To expand on how I tell a story in my current role, the photo editor is in charge of curating the entire imagery of the book. We are in charge of researching the images we’d like to incorporate, followed by licensing them, or when photoshoots are commissioned, we do work in the art direction alongside the photographers by creating a moodboard on the images we’d like featured.

To guide someone through the experience within the pages is the most exciting element of this process. Assouline is well known for our Travel Series books, which I had the luxury to work on multiple of them, such as Sicily Honor, Kyoto Serenity, Roma Eterna, Santo Domingo (which we worked closely with the Minister of Tourism for the Dominican Republic, David Collado, himself), Rio de Janeiro and more!

Ultimately, my favorite book amongst these was Kyoto Serenity, which was launched last December as it was a location I frequented with my family since a child. My dad went to college there, and he would always bring us along to Japan to explore the wonder and serenity (no pun intended) of this glorious and calming place. To be able to bring my experience into the imagery found within the book was truly rewarding.

It’s always exciting to receive a text from a friend when they say, “Walked past the store today and saw the book you worked on in the window!” To know that my work would be able to make a lasting impact on them and as well as others who are picking up the book for the first time, brings me joy.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

With regard to imagery, understanding the composition of an image is definitely an important skill to learn. Think to yourself, what makes this image stand out? What do you want the readers to grasp when they look at a photo? Is there something about the composition that is unique, and if so what is it? The most unique thing is that there is no right or wrong answer; the point is to be able to find your own voice from within.

And to expand on that, stay curious! Keep asking yourself these questions in your mind. Have the urge to learn more about a topic (or multiple!); the world is your oyster, and you have the power and capability to explore it. What else is there to see, to hear, and most importantly, to tell?

Lastly, it goes without saying that every creative person has dealt with a creativity block. And my advice would be to sit with it. Trying to push it away sometimes comes with negative impacts as the more you try to escape a certain mindset, it may come back stronger, and you feel more stuck. Instead, sit with it. What is this ‘block’ trying to tell you? Is it that you have been looking in the wrong direction and, therefore, are coming up empty? Is it true that you have exhausted all viable options? Try to switch the mindset, and perhaps you may see that the situation appears different than what you imagine.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?

I would say finding my self-confidence in the professional field. Transitioning from Malaysia to living in New York is one thing, but transitioning from college to understanding how corporate America is another. I feel like growing up, we were told to just listen to our elders and obey what we were told, which still has its own merit, but following this blindly may have led to many of us losing our voice. I’ve been blessed to work with some spectacular and remarkable individuals who have guided me throughout my professional growth here, and one piece of advice I was given that truly stuck out was, “Be proud of yourself!”

This concept was really difficult for me at first, and there were many times when I did not feel comfortable speaking my mind or letting my own artistic vision and eye lead me through a project. What could I, an individual who just entered the professional field, offer? However, I came to realize that every successful project with artistic value that I was a part of owed some of its success to me. I realized, no matter how big or small your role is, you are part of the team that builds it, and you should speak up and express your thoughts if you have an opinion about something. If you are given a chance to hold the steering wheel, instead of just hopping on the bandwagon and going along with everyone, take the chance to drive someplace else with your power. You never know if you might just take whatever project you have on you to the next level!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @yesitsginger
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginger-ooi

Image Credits

All images © Ginger Ooi, except images of Kyoto Serenity and Bulgari Beyond Time are Courtesy of Assouline