Hi, I’m Hayley, a self-taught artist based in Sunderland. I love getting inspiration from the often-overlooked moments of everyday life, with the hope that my art will bring the same joy to others as it brings to me every time I put pencil/brush to paper.

Since I was young, drawing was one of my favourite past times (horses were my favourite subject). However, I stopped creating art when I was told by a teacher in secondary school that I wasn’t good enough to take art as a subject. This discouragement led me to a corporate career in IT (thankfully, technology was another passion of mine so things worked out pretty well).

In 2015, right when I was in the process of taking a new and more challenging job, I was gifted some acrylic paints and rediscovered my love of art, though between my family life and the stress of this new job, there was very little time to spend doing any painting.

In 2019, I took a leap of faith and left my career to start my own businesses (Xhayle & Wild Sea Women) as a Breathwork and Cold Water Therapist. While this venture had its perks and introduced me to so many wonderful people and opportunities, it also led me to a not so great place mentally, which resulted in me drinking excessive amounts of alcohol.

Thankfully, in April 2023, following a solo trip to Sardinia, I had a real wake up moment which instantly changed my perspective about literally everything in my business and lifestyle - my love of this work was now suddenly non-existent, it’s like a light had been switched on in my mind.

I quit drinking completely and quit my businesses as soon as I was able to that year, leaving me once again with no idea how I’d manage financially given the amount of money this lifestyle had been requiring of me, but I never looked back and had enough faith to trust that I’d be shown the way.

I am now (Him willing) putting every part of me into doing what I love; creating art, while allowing myself time to spend with the people who matter most, my family and friends.