She quit school twice. Her horror art studio nearly closed. Now, its neon art jams book out most weekends
An IP student at an elite school, Merida Lim left with only a PSLE certificate to open a horror-themed art studio at 19. When it nearly closed, she pivoted to neon art jams and the business now generates five figures in monthly revenue. This is the first instalment of CNA Women’s Gen Z series.
Merida Lim, 21, started a neon art jamming studio that books out almost every weekend for children’s parties. (Photo: Scuro)
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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 STUDIO
So 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.
“I have been very entrepreneurial since I was young,” Lim said. As a teen, she picked up face painting from YouTube, and began offering it at children’s parties, gradually raising her rate from S$15 per hour to S$100.
At NAFA, she realised she was not exceptional at graphic design – just a “solid average”. At the same time, her young mind was brimming with business ideas. She tested some of them briefly, including a kidswear brand.
When Lim decided to quit NAFA, her mum was worried – she wanted Lim to complete her diploma first. But her dad, an entrepreneur with his own mobile app studio, was all for the idea.
In October 2024, with S$10,000 of Lim’s own money saved from part-time waitressing and face painting jobs, and a S$24,000 loan from her dad, Lim started Scuro, a horror-themed art studio, at 79 Kampong Bahru. She named the studio after the Italian art term chiaroscuro, referring to the contrast between light and dark.
The Scuro studio featured horror posters, an oversized gothic chair, as well as props, candles, and head-banging music to create the vibe. Customers could paint with screwdrivers, sponges and strings, and end each session with fruit punch in ‘blood bags’.
The timing was perfect. The opening coincided with Halloween and there were many bookings in the first month. Lim earned enough to cover rent. But in the second month, bookings dropped by more than 50 per cent. It “flopped”, she said.
In Singapore, entrepreneurship comes with significant capital outlay and risks, Lim said. Most of her start-up capital went into the first month’s rent and a two-month deposit. She also had to sign a two-year rental contract.
“Imagine the stress I was under because I did not have any runway,” Lim said.
Thinking that her studio would shut down, she broke the news to her boyfriend and friends, and promised them she’d get a job, work hard and get her life together. She even told her landlord to start searching for new tenants.
“I was calculating the debt I would be in and regretted going so hastily into a business,” Lim said. “But I was not going down without a fight.”
Lim made a TikTok video to share her dire situation and appeal for support. “In my video, I said that if I didn’t earn S$6,000 within the next 50 days, my studio would close down,” she said.
She also began to experiment with new art jamming concepts – neon horror-themed art jams using fluorescent paint, candlelight art jams and neon art jams.
Of the three, neon art jams saw increased bookings. Kids, in particular, loved the idea.
Moreover, in her first month of business, Lim had hand-painted a forest and mushrooms on the wall, even staying back past 11pm to paint checks on the curtains. In the second month, after adding neon elements, the decor worked perfectly for children’s neon art jams with just a change of music and lighting.
Over the next few months, Scuro evolved into a family-friendly art jamming studio.
And that saved her business.
SCALING UP IN NEON
“Imagine a studio where everything is neon and glowing in the dark, including the walls. You create art with fluorescent paints, which glows when UV light hits it,” Lim said.
Though the concept is most popular among kids, adults enjoy it too. The studio offers templates from animals to landscapes and replicas of famous masterpieces that customers can trace before painting with fluorescent paint, so no art experience is required.
Children’s parties are particularly popular because the company takes care of the e-invite, glow-in-the-dark cake, games, slime, art and goodie bags, making it a hassle-free experience for parents, Lim said.
Over the following months, Scuro’s monthly revenue grew to a five-figure sum. And in early 2025, she was joined by a co-founder and investor with extensive start-up and corporate experience.
He introduced measures such as a minimum spend for parties and setting up an offshore administrative team to respond more quickly to enquiries.
The business continued to grow and in August 2025, Lim opened her second studio at 119A Serangoon Road.
Scuro has since hosted over 1,000 private parties, including corporate and team bonding sessions for companies. She now runs the company with her co-founder, a full-time manager and 20 part-timers.
Weekends are usually fully booked, though Lim hopes to increase weekday bookings and offsite parties at company function rooms and homes.
The company is also developing its own proprietary non-toxic fluorescent paint for neon art jams to build its branding and have greater control over cost and product supply as the business expands. Lim plans to expand to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, next year.
Though it was not the path her mother may have envisioned for her, both her parents are proud, Lim said.
“I wouldn’t encourage anyone to drop out of school like me. If you want to pursue a business, do it alongside your studies instead of just going all in and going broke,” she said.
“I was super stressed because I didn’t have a runway or a safety net if it fails,” she reflected.
But Lim is happy with where she is now. She no longer has panic attacks. And she has no regrets about starting Scuro instead of pursuing a conventional career.
“The parents’ market is big. I see the potential there. And I believe Scuro can become one of the leading neon experiential companies in the world,” she said.
It may be a small art business for now, not an AI business, which is all the rage, she added. “But it feels like a stable and solid ground to build my life, and something that will compound with time,” she said.
CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg.
Source: CNA/pc
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