Kooringal Public School's Kate Marshall was sent home for seven weeks in the early months of COVID, and so she spent her days creating paintings in her laundry room turned studio.

Mrs Marshall said she rediscovered her love of art during those seven weeks, which she describes as a blessed relief from her "chaotic" schedule of raising three children while juggling her teaching career.

"I found myself in the rat race, as you do: you throw yourself in, go for those promotions, but then COVID came and I was fortunate enough to have some time on my hands - it was a luxury," Mrs Marshall said.

"I needed that for my own wellbeing; that nurturing side of painting, that time to be still, and to do something for me that I enjoy."

She sold her very first painting to a friend in late April, and since then her business "From The Paint Shed" has sold 52 paintings as well as several murals around town.

She had become known for her murals around the school even before COVID struck, and several parents have bought some of her artworks.

Mrs Marshall said she still enjoys teaching kindy students, but has scaled down her work hours to three days a week to focus on turning her artistic side hustle into a full-blown career.

"I do enjoy teaching, but there's a lot that comes with teaching, a lot of chaos, a lot of extra workload, and I just found I was investing in a space that wasn't good for my own mental health and my own family," she said.

"You need to be working in a space you enjoy, with people you enjoy, doing the things you like for yourself, and if you can make money out of that and hold a comfortable living, do that."

Her next career move will be building a painting shed, where she plans to hold therapeutic art workshops for people battling with their mental health.