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Fiona Gilfillan, 52, from Tranent, quit her six-figure salary job in banking for a career in furniture design with a much smaller pay packet – and she says she’s never looked back.
“I’ve always had a bit of a creative streak and a few years ago, I started making furniture from old scaffolding boards,” the 52-year-old said.
“It was great fun, but I wanted to do something a bit finer.”
That’s when Fiona discovered the Chippendale International School of Furniture – one of the world’s most renowned furniture making and design studios.
The school, in Haddington, runs courses from introductory to professional woodwork. Initially Fiona signed up for a beginner’s class but was immediately hooked. “Right from the very beginning, I absolutely loved it,” she said.
“I made a stool, learned about French polishing and dovetail joints.
“It was amazing.”
For the next 18 months, Fiona - who spent 14 years as a computer analyst with Standard Life, and a further 13 working as a technology consultant with big banks like the Royal Bank of Scotland - wrestled with thoughts of quitting her high flying career and setting up her own woodwork business.
But it was only when a friend told her his wife had been diagnosed with stage four cancer that she decided to take the plunge.
“It just made me realise life is too short and I should follow my dreams,” Fiona said. “I signed up for the professional one-on-one course the following day.
“And I realised that was what I wanted to do. Taking a big plank of
rough bark and turning it into a smooth, finely polished piece was just so rewarding.”
After the course, Fiona decided to turn her back on the finance field and go full-time with woodwork.
“I had just turned 50, I had paid off my mortgage and I had some money in the bank, so I thought ‘why not just go for it?’” she said.
This summer, after finishing at the Chippendale School, Fiona launched Feemade Furniture, offering bespoke pieces. And she couldn’t be happier. “It’s still challenging, but in a completely different way.
“It can be complex, for example I’m currently working on a 5ft square coffee table and trying to find a design that’s not so heavy it falls through the floor. It’s not quite people’s bank accounts, but it’s a nice problem to have.
“I’m just starting out so I earn probably about a 10th of what I used to, but I’m happy. “I suppose it makes me realise money isn’t everything. “Instead of a power coffee on my break, I can head out into the field with my dog Eddi, who comes to work with me, and breathe in the country air. I still work hard but its just a different pace of life.
“I suppose I’m still creating, just in a different way. Before, I was creating finance computer systems – but now I’m making beautiful furniture.”
On Hogmanay 2010 I raised a glass to the new decade then promptly headed to bed. I wasn’t a party pooper, but a new mum who prioritised sleep over celebrations. That baby is now a 10-year-old Boy Scout who speaks Spanish, practises tae kwon do and plays the trumpet. And if the past decade has taught me anything it is that life will run through your fingers like sand if you don’t make a conscious effort to savour every moment.
In the next decade I hope to take up tai chi, polish up my own language skills, and then, of course, there is the garden. Most of the past two years since we moved here have been spent looking at it from all angles, digging test trenches to search for hidden rock and puzzling over how to deal with leaden soil. It will be another decade I reckon before I finally see results.