From Banking to Full-Time Artist - My Story
People find out I used to work in banking and they always do the same thing.
They tilt their head slightly. Look at me ... usually covered in paint, possibly with a marker or ink stain somewhere on my hand... and say something like ”…really?”
Yes. Really.
For years I sat at a desk or driving around to meet my clients, wore corporate clothes, and helped people with mortgages and finance. I was good at it. I understood numbers. I understood people. I knew how to build trust, manage relationships, and navigate high-pressure situations with a smile.
What I didn’t know was that every single one of those skills would one day make me a better artist.
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I didn’t quit one day and become an artist the next.
I want to be honest about this because I think the “I followed my passion and it all worked out” story does a disservice to anyone who’s actually standing at that crossroads right now.
The truth is messier. And more interesting.
I was creating art the whole time I was in banking. Painting on weekends. Sketching after work hours. Experimenting. Creativity wasn’t something I discovered... it was something I’d always had, just something I hadn’t yet given permission to take up more space.
The shift happened gradually, then suddenly. I started getting enquiries. Then bookings. Then more bookings. Then one day I looked at my calendar and realised the art was no longer the side thing, and I had a car accident that I realised life is too short not to chase after my dream...
That was the moment I made the leap.
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What banking actually taught me about running an art business.
Here’s the part nobody talks about: leaving a corporate career doesn’t mean leaving everything you learned there behind.
Banking taught me how to talk to clients, like really talk to them. How to listen for what they actually need, not just what they’re asking for. How to manage expectations, deliver on promises, follow up professionally, asking for feedbacks and do it all again better for my next client.
It taught me that building your branding and networks matters, cause people work with people they can trust. That efficiency and reliability is rare. That being easy to work with is itself a skill.
And honestly? It taught me that luxury clients...whether they’re buying a financial product or booking a live illustrator for their brand activation...want the same things. They want to feel heard. They want to feel confident in their choice. And they want the experience to be seamless from first enquiry to final delivery.
I brought all of that with me when I left.
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The moment I knew what I really wanted in life.
There’s one moment that still gets me when I think about it.
I was at a wedding, drawing guests during the reception. It was late in the evening, the dance floor was full, and I was at my little table in the corner doing my thing. A woman came over to collect her sketch ...I’d drawn her earlier in the night... and she just stood there holding it, not saying anything.
Then she looked up and said “this is the most beautiful thing anyone has ever made for me.”
I thought about the mortgage applications. The performance reviews. The seriousness in banking...
And during the way I drove home from the wedding...I thought to myself - this is it...this is what I’m supposed to be doing - being a creative and bring joy to people through my art.
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What I do now.
Today I’m a full-time oil painter and live event artist based in Melbourne, working across illustration, engraving, and Western and Chinese calligraphy.
I’ve worked with over 30 luxury brands: Montblanc, Prada, Chaumet, Fendi, Porsche, Celine, Jo Malone London to name a few. I’ve drawn guests at private events in the Yarra Valley and at brand activations in the heart of the city. I’ve been featured in The CEO Magazine. I’ve appeared twice on SBS Melbourne.
Beyond live events, I have my own art studio, exhibit fine art paintings at art fairs, teach creative workshops, and manage a creative agency BonBon Creative Co. that organises live event artists for larger-scale activations, so when your event needs more than one artist, I've got that covered too.
It is nothing like banking.
It is everything I didn’t know I was working towards.
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What I’d say to anyone standing where I was.
You don’t have to blow up your life overnight. You don’t have to choose between a stable life and being creative. Those two things are not opposites and anyone who tells you they are has probably never tried to run a creative business.
The skills you have right now? They’re not wasted. They’re waiting for their time to shine.
Start before you’re ready. Do it while you’re still scared, cause scare is a signal that you actually care. Do it messy and do it imperfect. Build the new thing alongside the other thing, until one day the thing you love is loud enough that everything else gets quiet.
Good luck! 😊
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📩 hello@candyngart.com
📱 +61 481 783 811
🌐 candyngart.com
📸 @candyngart
Fine Artist | Live Event Illustrator, Engraver & Calligrapher | Melbourne, Australia | Available internationally