How Catie embraced the arts as a mature aged student

Here is a fun fact about Catie Sharp.

On Friday nights at drive-time, she co-hosts a radio show with her local radio station, Radio Port Phillip and interviews and support local musicians, artists, charities, and many others, about random facts and arts events. And she loves it.

When it comes to Catie’s career path, she started in retail but after years in that industry felt she needed to make a change.

Art had always been an interest as she loved the idea of a career that allowed her to explore creatively but had always hesitated to take steps in that direction. Growing up she was always told art was something you did as a hobby, not a career.

She decided to throw caution into the wind and started studying the Certificate II in Printing and Graphic Arts and then pathwayed to the Diploma in Graphic Design.

She is now loving working as a graphic designer for an organisation that is dedicated to making information accessible to all members of our community.

“I love the opportunities to be creative, and to take an idea and have some fun with it!”

Catie is still in regular contact with her teachers and past students through group chats.

"My teachers were a huge support, as were my classmates through my courses."

“My teachers were absolutely stellar instructors who were exceptionally supportive and happy to give hands-on instruction whenever I asked. They gave us encouragement to explore our individual creative ideas and the feedback to help us work towards them.”

“I still struggle with staying abreast of new technology, and learning the variety of software out there to grow my skill set.”

“One thing I took for granted was how vital a structured workplace need to be, in both a digital and physical sense. I'm lucky to be working in a place now with meticulous organisational systems, and it has made the process of designing so much more efficient.”

“My team leaders, and the experienced designers who I have been working with have been incredibly supportive in my new position”

“I do know that illustration is one of my passions, and being able to explore that in the future would be my dream.”

“My advice to anyone considering a course or career in art or design is to practice a variety of creative styles. It's great to have digital skills but traditional art skills can make you stand out in today's digital landscape.

Also, you can learn a lot through YouTube tutorials, but it is also really helpful to have a foundation of formal learning so you know what information to look for.

You are never too old to go back to study. You don't lose anything by learning something new!”