- - THE STORY OF BLICK- -

It`s hard to believe, it seems like only yesterday, but we started Blick 17 years ago way back in 2007 with a group of other creatives who wanted to come together to create a great workspace for creatives in Belfast. 

Our ambition was to create beautiful but affordable spaces for creatives to work in. Spaces for like-minded creatives to meet and share resources, ideas and inspiration. Spaces to build a sense of community and encourage, support and inspire each other.

Blick now operates as a non-profit creative workspace in Belfast, Northern Ireland offering dedicated desks, private studios, and business address services. Spread across three beautiful buildings, we also provide events and tailored support to help creatives thrive.
Blick now provides creative shared workspace and private studio space to more than 65 creatives across 3 different buildings in Belfast as well as virtual office services to over 90 creatives.
We are currently busy settling into our new Great Northern Street studios and we have a whole variety of talks and workshops happening for local creatives which you can see over on our Website events page. We also have different projects and programs, as well as regular blogs including links to funding and opportunities for creatives and lots of downloadable resources to help you start and grow your own creative business which you can find on our website (www.blickstudios.org)

Here`s a summary of some of the major parts of our story over the last 17 years, you can also read it on our website

https://blickstudios.org/the-team/the-blick-story/

- - Blick Resident Gallery 545 - ‘Re-imagined Places’ Group Exhibition - -

Dates: 20 -24 August 2025

Location: Gallery 545 at La Roche House, Belfast & online

Cost: Free

Blick resident @gallery545online presents ‘Re-imagined Places’, an exhibition of original artworks inspired by landscapes created by accomplished artists based in Northern Ireland. A diverse art selection will be on display at La Roche House, from beautiful views of Northern Ireland to evocative imaginary lands, exquisite foliage motives, vibrant abstract paintings, and colourful glass pieces.

Featuring Justė Bernotaitė, Lisa Ballard, Louise Lennon, Alison Lowry, Rosie McGurran, Maria Perry, Latisha Reihill, and Anushiya Sundaralingam.

Visit the Gallery 545 Instagram page: @gallery545online

Or website for full details: https://gallery545.com/blogs/exhibitions/re-imagined-places-group-exhibition

Our latest roundup of opportunities for creatives in NI 

01. Techstart Proof of Concept Grant Fund
The Techstart Proof of Concept Grant Fund is a pre-commercial grant awarding fund. On a competitive basis, the fund supports entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland with grants to explore the viability and commercial potential of an innovative concept.

 

02. Creative Boom launches Boom Briefs
Need to update your portfolio? Or looking for your next challenge? Push yourself out of your comfort zone with Creative Boom’s monthly creative prompts: Boom Briefs.

 

03. Call for Applications: CIRCLE Fiction Orbit 2025
CIRCLE Fiction Orbit is an intensive one-week workshop designed to support filmmakers—directors, writers, and producers—developing their second, third or fourth fiction feature, and this year it’s going to Montenegro in November. This opportunity comes with a participation fee.

Closing date: 15th August 2025

 

04. China Artists Residency Programme 
Up to a 30 days residency in Beijing. For the pilot year, Digital Arts is the selected artform for the residency. This year’s Residency Programme is for Digital Artists working within the arts sector in Northern Ireland.

Closing date: 21st August

 

05. Art Breakfast Club Belfast
Meet-up in Pottinger’s Cafe in the City Centre

Date: Saturday 16th August, 10.30am

 

06. CraftNI ‘THE GIFT’ (Christmas Selling Exhibition) Callout
Craft NI Gallery are inviting applications from makers across a variety of craft disciplines to take part in ‘THE GIFT’, a curated Christmas exhibition celebrating both the accomplishments of local craft makers and elegance of artisan gifting.

Application Deadline: Friday 5th September, 5pm

Full listings including links on the blog on our website (link in profile and below)

https://blickstudios.org/blog/creative-roundup-opportunities-for-creatives-3/

- -  RESOURCES FOR CREATIVES - TOOLS TO HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS - -

Here are some tools and methods to help you set goals for your creative business and achieve them.

1. Journalling
Use a journal for tracking your goals and smaller daily achievements.

2. Use Your Mobile Phone
Use your mobile phone to set daily reminders or use goal setting apps.

3. Goal Setting Apps and Software
Use goal setting and project management software, tools and apps such as:
• Monday - (this is what we use at Blick and we couldn`t survive without it)
• Clickup
• Wrike
• Hubspot
• Asana
• Trello

4. Motivational Notes and Images
Place motivational notes and posters around your home or work desk.

5. Visualisation Activities
Use visualisation activities e.g. mindfulness, affirmations and meditation.

6. Friends and Family
Accountability can help, tell friends and family what you’re working towards so they can offer support and keep you accountable.

