Simon Gudgeon: The Art of Beginning Again
Simon Gudgeon’s story does not follow a straight line. It is a life shaped by curiosity, courage and the art of beginning again. He qualified as a solicitor only to retire the same day, knowing it was not the life for him. He built a landsc
Simon Gudgeon’s story does not follow a straight line. It is a life shaped by curiosity, courage and the art of beginning again. He qualified as a solicitor only to retire the same day, knowing it was not the life for him. He built a landscaping business, lost everything in the property crash of the early 1990s, and found himself selling insurance just to get by. Then his mother bought him some paints, and everything changed.
From Ruin to Sculpture
That small gift opened a new path. “In 1991, I lost everything — the businesses, my house and my car — and walked away with little more than a suitcase of clothes,” Simon reflects. With no formal art training, he taught himself to paint, and later, at the age of 40, discovered a natural affinity for sculpture. The physicality of working in three dimensions clicked. “I didn't know what I was supposed to do, so I had to discover my own way of doing it,” he says. This process of learning through doing became a guiding philosophy.
“In 1991, I lost everything — the businesses, my house and my car — and walked away with little more than a suitcase of clothes,”
A Sanctuary by Accident
In 2007, Simon and his wife Monique bought 26 acres of Dorset countryside, taking on a huge mortgage with the assumption they would continue to run it as a fishery. The idea for Sculpture by the Lakes emerged almost by accident, after placing a few pieces by the water. There was never a grand plan. “The vision emerged from doing,” Simon explains. As the gardens and sculptures grew, he began noticing something unexpected. Visitors spoke less about the art and more about the atmosphere. “They would tell us they felt calmer when they were here,” he recalls. “They talked about peace, stillness and escaping the noise of everyday life.”
The Sculpted Soul
This realisation led Simon deeper into the world of wellbeing. He saw that the landscape itself was a powerful tool for nervous-system regulation and began hosting sound baths, breathwork sessions and retreats. From this grew The Sculpted Soul, a name reflecting his belief that we can participate in shaping our inner lives. Writing became another tool for exploration, not to provide answers, but to ask better questions. “Writing is not simply a way of expressing what I think — it is a way of discovering what I think,” he says. His books are not instructions for living, but invitations to pause.
Today, Simon sees his work—sculpture, the park, his writing and retreats—as parts of the same story. Each is an act of creating space for people to slow down, reconnect and see their lives differently. It’s a journey that began not with a vision, but with the curiosity to take the next step. “I've learned that a meaningful life isn't necessarily one in which you arrive at a predetermined destination,” he reflects. “Sometimes it's simply one in which you remain curious enough to keep following the path as it unfolds.”