Mental health issues plague millions daily, but for Alexander Rhys, he was able to overcome school bullies from when he was 15 in a rather unconventional way.
These school bullies rocked his confidence and played their part in Rhys developing increased levels of anxiety in crucial years of his education. He struggled to fit in at school and escaped the bullies by painting. While he couldn’t escape the bullies by using his paintbrush, it did lead him to The Prince’s Trust.
Nowadays, his paintings are sold across the world, and he has even met the former prime minister- Theresa May. His work has seen him named as the Young Ambassador of the Year at The Prince’s Trust Awards.
“I got bullied at school and was attacked when I was 15,” said Alexander from Barnt Green.
“I was punched while I was at school. I lost a lot of confidence and started to develop high levels of anxiety. I felt I just lost my way. I didn’t know how to fit in at school.
“The only subject I was good at was art. I always looked forward to it. It was a quiet class where I could get lost in what I was doing. It gave me an escapism.
“When I was painting, in my art class at school or at home, none of what was around me mattered, I felt like I was in a little bubble, being just in that moment.”
For a few years, he tried various art courses at sixth form colleges, before he later went onto Bath Spa University to do a degree in fine art. He remained intrigued by the role of art in therapy. But he continued to feel lost.
“You get a degree at uni, and you think what do I do now? I felt like I was back to square one,” he said.
“My mum had heard about the Prince’s Trust and suggested I got in touch. But I thought, at 28, I might be a bit too old or not from the right background.”
However, he found he fitted right in at the Prince’s Trust. He took an enterprise course where he learned all about how to set up a business in the arts sector, including basics like tax returns and how to market himself on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
With the support of The Prince’s Trust, he has been able to turn his passion for art into a successful business. He received a loan to help start the company. He also received advice, business training, and a mentor to go through the process. He is a living embodiment of the success that you can achieve by following your dreams.
“I had already sold a couple of pieces. Now I thought I could really make a go of it. And from there it’s just grown and grown,” he said. He is now 31 and based at the Melting Pot Gallery in Digbeth.
Since the early days, his work has now been sold and published in New York, Paris, Los Angeles, Chicago, Moscow, and London.
