By Ainina Hasnul
“Jack of all trades, master of none” has always been a quote that holds in disfavour of 22-year old Ainina Hasnul, a Sarawak-born optimist raised in Penang. This was until she discovered the full version of the quote that reads “A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”
When asked to describe herself, Ainina Binti Hasnul Jamal, also known as Ainina Hasnul, gave a short answer: “I am many things.” She is not one to label herself into one particular category. This petite young woman may be small in size, but has big passions in several interests.
Born into an art-driven family, where both her parents are well-known Malaysian artists, she was allowed the freedom to venture into as many interests as she wished. Growing up as the youngest of three all-girls siblings, she also adopted several interests from her older sisters whom she looks up to.
Ever since kindergarten, Ainina has been active in activities of self-expression. Among them would be theatre and music, both indulged at the young age of 6. These interests grew stronger as she reached secondary school where she also enrolled herself in art, sports, public speaking, photography and writing competitions.
From charity concerts to representing Malaysia for the Cultural Arts Competitions 2015 in Indonesia, she and her bandmates were well recognised by the school for their achievements.
“My grades were not always great but as I transferred from Accountings to Social Sciences course, I managed to score a perfect straight As for my Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) results,” Ainina emphasised the importance of choosing the right course.
“Juggling between my interests was never much of a problem for me as a passionate, self-driven, and optimistic teenager,” she asserted that until today, these are still among her strongest suits.
“What was hard for me was focusing on one thing at a time. Among my weaknesses that I constantly try to improve would be my unhealthy multitasking habits.”
Growing up under such circumstances, Ainina never found it hard to decide on her true passion as she had tried most of her interests when she was a teenager. Today, if asked to choose, her main interest would be in digital content creation, be it in the forms of writing, music, or arts.
Upon finishing high school, she was divided between music and communication for higher education. After much thought, she proceeded to apply for the Communication course due to her immense love for storytelling.
She was able to sort her interests into hobbies and career paths with the help of her parents. Currently, she is in her third year of the degree programme, specialising in Integrated Media Journalism.
Being a digital content creator, Ainina often shares with her audience her journey with journaling. That was the birth of her interest in journalism. Her love for story-telling exhibits in many forms but the first draft is always in the pages of her journals. Writing is her sweet escape. It was apparent when she found herself struggling to end her essays in school.
“My eagerness for self-expression can be aggressive at times. Finding the best platform to fulfill that need is not only beneficial for me, but also to my readers,” she chuckles while answering.
Her sole purpose in story-telling is to give back to society. As hard as it was for her to admit, she divulged that it also gave her a sense of self-validation. As she touches a lot on personal growth in her writings, knowing that it inspires others, it has fuelled her passion. What she does for others, she does for herself as well. That was how she defined balance.
“For me, a good journalist is one that readers can relate well with regardless of the subliminal messages. I also admire journalists who know how to capture simplicity on more complicated issues.” She expressed her gratitude to journalists who have made complex concepts easier to grasp for the masses in general.
This is what she hopes to achieve as she dives deeper into journalism. She added that her journalism skills are unpolished and would like to do better in her reporting and organising methods. However, she is proud of her strength in working ahead of time. The fast-paced world of journalism does not faze her. Being a jack of all trades has trained her to become a more flexible and adaptive person.
Four to five years from now, she hopes to work as a broadcast journalist, traveling across the globe, collecting stories to share and inspire. Her dream is to become a woman she would look up to as a kid. Using her voice to move hearts and motivate improvements.
Despite being very expressive of her thoughts, there are topics she kept private – for instance, personal beliefs and political views. Although she enjoys reading on such topics, she believes that her personal views and values are only to be shared with close family and friends. Generally, Ainina believes in a just government where political leaders are attentive to the welfare of the citizens.
Among other enjoyable reads for her are local zines she has collected from independent writers. She loves the authenticity of smaller creators. Each comes with its unique style, unbounded by the stricter rules of journalism. She feels that local zines should gain more recognition for their quality and creativity of writing.
Two of her recently completed books are “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach” by Mark Manson and “Reasons to Stay Alive” by Matt Haig. Both books have given her a fresh pair of eyes. She observed that book choices are a great tell of characters. Her favourite book genre is self-help books but she is always open to trying new genres.
To Ainina, the course of life is never definite. According to her, the best way to learn your real potential is to try new things every chance you get. She asserted that she might not be a master of one, but being a jack of all trades has brought her to what she reckons is her true calling.***
(This article is written as part of individual assignment series for Feature Writing class)