Find what fascinates you
Tal Avitzur, age 59 and an artist from Santa Barbara, CA, creates robots from found objects as diverse as window crank handles, parts from a discarded piano or the motor housing from a 1937 Kenmore vacuum. Much like his sculptures, Tal’s path to becoming an artist combined seemingly unrelated parts into a life he describes as one he’s “incredibly fortunate to have.”
The diverse experiences that led to that life started early. Tal was born in Haifa, Israel, grew up in Pennsylvania and earned his master’s degree in mathematics. His first job involved traveling to aircraft carriers to study plane repair and determine the parts inventory needed to keep planes ready to fly. He later became a college professor.
While searching salvage yards for cost-effective options to remodel his home, he was fascinated with the parts and history found in discarded objects. He started collecting random pieces which he meticulously cleaned, disassembled and sorted.
Because the collection quickly outgrew his garden shed, he decided to create robots, creatures, transporters and other sculptures to make use of what he’d found. He started decorating his house, then as his art gained attention and people wanted to own their own “Jigsy,” “Barbiebot,” or “Kodar,” he created his company, Talbotics.
— Tal Avitzur
An eye for detail helps Tal develop his craft — and build a solid financial plan
Tal says he’s very grateful to be living a life where he gets to do what he enjoys. When he reflects on the path that brought him here, he acknowledges, “I had no idea 30 years would go by so fast.”
His eye for detail is evident in his art, and it helped him build his financial plan, too. A near “obsession with the plan” earlier in life, he says, helped give him much greater peace of mind and the ability to do what he loves now.
Tal creates art as part of his next chapter. What will you build next?
Creating a life you feel fortunate to have starts with understanding your dreams and goals. What are you fascinated by? Are you looking to reinvent your collection of experiences into something new? Do you know the next right step or need help finding the way?
Take our retirement personality quiz to discover your “more.” Get a step closer to retirement and imagine what you can create with your next chapter.