Designer's Profile (example)
Ever since my step-dad let me play in his studio while he was sculpting things in clay, I have had a fascination for shape, texture, colour and form. I didn't do very well at school, and my parents decided to let me leave after year ten and start an apprenticeship with a printing firm. This helped me develop a good work ethic, but many of the skills I used are out of date already. In my spare time I worked with my step-dad who was working on a bronze sculpture for Canberra City Council. I knew then that this is the work I wanted to do.
After completing my apprenticeship, I worked in a factory to save enough money to go overseas. I went to London first and drove a delivery van for two years - a great way to see the country and get paid for it! I went to Europe next, travelling through France, Germany, Austria down to Italy, where I got a job on a cruise ship as a steward. I travelled all around the world with this job, everywhere except the US which is where I was hoping to go. I jumped ship in New Zealand, and managed to work on a freighter going to Canada.
I worked in Vancouver (Canada) for three years with a company that made architectural models and movie sets. The pay wasn't very good, but the opportunity to get experience in this type of work made it worth it. My mum got cancer while I was there so after nearly seven years away, I decided it was time to return home. I was a bit lost when I got home, not sure what to do with myself. An old artist mate of my step-dad was living with us at the time, and told me one night "If you don't get some qualifications, you will find yourself working for nothing, or doing stuff you don't like." I remembered working in Canada for heaps less that the other people who were qualified, so I figured it was time to go back to school.
I enrolled in an Industrial Design course in Melbourne, part time just to see if I could hack the study. I had bad memories of school, so wasn't real keen to go down that track again. Much to my surprise, it was completely different to school, and I loved it. I found that I had a lot of life and work experience to help me, and also met the woman of my dreams. Rhonda is also a Product Designer working for a plastics company. She supported me while I completed my degree which was a great help. I started doing contract jobs in my final year, and found that I was able to pick up lots of interesting work. My most exciting project was the floating mural at the new International Terminal at Brisbane Airport. This high-exposure project has really put me on my feet, and most of the time now I have to knock back work. I get my step-dad to help me in the studio when he is up in Sydney, a neat way to pay him back for starting me off in the creative arts.