6. Networking Groups and Meet Ups
Join groups or meet-ups with like-minded people trying to achieve similar goals

You can find all our goal-setting resources on the resources section of our website link below and in profile

https://blickstudios.org/resources/

- - RESOURCES FOR CREATIVES - GOAL SETTING TEMPLATE - -

Today we are sharing a goal-setting template to help you set realistic achievable goals to help you start or grow your creative business. You can use this template as a journal prompt or download as a pdf or word document from the creative resources section of our website! (Link below and in profile)

https://blickstudios.org/resources/goal-setting/

Ahead of sharing some new goal-setting resources next week, we are looking back on our strategic goal-setting workshop with Stephanie Heckman. By sharing some pics that we ran out of time for earlier this year.

It was such a great workshop, provoking great insights and reflections as well as providing practical actions to help attendees move towards future goals.

Loving these summer evenings in our South Belfast Studios 🌞 ☀️ 🌤

- - AVAILABLE WORKSPACE - BLICK SHARED STUDIOS, SOUTH BELFAST - -

We have one dedicated deskspace in our shared creative coworking space available:

– South Belfast location just off the Lisburn Road with lots of shops, coffee shops and bars within walking distance

– £150 per dedicated desk with allocated storage all inclusive (rent, rates, utilities, broadband) no VAT

– 24 hour access

– Breakout area

– Minimum 3 months contract then on a rolling monthly contract

– 1 months rent required as a deposit

Email christine@blickstudios.org for more info or to arrange a viewing or visit our website for more info (Link below and in profile)
https://blickstudios.org/locations/great-northern-street/

Our latest roundup of local and international funding, support & opportunities for NI creatives

 01. Cathedral Quarter Art Market

Applications are now open for the Cathedral Quarter Art Market – a new Sunday market celebrating handmade and independently designed work, set in the heart of Belfast’s most creative district.
Event Details:
Location: Hill Street, Cathedral Quarter, Belfast
Time: 10am – 3pm
Pitch Fee: £60 (includes your gazebo and trading licence)
Dates: Every Sunday from 27 July – 28 September
Spaces: Strictly limited to 24 traders per week

 
02. Tools for Togetherness – Tender Opportunity

Tools for Togetherness seeks to commission a series of pilot projects based around the concept of an ‘Artist-led Library of interventions; as shared Citizen Resource’. They are excited to empower creatives to create thoughtful interventions which align with fostering community togetherness in public spaces.
Closing date: Friday 22 August 2025 at 12 noon

 
03. Hawk’s Well Theatre Artist in Residence 2025

Project Lighthouse is a 12-month cross-border, cross-community peacebuilding project. You’ll work with young adults (aged 18–25) to co-create a powerful performance and legacy work in two border locations:
• Sligo (ROI)
• Derry/Londonderry (NI)
Delivery Period: September 2025 – September 2026
What to Submit:
A quotation and proposal
A budget breakdown (quotes considered, max €20,000 + VAT)
Contact: director@hawkswell.ie
Deadline: August 1st 2025, 5pm

 
04. Northern Ireland Screen – Camera Trainee (CINE Programme) 

Location: Various production locations across Northern Ireland
Salary: £12.60 per hour (Real Living Wage)
Contract: Fixed-term training placements (non-continuous)
Hours: 40–60 hours per week, depending on production schedule
Closing Date: Friday 25th July 2025 at 1pm

 
05. Bring Your Own Art Art Show

This weekend in the Black Box Belfast and there’s still time to register and submit your work
Date: 20th July
Location: Black Box Belfast

Full listings including links on our website: https://blickstudios.org/blog/12766/

To celebrate the end of our Nurture Creative Incubation programme and its participants we have put together a small exhibition of the interviews they did for us and some examples of their work in our Great Northern Street studios!

As we enter this quieter holiday period, today we are looking back to May, a fantastic busy month for us at Blick that included a creative talk with artist and illustrator Danni Simpson, conversations and catchups around Belfast Design Week. 2 fun-filled bank holidays and the end of our Nurture Programme and its final activities which included a fieldtrip visit to Maven and Bag of Bees design studio on the Lisburn Road, as well as a celebratory lunch (we forgot to take pics) and an exhibition and creative talks to celebrate the programme and its participants!

Looking back to some of my favourite bits from our Nurture Creative Incubation Programme which ran from October last year to the end of May. Including:

The end of programme talks and exhibition

Our group weekly peer mentoring sessions

Our group fieldtrip to Maven

Interviews with the participants Bethany Millican @bethanysmillican , Vera Hylands @verahylands and Grainne Mullan @point_angel_

A pic of us all together at the end of the programme!

I had such a great time working with all the participants at our weekly peer mentoring and monthly one-on-one sessions and at the monthly workshops with different creatives (such a good time I mostly forgot to get pics) and look forward to keeping in touch and seeing how they progress!