Former Collingwood Magpies footballer Dayne Beams checks out his artwork in his Bayswater art workshop in Melbourne. Michelangelo, Edvard Munch, Vincent Van Gogh, Dayne Beams, Salvador Dali. For Beams, art therapy became that outlet, when he “stumbled across” it while in a mental health facility last year.The Collingwood midfielder stepped away from football indefinitely in December 2019 to focus on his mental health.Now Beams worries the current coronavirus pandemic will contribute to mental health issues in the AFL, but hopes the season suspension will prompt players to explore their outside interests.“I scoffed at those things, I felt ‘those are two things I’m not gonna enjoy’ and they actually turned out to be the two things I enjoyed the most.“It is nice to have a direction, a clear picture on where you want to go in life - because footy’s only a small part of your life,” he said.“It’s so important, I think, to have something outside your everyday job in life,” Beams said.“So it’s allowing myself to feel those good emotions because it’s something that’s eluded me for a number of years now - the feeling of actually feeling good and happy with life.”“I literally just live day by day - that’s what I tell myself,” Beams said.“I’m quite calm about the whole thing.He set up a website - Health of Mind Art - with a portion of the profits from his abstract art directed to mental health charity Love Me Love You.“I just wasn’t doing really well in my life and I went in with an attitude of just being open and being open-minded to give everything a go,” he said.He is enrolled in a counselling diploma and hopes to one day use his art factory as a therapy room.“I know I struggled for a lot of years with not being able to have an outlet outside of football and at the moment you’re forced to have some sort of outlet.”Now 30, Beams is eyeing life after footy in the mental health space.In a time of uncertainty for the AFL community, Dayne Beams has found his clarity.Beams recognises managing his depression will be a lifelong challenge - but finally feels like he’s found solid ground.“There’s guys who study whilst playing but it is challenging to get that balance right because footy is so demanding.”“I received a program for the weeks I was there and I looked at it and the two things that stood out to me on the page that I thought I wouldn’t enjoy were actually yoga and art therapy.Art became Beams’ escape - then his passion.“I know for a lot of players it’s a big stress trying to find what you’re passionate about, because what I think a lot of people don’t understand is how demanding football is and how much it takes up of your life.Don't miss the latest sports news!“While the yoga’s fallen off a bit, my art, it’s my purpose in life - I love it.”“Each day, if I feel good I acknowledge that within myself and it’s been a bit of a challenge because it’s strange for me to actually feel good.Enjoy unlimited access to thewest.com.au and everyday digital editions on any device. Beams' wife Kelly wished him a happy 30th birthday on Instagram on the day of the crashWe are no longer accepting comments on this article.Last month Beams auctioned off his 2010 premiership medal to raise funds for bushfire relief.The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.Published by Associated Newspapers LtdCollingwood eventually took out the victory against St Kilda by 56 points in a replay.The crash allegedly caused a blackout for local residents.It came on the same day his wife Kelly Beams wished him happy birthday on Instagram.The comments below have been moderated in advance.Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media GroupBeams was alone in the car and was the only person injured during the accident.She wrote: 'Happy 30th Birthday to this old guy!
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