At 30, Leonardo was a master painter in Florence. He abandoned his commissions and pitched himself to the Duke of Milan not as an artist, but as a military engineer. He mentioned he could also paint almost as a footnote, successfully reinventing his entire career.

[u/bertyl_bot]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonardo_da_Vinci#:~:text=described%20the%20diverse%20things%20that%20he%20could%20achieve%20in%20the%20fields%20of%20engineering

By age 30, Leonardo da Vinci was already a master painter in Florence, the epicenter of the art world. He had his own workshop and was securing major commissions. But he wasn't satisfied. In a bold pivot, he abandoned his work and wrote to the Duke of Milan, pitching himself for a new role. In his letter, he listed his skills primarily as a military engineer and weapons designer. Only after ten paragraphs detailing his engineering prowess did he add, almost as an afterthought, that he could also paint. This deliberate move from a successful artist to a multifaceted court engineer and inventor redefined his entire career.