6,765 MILES AWAY FROM HOME
W/ ZACC CHEN
NOV 2O22
Home is where many associate the comfort zone with, or where many feel the most familiar and at ease. At times however, change and sacrifice are both needed in order for one to achieve better and greater things in life.
Join the community of 30,000 followers on TikTok who are bolstered to step out of their comfort zone by Zacc Chen - a 22 year old university student who made the move from Singapore to London (a 6,765 mile flight) all alone with one mission: to fulfill his big dreams in life. From enlisting in the Singaporean army, meeting new friends and mentors in a foreign country, joining the boxing club at university, sharing special moments in life on the internet, to inching closer towards excellence - fly outside of home with Chen as he navigates foreign adventures with the motto "DAYS OF MY YOUTH."
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF.
This is a loaded question, but it’s a good thing that I have gotten comfortable with introducing myself since moving to a new country a year ago. Apart from the basics above, I am someone who is passionate about filmmaking - which is the main avenue in which most people know me from.
I've always adored the process of filming/documenting and creating a tangible product of an idea/experience for the longest time. Watching YouTubers such as Casey Neistat has inspired me growing up. Now that I have established a voice of my own, I have developed a deeper appreciation for such creators.
Apart from creating videos, I am also on the boxing team for my university & have found that the sport has taught me so much discipline. It's also given me self-confidence (which is needed as a digital creator - some of the tiktok comments can be brutal). Apart from creating videos & training, I am passionate about my degree in Economics. One of my biggest goals is to work towards a masters degree in NYC.
YOU MADE THE MOVE FROM SINGAPORE TO LONDON ALL ALONE. WHAT WAS THE BIGGEST LEARNING CURVE OR CULTURE SHOCK FOR YOU? DO YOU FIND YOURSELF SETTLING HERE?
Long story short, I've always dreamt of living in London ever since as I visited as a kid. Now, going to uni here and living here on a daily basis has been a dream come true. Before settling here, I was serving the army in Singapore as a Sergeant for 2 years.
I realized my lowest point when I was on a night mission at 4am in a rainforest, where I was awake for more than 24 hours. It occurred to me so clearly that I was in a place I never wanted to be in again. Instead, I wished I was in London. Ever since that waking moment, everything in my control was done to make that dream come true. The rest is history. The biggest culture shock I had post moving here was how lonely this city can be - in the sense that I moved here all alone and started a new life here as someone anonymous. Everyone I knew was essentially now in my past. Since moving here, I recognized the importance of surrounding myself with good people who can continually inspire and motivate me. I am happy with where I am now, and I look forward to working towards my degree and landing a good entry job despite the competitive market.
WHAT'S ONE MOTTO YOU LIVE BY DAILY?
Define & create the life in which you want to live. And the physical manifestation of that can be summed up in my favorite quote which is to ‘figure out what works, and do it.’ I experienced a tough period in my life when I was in the army and the benefit of being there for 2 years with no freedom was that I had all the time in the world to think about the kind of life I wanted to live and the person I wanted to become once I had that form of self autonomy.
WHO DO YOU LOOK UP TO AND WHY?
Casey Neistat. I have kept up with his videos for 10 years now and watching his vlogs as a impressionable high school student really solidified the mentality and beliefs I have today. Neistat encouraged me to understand that it is possible to chase your dreams and curate the kind of life that you want to live.
To this day, whenever he posts a vlog I'm reminded of the young and innocent version of me that saw the world through his perspective. There is a lot of truth and accomplishment in believing in yourself and working towards achieving what is valuable and important to you.
YOU'RE A HUSTLER WHO KEEPS BUSY WITH A TON OF HOBBIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. CURRENT FAVORITES?
