KOTA KINABALU, Aug. 17 -- Keningau-born artist Olive Yong once believed her future had already been mapped out, but a digital drawing of a chubby cat eventually led her towards an entirely different career.

Olive, the creator of Bichi Mao, grew up dreaming of becoming an artist but initially considered art an impractical career choice, according to a profile by Catalist Malaysia.

Having learnt piano from her mother, she pursued music education at Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris with plans to become a piano teacher.

"I thought this path was already set," she recalled in a two-part account of her creative journey shared on Bichi Mao's Instagram.

Her direction began to change after she met Yap Wee Lim at university and was introduced ...