Midlife career change for art and film lovers

I am working on a frank film, art and travel-packed memoir about my many midlife career changes in the search for that one, gut-wrenching vocation we all dream about...

It has taken more than seven career changes - encompassing London's entertainment industry, the edgy world of advertising (as a writer and an executive), teaching English as a Second Language in Spain, working in Australian television, studying contemporary jewellery design, and working with an internationally acclaimed film director - to find the career that ignited heart and soul more than any other. This is my work as an oil painter, which has morphed into a love affair with works on paper, particularly pastels and prints. And yet...while loving my art no less, I am now happily drawn to an earlier love - a love of words - ranging from quirky children's fiction to adult non-fiction.

I believe that it is not wrong or misguided to love and embrace more than one career. In fact, it makes life more interesting! Why place restrictions on our talents? Each career can pollinate and nourish the next. Whether it's a midlife career change, the fixing up of an early career "mistake" or a much later-in-life career change, it's vital we embrace life doing something we love...if not all the time, then at least part of the time.

Along my many career paths (each with its challenges and seminal moments) and living variously in England, Germany, Spain, France, Canada, Hawaii and Malaysia, I've had outstanding experiences and encounters with some special people, including charismatic celebrities and powerful roll models.

This memoir will provide behind-the-scenes glimpses of intriguing times spent working with film director Paul Cox and cast and crew on the sets of various feature films and documentaries - including a deeply spiritual adventure in the Hawaiian paradise of Kalaupapa. Along the way, I will detail the trials and tribulations I experienced as I began to fully practice as an artist.

The book is now (slowly but surely) in progress. Please contact me if you would like to be informed of its release.

The Path to Success

Featuring an autobiographical chapter on my transition from film person to artist, spanning Australia, the U.S. and France.
FOR MORE INFORMATION

2008 - Co-Author - "The Path to Success" by Sandy Forster, a great little book of inspirational true stories, (In my Chapter, Leap of Faith, I describe my midlife career change from film to art, with practical career change advice.) This book is designed to motivate you to get out there and take charge of your life - risk, grow, learn.

2000 - Challenge “Against the Odds” Children’s non fiction article – Longman

1999 - Explore “Eaten – Dead or Alive!” Children’s non fiction article - Longman