Background
Doing a little modelling on the side as a 'Fallen Angel'
Image © 2011 Chris Oaten
Centuries ago, back in the 70's, I emerged from school with no idea what to do next, so I answered an ad for a "Junior Artist" because it had the word "Artist" in it and that seemed like a good word to be in a job description.
6 months later the "Senior Artist" quit and I became "The Art Department" and spent the next 5 years creating wine labels at what was called MIK Graphic Arts, now Precision Labels. Great job, lots of freebies, nice people, good pay.
One night the previously mentioned "Senior Artist" asked me to come and work with him... bad move. 18 months designing bank cheques, forms and lottery scratchies at CPE Australia. Great pay, awful job, no perks and scary security guards with big guns and unfriendly attitudes.
I quit and went to a typesetting & design company with an appalling boss who one day discovered that she'd spent all the money. "Oops" she said, giggling. Great job, nice people, no pay.
Three of us left and started our own company, LeType-LeArt (yes, I came up with the name - it was the 80's remember), which went well until software was invented for Macs that made our expensive typesetting gear look silly. “Oops” we said, and I became a "Freelance Designer with a Mac" in 1989, which is what I have been ever since.