Womenfolk: Week Three of highlights from women design entrepreneurs!
Thanks to everyone that has participated and contributed to Womenfolk so far and we cannot wait until the end of this month to hear from our brilliant speakers in Belfast & Derry-Londonderry! These are our highlights from Week Three of Womenfolk:
Our profiles 13-19 are:
- Danni Gowdy Illustration – “Don’t try to copy a particular style or ‘visual language’ – when you draw enough you naturally develop your own style, even if you don’t see it yourself.”
- Sara O’Neill – “… I decided to move back up to my native north coast almost three years ago. I was a bit anxious at first- I didn’t know if it would be possible for me to run my business outside of Belfast, or if I’d miss city life, but it’s been amazing.”
- Mrs. Smyth – “… start ups are taking an admirable risk in their new venture and they often have tight budgets. but it doesn’t mean they deserve less attention.”
- Mette – “Food culture is fascinating. Nature, art, colour, texture, aromas, flavour, culture, family, friends, nourishment, refreshment, rejuvenation – it fuels every aspect of our lives and is a source of constant inspiration.”
- TACA Works – “We drove 2,500km, spent about 50 hours in the van with all our gear and a crazy road-loving kitten called Moon. We visited artisans all over Morocco, stayed with families and learnt so much about their work, culture and the landscape. “
- Sharon Ross – “I think I can be a bit of a geek about research. I really enjoy it, even just for its own sake. Museums and art galleries are always good to go to for inspiration and lots have amazing archives online that are perfect to spend an afternoon browsing, especially if you’re working on something inspired by a particular historical period.”
- Rachel McKnight – “When I was doing my degree we were encouraged to experiment and explore new materials and it was here that I discovered my love for plastics.”
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Blue skies & loads of light & amazing shadows in our Great Northern Street Studios on this lovely sunny Friday 💙 🌞 ☀️ 🌤
Jan 17
Great workshop yesterday in our Great Northern Street Studios on - ``creative purpose, values, vision and mission` with our Nurture Program participants @verahylands and @bethanysmillican . Many thanks to @itsaullovin founder of @yeomagazine for being our guest and sharing his thoughts and experiences!
Jan 16
We are super excited to have Ian Pitt, founder and Creative Director of the London – and Belfast-based design studio Me,Him&Her. sharing his creative story at our next Creative Talk on Wednesday 5th February!
With nearly 30 years of experience in design, Ian’s career began in the retail sector before co-founding his own studio in 2007. Over the past 18 years, Me,Him&Her has developed a reputation for its multidisciplinary approach, crafting brand identities that come to life across digital, print, and physical spaces.
Their client base spans multinational corporations (ASOS, Virgin), SME’s and startups, all with a focus on creating meaningful, engaging brand experiences. Across branding, graphics, signage, interiors, or exhibitions, the studio balances creativity with commercial impact.
In this talk, Ian will share insights from his creative journey, exploring key projects, lessons learned, and the realities of running an independent design studio — from the highs of creative freedom to the challenges he’s found running his own business.
Discover more about Ian and his work at mehimandher.com and follow the studio on Instagram at @mehimandherdesign
EVENT DETAILS
Event Date(s): February 5, 2025
Event Time: 7pm - 8pm
Location: Blick Shared Studios, 46 Hill St, BT1 2LB
Cost: Free
Sign up now for your free ticket on our website (link in profile) 🌟 🌟 🌟
Jan 14
Happy Monday from our cosy Cotton Court studios in the Cathedral Quarter where we have this lovely dedicated deskspace available immediately! £125 per calendar month all-inclusive and no VAT, email christine@blickstudios.org for more info or to arrange a viewing
Jan 13
Our next Creative Talk will be on Wednesday 5th February with a local creative sharing their story!
Speaker details coming soon!
Sign up now for your free ticket on our website (link in profile)!
Jan 10
2024 a year of change, travel, hard work and exciting new opportunities!
2024 really was a year of change for us at Blick, we left our first studios on the Malone Road after 15 years and moved to new premises on Great Northern Street just off the Lisburn Road in South Belfast. The move took up much of our time and energy, but looking back, ultimately2024 was a great year with the following being some of our best bits!
GREAT NORTHERN STREET STUDIOS
Moving from our Malone studios after 15 years was a physical and emotional challenge, but we love our new Great Northern Street Studios and are confident we will look back on the experience as a positive one in the future!
DESIGN YOUR LIFE PROJECT HONG KONG
Doing more international work to promote the creative industries in Northern Ireland to a global audience and to provide opportunities for local creatives was one of our goals for 2024. It was only a small project but in 2024 we were lucky to start that journey by getting the opportunity to work collaboratively with a Hong Kong illustrator to create a design installation for the British Council Hong Kong Spark Healthy Futures Festival in October called Design Your Life
CREATIVE TALKS
We had some amazing talks in 2024 with local creatives sharing their creative stories in our Blick Academy events i,cluding:
Alanna Mcdowell
Paul Boal
Saul Duffin
Stephanie Heckman
We also hosted a really lovely Womenfolk Junior Senior event in June with artist and creative Nuala Convery aka Wee Nuls and Maja Szotkiewicz the,founder of Majakoo both sharing their creative journeys.
NURTURE INCUBATION PROGRAM
We very gratefully received funding from Belfast City Council for Nurture an incubation program, providing free workspace, mentoring and business support for 4 emerging creatives.
TRAVEL
In 2024 we went to Malmo Sweden, Hong Kong and Bologna Italy for creative Hubs research and projects, met some amazing people and learnt a lot that we hope to take forward into 2025!
