DANVERS, MASS. (WHDH) - When Bryson Creamer’s family went to Florida in February, their goal was just to get him to the beach.
Bryson is living with autism and has hearing loss and sensory issues. It is because of this, a simple trip to the beach can be overwhelming for him.
So, his family worked to find something he wanted to do to make the experience more enjoyable.
“He was really excited about finding shark teeth and shells,” his mom Lauren said. “It made us have a reason to get to the beach and search.”
Bryson got really into hunting and collecting those seashells and a few days later, he began to make artwork out of his new treasures.
“He would take out sharpies, permanent marker, and draw originally on the shells just to add designs to then,” Lauren said.
When the family got home to Danvers, they connected with a local organization that sells artwork made by people with disabilities and Bryson’s labor of love turned into a business.
“We would have been happy with just a couple of sales, just to see your items in the store,” she said.
Tim Brown runs the program for the artists and said that after taking a look at Bryson’s shells, the decision was easy.
“Having a young child in the town that we’re located in who had beautiful products, we said yes,” he explained.
Soon the shells began selling out in just a few days and Bryson was building new connections with people at the store.
Each time he brings in new products, Bryson gets paid. He recently used the money he earned to invest in his very own Spiderman costume to wear while collecting shells.
Lauren said she never would have guessed that what started as a trip to the beach would end up like this
“It just turned into something more than we ever expected,” she said. “Just seeing him feel free is just the most amazing thing as a parent knowing how much he struggles being outside.”
So far, he has sold about 70 shells and anyone interested in checking out his work can do so at the Parcel Store in the Liberty Tree Mall in Danvers.
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