How it all began
Welcome to my blog, I hope you can enjoy it and accompany me on my new exciting adventure!
I feel I ought to tell you my backstory because I hope to inspire others who may have come from similar background. Potential Trigger Warning-
Animals helped me to get through a really difficult start in life, to sum it up briefly, the pets I had around me, saved me from feeling unloved. This gave me the strength to carry on and hope for a better future.
I still remember vividly the day I was abandoned at school by my mum; leaving a vulnerable 7 year old to fend for themselves. I was collected from school by social services and placed into foster care.
Funnily enough, despite this event being such a traumatic one, I believe it was an answer to prayer. I was really unhappy with my biological family, but in the end there was a positive outcome from that because, I am still living a happy life with my foster family to this day!
Oh and I nearly forgot to mention… we had pets! Yes, I was brought up with two cats and some guinea pigs whom I saw as extended family members. In particular, I was very fond of my black and white, cat companion, Smudge (he had black smudges all over his face and bib). It was Smudge who inspired me to start drawing animals, because he used to love sitting next to me whenever I was creating art. I also loved visiting Zoos, where I bought my most beloved cuddly toy, a tiger. I literally hugged the stripes off him!
Anyway, animals have always been a saving grace for me. Initially I started painting pet portraits for family and friends around the age of 16 years old. I struggled at school due to my dyslexia and my recently diagnosed Asperger’s Syndrome, but found refuge in the creative subjects.
Since then, I have gained a Bachelors Degree and a Master’s Degree in Fine Art. I graduated with my Master’s from the University of Brighton, during the start of the Covid-19 Pandemic. This was a really trying time for me because, it felt like the whole world was crashing around me, along with my art career dreams.
I had also joined the NHS as a Health Care Assistant to help the Pandemic effort which was a very challenging time and certainly took me outside my comfort zone. However, the isolation caused by the National Lockdowns in the UK, helped me to discover my passion for painting, particularly watercolour. It was then that I rediscovered my enthusiasm for painting animals. I then started selling pet portraits to supplement my income.
A year later, at the start of 2022, I decided that I wanted to pursue art as a business, and so I joined the entrepreneurial mentoring scheme, at the University of Brighton. This has been a fantastic experience, and the Beepurple Team have taught me a lot about business and have really encouraged me. At the start of March, I was awarded with a Banco Santander X Booster Grant, to help aid the setting up of my business. This has enabled me to get started!
I just want shout out to everyone who has supported me over the years, including family, friends, loyal customers, art lecturers, the Beepurple team and lastly but not least, Santander.