Our Story
My name is Amelia Allen; the original busy bee. I am a teacher by trade, whose perfectionist personality has spiralled into an ongoing mental health battle against anxiety and depression. Luckily for me, I have found peace in creativity (whether it be writing and rhyming or drawing and designing).
During my eight years of teaching, the resilience and adaptability of children has always amazed me. However, with the ever-changing landscape of education, particularly over the past few years, I believe it is imperative to develop children’s self-regulation, so that they can face the stresses of our busy world with confidence: they need freedom to express their emotions, as well as strategies to cope when they are struggling.
In 2017, I completed my Masters in Education at the University of Cambridge, where I studied the impacts of mindfulness on pupil attainment and wellbeing: the results of which were overwhelming. This, combined with my own journey, has inspired me to share my story (through Busy), which introduces the reader to some simple mindful activities that can support children’s mental health and wellbeing.
When 2020 saw the world stand still because COVID-19 erupted and spread across our globe, we were all given a moment to pause. This time gave us all the opportunity to stop and to reflect on ourselves and our lives. It was then that I truly recognised the journey I had been on and that I was ready to share it with the wider world. Then, together with Aubany (and a million zoom calls later), Busy’s world came to life and Just Bee Creative was created.
My name is Aubany Swinney; the illustrator for ‘Just Bee Creative Ltd’. I am a freelance creator/ part time bartender by trade, but art has always been my great passion. From a young age, I found great joy in the escapism of the illustrated world. From asking waiters in restaurants for a napkin and a pencil as a child, to being pulled out of class for ‘doodling’ too much in my teen years. Art has always been my constant.
My love for storytelling and creativity is reflected through my work on cinematography and storyboarding whilst studying. After graduating , I decided finally to focus on becoming an artist/illustrator. I honed my skills and tried to improve myself technically, navigating the artistic world.
As a naturally anxious child with (at the time) undiagnosed A.D.D (inattentive), I have battled various forms of mental health matters throughout the years. So naturally, when Amelia approached me to illustrate her concepts and ideas; my inner child was jumping for joy. These were the teachings I wish I had access to in my informative years.
We all remember that wonderful feeling in our childhood of being read to. We remember eagerly scanning our eyes across the pages to spot a hidden character that we hadn’t noticed before, or imagining what it would be like to step into the magical world depicted in a book. To help children develop their confidence, wellbeing and mental health through creating these magical worlds and characters is a great passion that personally hits close to home for me. Turning Amelia’s concepts into reality has been a wonderful and artistically challenging experience and we have so much more to share.
Just bee creative aims to help children become more confident and atune to their own mental health so that they can grow into happy, functional adults, who are better equipped to ride the rollercoaster of life.
We want children to be nurtured in an environment where mental health is discussed openly so that they can begin to recognise and manage their own emotions confidently. We hope our stories and educational resources help start these conversations for children.