The Weird, the Wild, and the Illustrated

When Steve Irwin, “The Crocodile Hunter”, tragically passed away in his prime, Qiyun Woo was only nine years old. “He made me realise how much I loved the natural world. His influence was so big that I was grieving his death.”

As I knew of not many nine-year-olds who grieved Steve Irwin’s death, I asked her, just what about Steve Irwin made her feel so attached?

“Crocodiles are not very charismatic animals,” she says. (I respectfully disagree; I think, if anything, those teeth might be too charismatic.) “But he shared it in a way that got me to feel this excitement. You couldn’t help but get curious about whatever he shared.”

Fast-forward to today, and much like Steve Irwin did for crocodiles, snakes, and other reptiles, Qiyun is trying to get the public excited about the environment.

Protecting environmental defenders, Singapore’s complex weather patterns, and alternative proteins made from thin air are all topics featured on her Instagram platform, The Weird and Wild.

It wasn’t in Qiyun’s plans to become an artist or an illustrator. Rather, she realised her artistic side could evoke the audience’s enthusiasm by casually playing around on a new tablet she got when she was 21.

“I started very simple – making illustrations using free apps on a tablet was a way to digitise what I love doing. To inform people.”

The Weird and Wild page is a splash of colours and figures that instantly make you feel invited. In her comics, the protagonists often consist of just a body with a pair of googly eyes, a mouth, arms, and legs. Characters walk the audience through eco-friendly practices, current environmental issues, and climate solutions. Want to know more about the struggles facing Masungi Georeserve? An easy-to-understand, colourful illustration walks viewers through the complex topic, breaking down the current issues and offering ways to get involved.

“There wasn’t any inspiration behind the character,” Qiyun explains.  “I needed a protagonist that also didn’t require me to sweat over detailed facial features.”

This system allows Qiyun to create informative illustrations quickly, bringing to light relevant events and topics to her audience and helping to build a new generation of climate advocates. For Qiyun, it is important that the appearance of the character doesn’t overshadow the information she is trying to convey.

“I needed something neutral in every way. I wanted something that everyone relates to talking to them rather than fussing over details,” Qiyun explains.

Qiyun also has a podcast called Climate Cheesecake, where she invites environmental experts from Southeast Asia to discuss ‘weird and wild’ topics like the sexual behaviour of dung beetles or the Great Chicken Shortage.

Born and raised in Singapore, Qiyun feels a responsibility to help the public connect to nature where it is lacking, like the city. “Singapore’s biodiversity always comes into conflict with the urban development,” she explains. “How does one think about conserving forests while people are trying to deal with the increase in demand for housing?” Sadly, Singapore has lost almost 40% of its biodiversity over the past 200 years.

Qiyun’s efforts to bring Singaporeans and others closer to environmental topics are met with noticeable enthusiasm and positivity. Each post is made with thoughtfulness, ingenuity, and, most of all, vibrance.

However, as easy as Qiyun makes it seem, the life of a content creator can be an emotionally taxing journey.

“I also needed a sustainable way to create content because I was burning out from posting a series of disastrous issues,” Qiyun adds. “I have to consciously balance my content with neutral, future-oriented content like sustainable lifestyle with more urgent and difficult content like environmental disasters and climate change impacts.”

“I sometimes struggle with not being able to practice what I preach,” she adds, feeling like a hypocrite when she reluctantly participates in the modern world in unsustainable ways–a common struggle for all of us ‘imperfect environmentalists.’

“Sometimes people use that against you. But, you just have to say, ‘Hey, just because we live in a system that may not allow us to live sustainably, that doesn’t mean we stop advocating what’s important.”

While it’s not always an easy journey, Qiyun’s steady efforts have brought her international recognition. She is a Women in Sustainability and Environment Champion and was named on the BBC’s 100 Women list. Her content is beloved and shared by more than 23K followers.

But most importantly, she’s grateful for the people around her.

“My family and friends played such important roles because posting on social media wasn’t easy. You never know when it will bear fruit or if it will be at all,” she confides.

“Having the support of my family and friends who constantly love and share my work or even simple things like giving me a ride to events–I think that keeps me doing what I’m doing because otherwise being a content creator can be extremely lonely and full of self-doubt.”

Qiyun also finds joy in her audience's sense of community. She engages with them often, asking for recommendations for vegetarian food or sharing the newest thrift stores to shop at.

“It’s been very interesting because I’ve gotten to engage with many people who are more of an expert than I am on many subjects, and to me, that’s the best feeling! I become a medium for a lot of people to share what they know.” 

It’s awe-inspiring and hopeful to witness Qiyun using every cube of her social media real estate to share her excitement and passion for the environment. She gets me excited about the possibility of learning more and doing more.

“There’s no content that is too boring; you just need to present it the right way.”

Spoken like a true Steve Irwin fan.