What Romantic Fools We Mortals Be

When I decided to become a costume designer at the ripe age of 14, I had a completely romantic and glamorous view of what the job entailed. At 19, I worked on my first film (an ultra low budget horror film) as an assistant to the costume designer. Lucky for me, the designer was a wonderful, nurturing woman . What I wasn't prepared for was the crazy hours and above the line attitude. The director, the actors, the producer..... Wow, I had been raised to be polite and to speak softly, was that ever a shock. After that film, I went into bridal designing for a few years, while rethinking my career choice. But the entertainment itch never left my soul. I was already hooked mentally into the business. So when the opportunity presented itself again, I was better prepared . Looking back, now I can't imagine what other kind of job would have fulfilled me as much as costume design has. Not bad for choosing at 14.