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Talented Clayden Botes’ career as an artist and entrepreneur has taken off in a big way!
The 16-year-old recently had one of his artworks auctioned at the 100th Ernie Els Foundation’s golf day in Stellenbosch.
“This foundation means so much to us,” his mom, Antoinette, tells YOU. "The Els Foundation helps transform the lives of people with autism, like Clayton.”
“Attending this event was so cool because I got a chance to make a speech as well as see my work being auctioned,” Clayden says.
“This was the second time I've auctioned my work, but what was different this time is that I was at the event to see how much people would be bidding for it."
At the event, Clayden was presented with funds that he used to purchase a reading pen, which he says he's very excited about.
READ MORE | ‘I discovered I was autistic when my son was diagnosed with the condition’
This event was one of many Clayden has attended as a public speaker. He regularly speaks at events and schools about his journey with autism and art.
He's also kept busy with his business, selling his designs online.
Antoinette says it’s been a privilege watching her son’s artistic abilities grow as he is commissioned to do more work, constantly creating new designs.
Clayden is currently working on painting of a horse, which will be auctioned later in the year at a gala dinner to raise funds for the Iris House Children's Hospice.
“I am excited about painting this horse. It's a new challenge but I will do it to the best of my ability,” he says.
This is not the first time Clayden from Kalk Bay in Cape Town has spoken to YOU. In 2022 he spoke about how he turned his passion into a business.
The artist, who's originally from KwaZulu-Natal, was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, when he was six.
Antoinette says he's always been creative.
He started drawing "in school when kids would usually bully" him. "I'd just doodle as a way to escape it all and would usually draw when I felt upset or misunderstood. It made me feel better and helped me cope."
Antoinette took Clayden out of school when he was 12 because of the bullying and that was when his talent really blossomed.
“Clayden was always drawing, and I soon realised this child has an amazing talent. It was mind-blowing, really,” she says.
The proud mom of three began sharing his art online. In 2020, when Antoinette lost her job due to the pandemic, a friend suggested she print Clayden’s designs on T-shirts and sell them. Soon enough, Clayden and his mom had started their own business, Clayden's Designs.
“We decided to take a leap. Clayden's Designs was born out of desperation to make some money because we were really struggling,” she says.
Clayden used his natural talent to focus on the designs and Antoinette managed the business side of things.
“It is not only my business, but also my mom’s business. It’s a family business,” he says proudly.
Clayden, who cannot read or write, says he taught himself to draw and has had no training. He watches YouTube videos to find ideas and inspiration.
“My favourite thing to draw is background illustration; illustration designs with characters because I like to draw things out of my comfort zone."
He does traditional drawings on paper using markers and pens, as well as painting and digital designs. “It all depends on how I feel,” he explains.
Their website boasts more than 5 000 items of clothing, bedding and canvasses featuring his designs, and he's gone global too.
The talented teen wants to be a professional artist and a game developer when he's older.
He wants kids like him to know it's okay to be different. “Just because you can’t do something in the conventional way, doesn't mean it's not possible. Anything you want to do, you can if you put your mind to it,” he says.
Antoinette says she's inspired by Clayden’s abilities.
“Autism is a diagnosis and not a sentence,” she says. “We don’t concentrate on what he can’t do, but on what he can do.”
