From Drawing Hydrangeas to a Community Art School: How a Quiet Moment Changed Everything

I didn’t plan to start an art school.

Back in 2017, I was a mum of three, navigating a long career break from my previous life as a senior fashion lecturer and published author.
I'd poured myself into motherhood, but when my girls began school, I was ready to return to work.

Only… no one would hire me.

Despite my experience, my books, my passion, I was met with silence or rejection.
Each job interview chipped away at my confidence.
I started to question if I still had “it.”

Then came a quiet moment.
A simple painting session with my middle daughter, Pollyanna. She was 9.

We sat at the table with a dried hydrangea from our garden.
She wanted to paint it, so I began guiding her, showing her how to really look.
At the shapes, the shadows, the texture.
How colours shift with light.
How to see as an artist does.

She painted something beautiful that day.
A small, vibrant piece that still sits in our fireplace.

But the real transformation wasn’t in the painting.
It was in me.

Because something lit up that hadn’t been lit in years.
Not just skill, but purpose.
Not just nostalgia, but clarity.

In that moment, I remembered who I was:
A teacher. A guide. An artist.

And I realised something:
If no one else would hire me
I could hire myself.

That moment planted the seed for Beth Morris Workshops.

What began as one class has grown into a thriving community art school.
This week, we celebrate our 8th birthday.
Some of our artists have been with us since the very beginning.
We’re about to start our ninth academic year of weekly courses.
With my wonderful team of seven freelance artists, we’ve watched confidence bloom, creativity reignite, and friendships form - all through the act of making art together.

To everyone who has supported us, thank you.
You helped a little hydrangea moment grow into something much bigger. A little community art school with a big heart.

💌 Want to join us?

Most of our autumn courses are already full, but there are still a few spaces left.
And we’re adding more one-off guest artist workshops soon.
Sign up to our mailing list to be the first to hear.