alumnistories

Sue Earl

I am a graduate from 1996. I rode the sweet wave of success in 1997 for a few brief months (well in my mind anyway) after my student film won an award at the Australian Effects and Animation festival.

Doing the AIM course meant I changed my life/career in a new direction which I have followed since and I love it. It means I make my money doing creative work and this is immensely fulfilling. On the surface I have been at the same day job for 5 years but even within the protection of this bubble, every year has been different and my skills and work have been varied and changing. I work for a big company which looks after five large web sites including Citysearch, Yellowpages and Whitepages. Sounds dry and dull, which some of it is, but every third job or so is a creative challenge. It's a pay off.

I divide my creative life into the stuff I do at work and my endeavours outside of that 9-5. Since AIM I have been pushing a few different creative trolleys. Because of the course I was given the tools to be able to make real the different projects and ideas I previously would have just kept within a notebook. As time has gone on I have realised that it is the ideas and the stories that excite me firstly and then the making them is the secondary thrill. Because of this I have been concentrating on writing more than ever. For the last 2 years I have gone back to study screenwriting part time. I have now got a few first drafts nudging me, wanting to exist: short animations and series ideas and short films.

I have also done a variety of freelance work since the course. Some of this includes doing the multimedia component in 3 operas. One of these was the Operalive production 'The Man who Mistook his Wife for a Hat' in 2002. A number of websites/ internet ads: designing large theatrical silhouettes for the streets of Castlemaine during the arts festival this year: I draw cartoons: a bit of teaching at VUT and RMIT.

The course enabled me to have a rich working life and enter a wonderful community of creative, inspiring, talented, funny people who I thoroughly enjoy and feel privileged to be a part of.

Sue Earl, AIM coursework graduate 1996



Susan Earl is employed by www.sensis.com.au, a leading Australian advertising, information and directories business and has worked on the following sites: www.yellowpages.com.au, www.whitepages.com.au, www.citysearch.com.au, www.whereis.com.au, www.telstra.com.au