My Story

My Story 

Hi, I’m Bethany — artist, colour, light and texture enthusiast, explorer and former secondary school teacher who has recently taken a leap of faith and swapped the classroom for canvas.

My passion for art sparked early. I was the child who you’d find on the arts and crafts table - always drawing, colouring, doodling... not just in sketchbooks but maths books too or anything that was too boring to not decorate (sorry to my Year 9 maths teacher). I went on to study art throughout my education and completed my BA (hons) degree in Fine Art at Lancaster University in 2019.

University wasn't an easy time for me due to a number of reasons. My Fine Art course wasn't quite what I expected and I ended up feeling confused about what I should be creating as an artist. Painting didn't seem as valued as conceptual methods so I felt steered towards creating highly conceptual work instead of practicing and refining my painting skills, which is where my passion lies. I left feeling more confused about my own practice than when I began! There were some brilliant aspects of my course as well and I learnt a lot but unfortunately for me, this was my experience. I also began to struggle with mental health and my self-esteem drastically took a hit due to a bad relationship. I'd been manipulated, gaslit, worn down, love-bombed... you name it and I was actually quite trapped. I didn't even realise it until I had got out of it. Looking back, I was actually quite lonely in my final year as I'd become quite isolated from a lot of friends, even family slightly, due to the relationship I was in. I didn't realise at the time how bad things were until after I graduated and had the space away (particularly in lockdown) to reflect and then finally pluck up the courage to end it. 

After graduating, I went straight into teacher training in 2020 (the dreaded covid year). I didn't really consider being an artist as a valid profession due to my lowered self-esteem and lack of knowledge of the art world and business. As much as I loved art, I didn't think I had what it takes. Nevertheless, I was excited to share my passion for art with youngsters and I spent five incredible (and intense!) years teaching art to secondary school students aged 11–19 as well as completing a Masters and being Head of Art for a year. 

Teaching taught me more than I ever imagined — about creativity, patience, resilience and just how much one person can actually juggle at once. It gave me courage and brought my confidence back. I’m deeply grateful for those years. They made me who I am now: passionate, hardworking, and now absolutely certain that I want to pursue my own creative journey full-time. If I can handle a room full of 14-year-old boys who see art as their favourite sit-off, I can probably handle just about anything. Teaching is also where I met my boyfriend Matt, who I also have largely to thank for my decision to pursue art full-time and go travelling. 

So here I am — stepping away from education and into the unknown, chasing my dream of becoming a full-time artist and explorer. I’m about to head off on an adventure through South East Asia and Australia with Matt and I can’t wait to see how these new experiences inspire the next chapter of my work. I hope you follow along with me on my journey.

Thanks for being here — I’m so excited to share this journey (and my art) with you and if you do like one of my pieces so much so to purchase one, then thank you for helping this little daydreamer's fantasies become reality.