In Hong Kong’s work-till-you-drop culture, countless executives spend most of their non-working hours complaining about their boring careers, tedious deadlines and slave-driving bosses. But does it have to be that way? We’ve hunted down six Hongkongers who left their high-flying financial careers behind to pursue their true passions. Was taking the plunge worth it for them? You bet it was.

From Credit Cards to Crafts

After a decade as a risk analysis manager for Amex, Joyce Yung hopes to bring a bit of creativity into the lives of others. By Beverly Cheng

On location, photographer Joyce Yung moves like a ninja—leaping off of chairs, crouching on the ground and climbing onto rooftops—she’ll do just about anything for the perfect shot. It’s hard to imagine that just two years ago, Yung had been chained to a desk for nearly a decade in her former role as a risk analysis manager for credit card giant American Express. Though Yung fiddled around with her dad’s manual camera growing up, she pursued studies in engineering instead. At uni, she honed the math and problem solving skills that would later land her a job at the Amex headquarters in New York, before a promotion brought Yung and her husband to Hong Kong.

With no formal photography training apart from snapping photos day-to-day and treading on the tails of photographers, Yung’s natural talents quickly garnered admiration from friends and she was inundated with requests for freelance work from clients who had come upon her portfolio online. The positive response bolstered Yung’s confidence to finally leave her desk job behind.

With all her newfound freedom between photo shoots, Yung searched for a place to take casual classes in jewelry making, scrapbooking and découpage—hobbies she had taken up in New York. She wanted a safe place to just create with other enthusiasts without having to commit to long-term courses offered by schools, but didn’t find what she was looking for. That’s when the idea of RAW (Random Art Workshop) was born—a workshop that offers classes ranging from photography and painting to jewelry making and scrapbooking—all led by specialized instructors.

Through her workshops, Yung hopes that Hongkongers will embrace art in their everyday lives. “Hopefully I get people feeling inspired and show them something different apart from eating and drinking,” she says. Yung aims to one day have an informal gallery where hobbyists can show off their talents, bridging the gap between traditional galleries reserved for well-known artists and school classrooms.

Two years after the founding of RAW, Yung balances her time between managing the growing business and freelancing for wedding shoots and fashion editorials. She may work irregular hours, but looking back to her former life as a suit, Yung finds her growing business much more rewarding. “Everything that I’ve built is definitely more fulfilling. Especially seeing people come out of class looking like it resonated with them,” says Yung.

Get inspired at one of the art classes offered by Random Art Workshop (Unit 2501, Fook Lee Commercial Centre, 33 Lockhart Rd., Wan Chai, 2811-1845, www.randomartworkshop.com).

From Top Trader to the Art Trade

At the helm of her own gallery along Hollywood Road and a role as an art personality on Now TV, Angela Li talks about life after banking. By Beverly Cheng