Get to know me

It’s about time that I properly introduced myself, don’t you think?

So hi, I’m Beth. The founder of Cove Creative—but you already know that, so let’s get stuck into the nitty gritty. And by nitty gritty, I mean my coffee (read: matcha) order, what inspires me, my current brunch obsession and a little summary of my journey, from college to now. Let’s get stuck in.

A little shot from a recent shoot

My coffee matcha order:

A slow morning spent in a cafe is one of my favourite places to be. I’m a simple girl, at heart (aside from my affinity to Neom candles and boutique stays…). So, a date spent people-watching whilst sipping my go-to beverage is spot on. Now, this love is fairly conditional, I’m expecting a good menu, even better drinks, an aesthetic environment (bonus points for Scandinavian inspired decor and a great baked goods selection). Perhaps I’m not such a simple girl at heart, after all.

But, most importantly, what am I ordering? The past year or so I’ve stepped firmly, and unashamedly, into my matcha era. Cold or hot, I don’t mind. But if I had to choose, an iced matcha with almond milk, please. Travelling Asia last year I was treated to some wonderful matcha’s. High on my bucket list is a trip to Japan, Kyoto specifically—Uji, in Kyoto is widely considered the birthplace of matcha. I’ve also discovered a newfound love for Japanese food, so two birds, one stone.

I’m a lover of rituals. If I’m not ordering out in the cafe, that doesn’t mean I’m sacrificing a delicious beverage, or two. After much trial and error, I’ve perfected my at-home matcha order. The process of pouring and whisking and sieving is a happy moment of pause in my mornings. A tiny opportunity for mindfulness. And you can count on me for romanticising the moment; my favourite mug, the radio on, a sun-drenched table.

Sources of inspiration:

It may sound eye-rollingly cliché, but if we’re intentional, I truly believe that we can find inspiration even in the most uninspiring of situations. A doctor’s waiting room? The affection between a mother and young son. A run down part of the city? The graffiti marked with boozy vibrancy. That being said, there’s no denying that there are times and places whereby inspiration and creativity flows with ease, effortlessly and with (what feels like) abundance.

These places, for me, are often drenched in sunlight, and warmth. Nature, at the beach especially, or a walk through woodlands in spring, a summer meadow, a raging waterfall, serene lakeside or river. A clear night sky, an afternoon spent cloud spotting, an evening spent indoors whilst the rain pours. I find that nature provides endless opportunity to be still, to reflect, to be present. To enjoy the experience of being, and in this we create our own opportunity for inspiration and creativity to arise.

What else inspires? For me, reading. I love both non-fiction and fiction, but if I’m seeking inspiration then fiction books are full to the brim of it. From character development, relationships, environments, authors create new worlds for us to live within—how could that not inspire.

I find kindness forever inspiring. Art: photography, painting, poetry. I find people-watching inspiring, I find engaging in new conversations with new people even more so. Perhaps above all else, time and time again, I find travel to offer the most inspiration. After spending half a year out of the UK travelling Asia, Australia and New Zealand, I can say with confidence that being surrounded by the unfamiliar, the beautiful, the new, is an endless source of inspiration that I shall be forever grateful for.

My brunch obsession:

This post is getting lengthy. So let’s keep this one short.

Sourdough with avocado, a handful of cherry or piccolo tomatoes quartered, drizzle with olive oil, flaked sea salt, basil, oregano, a crack of black pepper and you’re good to go. Honestly, divine.

My go to brunch at the moment!

From then to now:

Where to start? I plan to do a dedicated post on this, so this shall be as short of a summary as I can manage.

Post college, with three A-levels under my belt and a desire to step out of the education system (temporarily) I worked as a receptionist and sales assistant at a local interior design company. Many a lessons were learnt during my time here! It was also the year that I passed my driving test, bought my first car for a whopping £750 and travelled alone for the first time.

As a typical Libra, decision making has never been a strength of mine. I changed my university course three times before settling on Journalism at Nottingham Trent. September 2017 saw me moving out of my family home, and moving in with my now fiancé, to West Bridgford. Honestly, I toyed with dropping out of university far too many times to recount. My three years weren’t flooded with life-changing and personality-defining moments, but I did meet one of my closest friends who I studied abroad in Melbourne with during my second year—so if nothing else, I’ll forever be grateful for that.

Travelling Magnetic Island in this cute barbie convertibles back in June 2019

My confidence with writing grew, as did my yearning to explore the world.

Graduating in the summer of 2020 meant a lockdown graduation. This also meant a lack of jobs and plenty of time on my hands.

I was already freelance writing for a magazine (Abersoch Life) that I did work experience. So I focused on building this work up, slowly but steadily. Inspired by a friend who had started a social media management business, I finally built up the courage to launch my own business in 2021. If you’ve been here a while, you’ll know that I initially launched as Wave Media, later changed to Cove Creative in 2024.

And that leads us to now!

I’ll go into move detail in another post, but this has ended up being rather text heavy. So for now, I’ll love you and leave you.

Have a lovely day,

Beth x