My Story
In the beginning...
Welcome to my world, where the natural world comes alive through my work which I am passionate about. My name is Kaye Bewley and I am half English (father) and half Scottish (mother) woman based in Oxfordshire (I also have some Irish blood in me too, from my grandparents!). As you explore my work, I would like to share with you the story of my journey, one that has been shaped by my experiences as an artist, PA, therapist and as a writer.
At the age of five, I created a 'finger painting' on tissue paper. Dad was so chuffed, he framed it. His delight encouraged my passion for all things artistic. In my teens, the pony-mad me, focussed on horses. After drawing their skeletal structure, muscle fibres and coat colours, I began to paint them in abundance. Dogs and cats followed. I also deviated slightly by drawing architectural room plans of luxury homes.
Growing up near the great city of London, I was lucky to have the world's delights just a train ride away. My introduction to art was a traditional one, through my teacher, Mr Haddrell. He encouraged me to combine my love of horses and the countryside by creating a drawing on a massive board, of cowboys herding wild mustangs.
Lifelong Learning
After leaving school at 16, I secured employment as a Secretary at ICI paints division, in Slough. I eagerly anticipated walking through the department where all the colours were produced. There, I would see a multitude of experimental hues and creativity on display.
After leaving, I emersed myself in the corporate world as a temporary PA for some high profile business people, chiefly in the news media, publishing and marketing worlds. While there, I gained an insight into marketing and sales, as well as corporate stress. I always had a hunch something was missing in my life so decided to focus on healing those burned-out CEOs.
During the next decade, I focused on completing Diplomas in nutrition and counselling and an MA in psychotherapy. Because my partner was a military man, helping soldiers heal from their trauma, addictions and relationship issues was a natural path for me to take.
After the break-up from my partner, redundancy from my job (which included my home), the death of my parents and my sister, I found myself marking an inordinate amount of time, while grieving deeply and, ultimately, giving myself a question that pivoted my life course, again:
"Could I combine all this experience, this knowledge, these skills, with my art? And make a decent enough living out of it?"
I didn't relish the idea of the life of a starving artist and, after battling my way through all that intense loss, neither did I wish to focus entirely on counselling.
Creative Communities
Despite my limited space, and frustration with the world’s ailments, I realised that, to transform my life and career, I needed to put my own counselling methods into action, for me. I needed to find a purpose and put some meaning back into my life.
On reflection, I had the skills to hand to help me through and I understand that any success in life has to begin by reframing. Reframing this loss into an innate resilience, happened to be the cornerstone of my counselling practice. It is the concept I had been teaching my client's all along and what I reiterate in my quarterly Minds Matter magazines too.
Currently, my focus is on giving all these personal experiences back through my Skool platform. There, you’ll find courses on how to remain resilient through tough times, how to let go with love, and how to stick with your goals, even when life hands you some complete whammies.
When it comes to my art, I have a love for animals that is quite profound. Their innocence and intelligence is remarkable. And, I feel as though, alongside ours, their consciousness is changing. It is helping them understand us more than we think they do.
Please do feel free to explore my website and delve into my world of creativity. While you are there, consider registering as one of my followers through my newsletter on Substack.
Creativity is a gift from God, the ultimate Creator of all the beauty that is available around you. I sincerely believe that having a creative mind is one of the most fascinating gifts humans can offer society. Join me in my quest to expand upon this.
With heartfelt sincerity,
Kaye Bewley MA