This International Women’s Month, our annual series Conversations with HER brings together three women artists across 3 coffee expressions: PURE, AURA, and NOVA. Each artist reflects the spirit of a range, from clarity to emotion to exploration.

Through conversation, we explore how craft and creativity intersect with coffee.

Calligraphy as the Purest form

PURE celebrates coffee in its most transparent form: balanced, uncomplicated, and quietly expressive.

To mirror this spirit, we speak with Fong Sheeney, Malaysian Chinese calligrapher whose practice is built on patience, discipline, and intention. Much like PURE, every stroke values clarity over excess, reminding us that simplicity, when mastered, carries its own quiet strength.

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Pure embodies the art of restraint. How does calligraphy teach you the power of restraint and balance, and what have you learned about yourself through practicing it?

FONG SHEENEY

For me, restraint in calligraphy starts with white space. In Chinese calligraphy, the empty space is just as important as the ink. If you fill everything, it feels heavy. The space allows the work to breathe. It taught me that not everything needs to be said. Sometimes holding back creates more impact.

Calligraphy also teaches me presence because one stroke cannot be taken back. Once the brush touches the paper, that’s it. There’s no repeating it. So I’ve learned to slow down and center myself before I move. If I’m distracted or emotional, it shows immediately in the stroke.

I also think a lot about pressure and release. A stroke can’t be too forceful or too weak. Real strength is controlled strength. That changed how I see power in my own life.

And then there’s Qì (气), the energy inside the character. The energy has to be contained. If it spills over, the structure collapses. Through practicing, I realized I’m someone with strong emotions and strong energy, but I’ve learned how to channel them with intention.

To me, that’s what PURE means.

^I03 What part of your process feels most invisible to people?

^FS The stillness before the first stroke. Most people see the finished piece, beautifully framed, or the satisfying moment when ink touches paper. But behind that are years of repetition. Hundreds of sheets that didn’t work out. Moments of frustration, patience, and the quiet discipline of writing the same character again and again. 

There’s also an emotional preparation that happens. Sometimes I sit with a single word for days, asking myself not just how it should look, but how it should feel before I even begin writing.

So the invisible part is really the becoming. And I think that’s something we all experience in our own lives, even outside of art.

^I03 You once described coffee as a ritual that mirrors calligraphy, and PURE can be described as a moment of mind at ease. What role do rituals play in helping you in your process, and how do you honour both tradition and your own voice as a Malaysian artist?

^FS Rituals create alignment. Rituals are how I return to myself. Before I begin, I grind the ink, cut the papers, arrange my space, sometimes with a warm cup of coffee. These small gestures signal to my body that it is time to focus. They slow me down and remind me that craft deserves respect.

Chinese calligraphy comes from a long lineage, from masters like Wang Xizhi, who believed writing reveals the heart. When I write, I am not just forming words. I am participating in something that existed long before me.

But as a Malaysian artist, my ritual is not only about preservation. It is also about integration.

Growing up in Malaysia means growing up in layers of culture, religions, and languages. That complexity has shaped my sensitivity as an artist. So when I honour tradition, I don’t freeze it in time. I carry it into my present reality.

I study the classical foundations and respect the bones of the script. But I also allow my lived experience to breathe into the work. My compositions may feel more contemporary, my themes explore love, identity, or healing. And because I’m also a musician, I sometimes pair Chinese calligraphy with music to create a more immersive expression.

As a Malaysian artist, I see myself as a confluence. These influences don’t dilute tradition. They give it new soil to grow. My ritual becomes the bridge. It grounds me in where I come from, and gives me courage to create from where I stand.

Fong Sheeney as PURE

Through Sheeney's work, we see how discipline and restraint create space for meaning. A quiet philosophy that feels just as present in our range—PURE—where clarity, balance, and origin take the lead.

Experience the same clarity and restraint through the curated selection of beans under our PURE range. Learn more about Fong Sheeney through Instagram @supersheeney.