At 16, an art teacher told Hayley she wasn’t creative. She spent the next 20 years frustrated, anxious, and resentful, excluded from her natural means of expression. Eventually she found a passion for photography, which gave her a way to engage with the world, yet a camera to hide behind. 

Through her photographic artworks - a blend of self-portraits and photos from her travels - Hayley found a way to transmute her feelings into stories. These stories provide a doorway to escape into other more interesting realities, where people and the natural environment coexist harmoniously with just a touch of magic.

'Metamorphosis' symbolises my journey and transition into becoming an artist, drawing on the themes of baptism and the mythology of the phoenix's rebirth. It is a self-portrait, photographed at the beach on Australia Day, during a time when questions of identity were swirling in my subconscious. For most of my life, I believed I had no creative ability - so 'Metamorphosis' serves as a reminder that with persistence and passion, anything is possible. I hope it inspires others to follow their dreams.