22: Finding the right catalyst with Kerry Louise Bennett

Sometimes a guiding hand is all that is needed to kick start you on a particular path or career, and sometimes fate delivers that in an unexpected way. Visual artist Kerry Louise Bennett knew that she wanted to pursue a career as a painter but it didn't seem quite achievable; then prompted by misremembering a comment from a friend, she picked up a book in a second hand shop by hypnotist and self-improvement guru Paul McKenna https://www.paulmckenna.com/ called 'Change your Life in Seven Days' and focused on achieving the life she wanted to live.  Five years on, she is living that life, creating beautiful, uplifting and sought after paintings and showing them with highly acclaimed art galleries. How did she end up living the dream?  In our very entertaining chat, Kerry talks about her creative journey: she excelled at art while at school, but didn't feel she had the support to take her studies further and instead went down a more academic path. But creativity continued to be a part of here life - either tempting her in for a while, with roles such as a community artist or a trainee upholsterer - or using her creative eye in her PR and communications roles.  Moving house and creating a studio as part of the renovations did prompt her to pick up her paint brushes again and she worked on her art after her young son was asleep. But it was the chance encounter with Paul McKenna's book that proved the catalyst. Kerry also shares how having previously invested in a photography foundation degree she didn't want to spend more money on going back to art college and so embarked on teaching herself via You Tube and text books, and benefited from being excepted on the the New Platform Art programme https://newplatform.art/  She began to share her work on Instagram and soon built up a loyal following of other emerging artists - and found through that a supportive community that she says was just like being at art college.  Instagram also brought her exposure to galleries and she was quickly signed up by two; and recently fashion and lifestyle retailer Toast spotted her and she was featured in their magazine https://www.toa.st/blogs/magazine/kerry-louise-bennett-artist You can see Kerry's gorgeous work on her website https://www.kerrylouisebennett.co.uk/ and on instagram  @land_of_the_grey_and_pink.  Kerry's work also features on postcards with Sheffield based https://www.theartpost.co.uk/artists/kerry-bennett  

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