As a teen, Merida Lim had done well enough academically to enter a six-year Integrated Programme (IP) at an elite school. But what she recalls of that period were her panic attacks, which led her to be frequently sent to the general office.They got so bad that she even had to go for counselling and therapy.Her coping mechanism: Whenever she felt down or sad, she would draw scary stuff – a canvas drenched in black and red, a woman covered in blood.“It was my way of release – like a rage room, but with art that came from the deepest parts of my soul,” said the 21-year-old. “That’s how I fell in love with art.”At 16, Lim dropped out of school. Because she was in an IP programme, she did not take her O-Levels and left with only a PSLE certificate.She then pursued a graphic communication diploma at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA) but dropped out as well after her second year. Lim told her parents she wanted to start a horror-themed art jamming studio.By then, she was a two-time dropout with no O-Levels, starting a business at 19.A HORROR-THEMED ART STUDIOSo many parents and children dream of getting into the IP programme. Why did Lim quit?“I simply could not see myself following the conventional path and getting a nine-to-five office job,” she reflected.