Beavertown Brewery has announced that Holly Westall, a talented member of front of house at The Rose Pub and Kitchen in Lewisham, has been named one of its ‘Creatives Untapped’ winners, receiving a cash prize of £1,000, marketing support and a feature at the brewery’s London showcase this summer.
Holly has been working in the hospitality industry for the past ten years and her work is mainly illustration based, although she does dabble in graphic design. Taking inspiration from 80s and 90s rave flyers as well as food packaging, Holly experiments with textures and assets to give her work more depth and colour to create a feeling of nostalgia. Her work incorporates playful elements and never tries to take itself too seriously.
‘Beavertown Creatives Untapped’ was created in collaboration with creative publication ‘It’s Nice That‘ to celebrate the best and boldest creatives working in pubs and bars across the UK in recognition of the hospitality industry long being a hub for creatives, with the likes of artists, musicians and actors turning to it as a side hustle on their journey to pursuing their creative dreams.
This is a story that Beavertown’s own creative director and judge of the competition, Nick Dwyer, knows all too well. Nick started his career sketching behind the bar at Beavertown Brewery’s founder, Logan Plant’s former pub ‘Duke’s Brew and Que’ after being put forward by a friend to be the local artist for the brewery. Whilst waiting tables and taking freelance illustration jobs was Nick’s main gig, sketch by sketch he embedded his artwork into its branding and beer cans – becoming a vital member of the team very quickly, navigating the brand towards its iconic look and what makes Beavertown so infamous and different from other brands… as well as the amazing beer, obviously.
Nick Dwyer, Creative Director of Beavertown Brewery, spoke of Holly’s work, saying “Really strong aesthetic, and, to me at least, dripping with 70s style. Great colour pallet and trippy subject matter.”
Matt Aslaigh, the Editor-in-Chief of the other judging body, It’s Nice That, said: “Every week at It’s Nice That, we talk to so many creatives who work in bars, cafes and restaurants in order to support their creative practice. We’ve teamed up with Beavertown on this Creatives Untapped campaign because we really want to champion those artists and designers who split their time between working in the hospitality sector and honing their craft. So, we wanted to say a massive congratulations to the winners of this campaign, but at the same time to celebrate every single individual who waits tables and pulls pints whilst also finding the inspiration and motivation to be creative.”
All winners have been contacted and their work will be showcased at a London venue in August.