Photography, experimental film and video making, cinematography and film directing, scriptwriting, painting, drawing, graphic arts, print making - exhibitions at leading art galleries, international film and video festivals. Any one of these would be a dream come true for a creative Australian, but Sydney-based David Perry has done them all. He is a "fair dinkum" polymath, multimedia artist and teacher - and, although a very modest man, he can now add the description "author" to his impressive list of achievements. In "Memoirs of a Dedicated Amateur", David Perry provides real inspiration through his honest account of the past 50 or more years, taking us on his career and personal journey, from being a printing apprentice to drawing, painting, photography and the forefront of independent and experimental film making. Along the way, he inspired now acclaimed Australian film directors, such as Phillip Noyce, and has achieved international recognition by a new generation of experimental film makers for his significant video works. "Memoirs of a Dedicated Amateur" also gives readers valuable knowledge and insights into the importance of personal relationships for artists, and how they can be affected by the passion, love, pain and sometimes guilt that evolves through the ending of relationships. This book is a "must read", not only for aspiring and practising film makers, photographers and all people with creative instincts or skills, but for anyone who follows the creative arts and who wants to know more about what motivates Australian artists and how they see things, and why they are an essential part of Australia's cultural heritage.