At the start of this new year we are grateful as always to do the work we do with the people we do and to have the hard bits to look back on and learn from as well as the good bits!
Jan 8
As you wind down for Christmas, read this interview with @verahylands, an artist with a passion for Northern Ireland`s woodlands and natural habitats. Vera is a participant on our Nurture programme and is hoping to build a creative brand that not only brings attention to the beauty of Northern Ireland’s nature but also actively advocates for its preservation.
We`re off now for a wee break for Christmas 🎄 until 6th Jan! Thanks as always for your support this year and happy holidays everyone!
Dec 20
Meet our next Nurture Program participant, artist @verahylands
Can you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your creative work?
My name is Vera Hylands, and I’m a self-taught artist with a background in business and a lifelong passion for creative work. Although I grew up in the bustling city of Moscow, I have always felt most at home in nature, which fuels my artistic vision and drives the messages in my art. Over the years, I’ve worked in digital textile printing, which has given me a unique understanding of how to transform art into tangible items, but ultimately, my love for art and environmental advocacy led me down a new path. After moving to Northern Ireland, I was deeply struck by the country’s natural beauty, alongside a sense of loss due to environmental challenges. I’m now building a creative brand that celebrates Northern Ireland’s landscapes through abstract art, with the specific goal of drawing attention to the need for environmental preservation and restoration. Using mixed media, I aim to capture the spiritual and emotional essence of nature while telling a story about the region’s environmental past, present, and potential future.
Read the full interview on our website blog (link in profile) 🌟 🌳
Dec 18
Find out a bit about Grainne co-founder of @kitschsistersbelfast and one of the participants on our Nurture Creative Incubation Program!
Dec 17
Find out a bit about Grainne co-founder of @kitschsistersbelfast and one of the participants on our Nurture Creative Incubation Program!
Dec 17
Our next Nurture Program Participant interview is with Grainne Mullan a freelance textile design and co-founder of a CIC called Kitsch Sisters @kitschsistersbelfast which aims to create community connections by providing creative self-care and high-quality workshops to help peoples mental well-being.
Grainne is currently busy organising a Winter Solstice Supper Club for this Saturday night at Mornington Community Project on the Ormeau Road! Booking details on her Instagram ✨️
You can read the full blog on our website link in profile 🌟
Dec 13
Our cosy Cotton Court studios in the Cathedral Quarter, where we currently have this lovely dedicated deskspace under the lightwell
available for £125 per calendar month all-inclusive
Email christine@blickstudios.org for more info or visit the Cotton Court page on our website (link in profile)
Dec 11
Another chance to find out a bit about Bethany Millican @bethanysmillican artist, illustrator and participant in our Nurture Creative Incubation Program. Bethany is hosting an exhibition as part of late Late Night Art East this Thursday 12th December, where she will be exhibiting some of her work at Boundary Taproom and selling some of her beautiful water illustration 2025 calendars. The perfect Christmas present!
Read the full blog on our website blog ✨️ (link in profile)
Dec 10
In October we started an 8 month incubation program for 4 emerging creatives. Over the next couple of weeks we will be sharing a bit about each of the 4 participants. Starting with Bethany Millican an artist and illustrator
Full interview on our blog ✨️ (link in bio)
Dec 5
Stéphanie Heckman, a graphic recorder and visual communicator and one of our Hill St residents, gave a wonderful talk earlier this month. Sharing her creative journey with her business and some tips and insights for other creatives starting their own creative business in NI! Here are some of the key lessons I took from Stéphanie`s talk. I am definitely going to try and be more strategic in 2025 and more bold and brave and think about how I talk about myself and Blick to myself and in public!
Dec 2
Great few days of learning and reflection at `Bautopia 5 Culture and Creativity Conference on Ecological and Financial Sustainability in the creative and cultural sectors` in Bologna! Now off to Venice for a weekend of fun!
Nov 29
In beautiful Bologna for Bautopia 5 Culture and Creativity Conference on Ecological and Financial Sustainability in the creative and cultural sectors. Looking forward to meeting lots of interesting people and getting lots of new knowledge and tips on making our activities and studios more sustainable going forward!
Nov 27
To finish up our finance resources for emerging creatives, we thought we would put together some techniques we have used to manage our costs at Blick over the years!
Read the full blog on our website (link below or in bio)
https://blickstudios.org/blog/managing-your-creative-businesss-finances/
Nov 27
Finally we remembered to get a group photo at our weekly Nurture Program catch-up! Thanks @verahylands for the reminder! I am loving getting to work with these brilliant creatives each week and am looking forward to sharing more about them and their creative ideas on our website and socials in coming weeks!
In the meantime, here`s a quick introduction!
@makeitfashion.bt - local sustainable emerging fashion brand
@verahylands - a super talented artist with a mission to support NI woodlands through her work
@bethanysmillican - an illustrator, currently working on her first solo exhibition for December Late Night Art East and an accompanying calendar of beautiful water themed works
@kitschsistersbelfast - crafty and creative events company. Currently working on organising a Winter Solstice Supper Club for Saturday 14th December
Nov 25
Downloadable cashflow forecast template! Similar to a budget, a cashflow forecast helps you to plan ahead for your creative business it will show you if you will have enough cash to run the business or expand it. It will also show you when more cash is going out of the business than in. We have included a downloadable Excel template linked to the budget template to make it simple for you to get started with putting together your own cashflow forecast for your creative business. Link below or in profile
https://blickstudios.org/resources/useful-finance-resources-links/
Nov 22