Ever since coming to London I've had the opportunity to reinvent myself. It was thrilling to start fresh - to essentially redefine the person and life I wanted to portray and live in London. Finding new passions, hobbies, communities, and more in a new city was a lengthy yet rewarding process. That being said, I have been living in the city for a year now and been through enough to gain a sense of stability in my life right now. Lately, I've been focusing on doing well for my degree, documenting treasurable moments in life for Days of My Youth, boxing training for the committee and focusing on my autonomy & wellbeing as a person.
WHAT DOES YOUR BUSINESS 'DAYS OF MY YOUTH' ENTAIL? WHERE DO YOU DRAW ITS INSPIRATION, AND HOW DID IT COME ABOUT?
I was reading a text passage and the phrase ‘Days of My Youth’ was used somewhat in passing or just as a description. But the typography and articulation of the phrase was what really stuck out to me & I began to reflect upon what the phrase itself meant to me. To me, it's to treasure this period in my life which is my youth and maximize my way of life by making the most of each passing day.
I realized that this was subconsciously the theme of all the videos I would create and push out, which has always been an attempt to create & define the life in which I want to live. I liked the typography of the phrase and how it linked to my life, so I decided to screen print it on hoodies that I owned since I wanted to wear clothing I resonated with.
However, I was surprised when people saw me wearing the hoodies and asked how they could get them as well! That's when I realized others also resonated with the vision. That's how my business and merch, Days of My Youth, was born.
WHAT ARE YOU KNOWN FOR TODAY, AND WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE KNOWN FOR IN THE FUTURE?
I am known mostly for my content on Tiktok. For someone that has just moved to a new country all by himself just a year ago, I was worried about making friends and fitting in. Fast forward to today... and it's quite crazy to wrap my head around the fact that I can’t go anywhere in my university without being stopped by someone to have a conversation regarding my social media platform. There have been times where I've even been stopped on main streets for selfies.
It means the world knowing that my passion positively affects others, and it warms my heart when people go out of their way to let me know their support for my platform. In the future I would like to be known for the man in which I am becoming, but I still have ways to go. I am very grateful for all the support thus far.
MOST SPONTANEOUS EXPERIENCE IN LIFE THUS FAR?
It would definitely be moving to London extremely last minute after almost committing to a university all the way in Australia with a scholarship, which did not work out due to covid (thank god). I am so grateful that my opportunity to study in London panned out the way it did, or else things would have been very different if I ended up in Australia.
30K FOLLOWERS ON TIKTOK WHO KEEP UP WITH YOU AND YOUR LIFESTYLE. WHEN DID YOU REALIZE THIS WAS A TURNING POINT IN YOUR CAREER?
Honestly it still blows my mind. It’s not something I actively thing about all the time as I feel very much like a normal person with my own life and my friends. But, there are times when it will hit me. I guess it’s a matter of perspective in that this is the version of me in which the world gets to see. Pushing out content on the internet also grants me a sense of accountability in becoming the best version I can be.
Ever since I was 12, I have always made these little vlogs in my bedroom. So to think 10 years later I have found a voice and platform in a city which I dreamed of living in - I think the 12 year old version of me would be proud to say the least.
IDEAL MORNING ROUTINE?
The goal is to get a good night's sleep the night before (preferably early). I usually wake up to a set alarm with the intention of waking up with purpose, then I try to jump right out of bed without touching my phone. From there I go straight into a morning run, shower, get dressed, and a coffee to start my day.
Solidifying the perfect morning routine is a work in progress but I believe if you can win the mornings you can easily win the day.
STORY BEHIND GOING BLONDE? ANY THOUGHTS ON DYEING YOUR HAIR ANOTHER COLOR?
I first dyed my hair blonde after seeing the Japanese American surfer Kanoa Igarashi with blonde hair and thought it looked cool. The second time was when I was walking in Chinatown and randomly bumped into Kanoa on the street! We spoke for a while, took a picture (he is a super nice guy), and then I took it as a sign to dye my hair the same exact afternoon. The last time I dyed it was when I came back to London for my second year. Don't know if I will bleach it again but the blonde served me well.
