Inspiring Career Change Stories: How an Accountant Accidentally Discovered His Passion for Art

Meet Iwen Yong from New Zealand, whose inspiring career change story at 44 is nothing short of incredible.

A successful chartered accountant, Iwen Yong’s move from accountancy to becoming a successful painter was almost accidental.

Iwen Yong was only six years old when he moved from Malaysia to New Zealand with his family.

Growing up, Yong’s father was diagnosed with cancer when he was just a teenager, and as a result, their single-income household struggled.

As is the case in most Asian families, Yong and his siblings knew they had to finish high school and graduate from university with a degree to earn a stable and decent income.

Intending to make a strong career, he went to Victoria University to graduate in commercial law and accounting, before moving into the corporate world.

No one in his family had ever pursued a creative career; art was never an option, and he hadn’t studied it at his school in Hutt Valley.

While waiting for a meeting in 2014, he sketched a rough drawing of his dog Gus on the whiteboard.

An older woman at his office was impressed by his drawing, told him to try his hand at oil painting, and even offered him some of her supplies.

She suggested he buy some canvases and paintbrushes, to which Yong asked, ‘What’s a canvas?’

Not knowing what a canvas was, this accidental artist is now a successful painter and sells his artwork for a living.

After his first brush with art, he began painting as a hobby, creating landscape paintings from books and magazines every few months.

In 2016, he took a life-changing trip to Glenorchy with his mom and came across the art gallery of a renowned artist, John Crump.

During his visit to the art gallery, Yong shared his creations with Crump, who admired his work and invited him to paint outdoors with him.

Three months later, Yong returned to Glenorchy for 10 days, armed with his easel, paints, and brushes, painting alongside the reputed artist John Crump.

He began learning how to draw and mix paints, which was tricky enough, but the most challenging part was painting outdoors.

As the sun shifts position, the shadows and light change as well, so he has to either work quickly or remember details carefully.

However, over time, he improved and realized he had been bitten by the art bug, feeling inspired to paint every nook and cranny of New Zealand’s diverse landscape.

He believed he could become a professional artist someday, and after much coaxing by his colleagues in 2020, he held a public exhibition of his artwork at Masterton’s community gallery.

He sold 22 paintings in the four weeks of his exhibition before showcasing more of his artwork at the Kiwi Art House Gallery on Cuba St in Wellington and the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts, over the next few years.

Having sold over 200 paintings in the next four years, his inspiring career change story enabled him to leave his job and continue his passion.

Yong enjoys painting and finds it more fulfilling than his previous profession, as it has given him a fresh outlook on life, allowing him to see the same old landscape differently.