Merlaine R. Sio – Artist

Hello! I’m Merlaine Reyes Sio, a 24 year old who always has a sketchbook to draw on and the girl who always loves to study new things.

I was born November 17, 1995, have 4 siblings and currently live with my brother, his girlfriend and my cats in Tayabas City, Philippines.

Let’s start at my college life, 2014…

I took the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology major in Digital Arts at STI College – Lucena. This was the moment of my life that I realised I really love drawing. It was all satisfying – from laying out your ideas to giving them digitalised life. It was really fun! I enjoyed the times the lessons were about digital and traditional arts, editing and using different kinds of software. I have learned basic coding too, but it’s not really my cup of tea.

It was 4th year, 2nd semester that my personality and skills were tested. We juggled with time management, conceptualising, adapting to new programs and tools, team work and being honest. I was not a girl who loves to talk so I had to speak up all the time as I was one of the animators in the thesis.

In 2018, the year that I graduated, reality hit me hard: being good at drawing and being passionate about it is not enough! Potential employers really seek either an experienced artist or with a good portfolio. Frankly, I don’t have a good samples as yet – so that’s when I decided to look for a job that could support me financially while I stack up my portfolio.

In 2018, I got a job as a cashier at a small Chinese restaurant. It was a good job – I have to manage documents and handle reports. My customer service was enhanced too as I encountered different people ranging from Chinese to Filipinos and Americans. But as time passed by, I became unhappy with the way things were going on with my job, and I kept thinking of my passion for art. So, I decided to quit my job and pursue the life of a homebased freelancer.

That’s when I started to build a reputation using the name Hanatsuki in some art sites like Deviantart and Instagram that I’m active on. It was the happiest I’ve felt in a long time. I have met lots of people online from around the world – from holding art raffles to motivating beginner artists like me. I also gained clients that commissioned me for illustrating and editing.

I was happy! Who wouldn’t be? But it’s not a stable income. That’s when I got into the Virtual Assistant world.

I saw a job ad posted in Deviantart looking for a VA commissioned based position, where I need to do research about animes, sorting out documents and products in folders, creating backgrounds for my client’s keychain products and so on. Some of the tasks were new to me, but my client was understanding. It wasn’t a problem because I’m good at adapting to new jobs and tasks.

So if you are looking for a VA who is quick to adapt to a new environment and tasks, loves managing, loves conceptualising, designing and editing… or an artist who is responsible and detailed oriented… I can confidently say that I am the one you’re looking for and I will be a great asset to your organisation.

For a copy of Merlaine’s resume please click here.