- - CREATIVE TALK - ILLUSTRATOR LAUREN KELSO - -

Join us for our April Blick Creative Talk on Wednesday 9th April with upcoming illustrator Lauren Kelso @laurenkelsoillustrator sharing her creative story!

At Blick we like to share the stories of creatives at different stages of their creative journey as inspiration for others at a similar stage in their own journey. Our April creative talk is with Lauren Kelso an award-winning freelance illustrator who graduated in just 2023, but who has already achieved so much and is currently in the process of opening her own opening her own bricks-and-mortar shop and studio. In this creative talk Lauren will share her experiences and some of the highs and lows she has experienced on her creative business journey.�

About Lauren:
Lauren Kelso is an Award-Winning Illustrator based in Ballymena who has completed illustration work for businesses such as Galgorm Resort, Ulster Orchestra, Digg Deep for Kids Charity and others. Lauren is inspired by fashion, travel and the world, often creating illustrations using ink and a cocktail stick, collage material and created textures. She loves to be experimental within her practice, enjoying the process and embracing the unknown.

Alongside selling her illustration prints and more through attending in-person markets/pop-ups, her online shop and through various stockists around Northern Ireland, Lauren is opening her own bricks-and-mortar shop & studio in Raceview Mill in Broughshane. This will be a creative shop where people are welcome to come and browse and buy illustration gifts for themselves and/or friends and family and the premises will also provide a working studio space for her to complete freelance client jobs etc. The space will also be used for delivering creative workshops and Lauren is really looking forward to this next step in this exciting season.

Lauren graduated in July 2023 with a First Class Honours Degree in Graphic Design & Illustration and following graduation, Lauren was selected to be a Graduate in Residence for the Illustration course at UU Belfast School of Art where she completed the First Steps to Teaching course, delivered a range of presentations and

Happy Sunny Monday in our beautiful Great Northern Street Studios where we have a small private studio coming available from April! Get in touch if you would like more info 🌞 ☀️

We have loads coming up over the next couple of weeks!

- Womenfolk Peer mentoring - Tuesday 25th March 7pm, Blick Hill Street

- Creative Hubs Meetup - Friday 28th March, 11am, Vault Artist Studios

- Creative Skills Workshop - Adventures in ChatGPT - Wed 2nd April, 7pm, Blick Hill Street

- Creative Talk - Lauren Kelso Illustrator - Wed 9th April, 7pm, Blick Hill Street

More info and booking details for all on our website blickstudios.org/events or links in profile ✨️ ✨️

Thanks to everyone who joined us on Wednesday evening for a brilliant, intimate and super informative creative talk by Juliette founder of Le Contour Contemporary Candle Company @lecontourcandles it was a great evening! I learned so much and really loved Juliette`s energy and her mindset. Lots to try and emulate in my own work when dealing with the ebbs and flows and ups and downs of running a creative business!

- - CREATIVE SKILLS WORKSHOP - ADVENTURES IN CHATGPT - -

Our next creative skills workshop is all about ChatGPT for Creatives.

Helping you explore some of the practical ways as a creative professional, you can integrate it into your work life

In this workshop session for beginners, Graeme Watson and Katya Buryakova will explain some of the major controversies and opportunities around using ChatGPT in your work.

ABOUT GRAEME & KATYA:
Graeme Watson and Katya Buryakova are the founders of Homewerk, a project that designs workshops, courses and projects to give creative professionals time, space and inspiration to learn new tools and tricks, and make new connections.

EVENT DETAILS:
Event Date(s): April 2, 2025
Event Time: 7.00pm - 9.00pm
Location: Blick Shared Studios, 46 Hill Street, Belfast, BT1 2LB
Cost: Free

BOOKING LINK (below and in profile) https://blickstudios.org/events/creative-skills-workshop-adventures-in-chatgpt/

Last chance to book for our creative talk this Wednesday evening at 7pm in our Hill St studios with the wonderful Juliette founder of Le Contour contemporary candle company!

About Juliette:

“I began my journey in lockdown of 2020 where, like many of us, I experienced first-hand the importance of being surrounded by things that enrich and encourage us in our day to day lives – namely in our home. This is what prompted the creation of my very first collection, designed to empower women and inclusively celebrate the female form. An ethos I am proud to align my brand to.”

In this talk, Juliette will share her creative story, including the highs and lows and some of the lessons she has learned along the way!

You can find out more about Juliette on her website lecontour.co.uk and follow her on Instagram at @lecontourcandles

EVENT DETAILS:
Event Date(s): March 19, 2025
Event Time: 7pm-8pm
Location: Blick Shared Studios, 46 Hill Street, Belfast, BT1 2LB
Cost: Free

Sign up now for your free ticket on our website!

Some St Patrick`s weekend reading! Part 2 of our inspiring interview with Juliette founder of Le Contour contemporary candle company who is sharing her creative story with us at our next Creative Talk on Wednesday 19th March!

You can read the whole interview on the blog on our website
�
�And sign up to hear her share her story on Wednesday evening in our Hill St studios

- - WORKSPACE AVAILABLE HILL ST CATHEDRAL QUARTER - -

We have 2 dedicated deskspaces coming available in our beautiful Hill St Studios in the Cathedral Quarter

– £165 per desk or £265 for both desks per calendar month all inclusive (rates, utilities, broadband) and no VAT

– 24 hour access

– City centre location in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter

– 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 link below and in profile

https://blickstudios.org/locations/hill-street-belfast/

Thanks to everyone who joined us last night for our DIY Branding workshop with @mightyfinedesign, who led a wonderful workshop with loads of great insights and tips, alongside beautiful worksheets and resources for emerging creatives to help them with their branding!
We will be sharing Laura`s beautiful worksheets and resources here and on our website over coming weeks so watch this space!

Just 1 week to go until our next creative talk with the amazing Juliette founder of Le Contour contemporary candle company!

About Juliette:

“I began my journey in lockdown of 2020 where, like many of us, I experienced first-hand the importance of being surrounded by things that enrich and encourage us in our day to day lives – namely in our home. This is what prompted the creation of my very first collection, designed to empower women and inclusively celebrate the female form. An ethos I am proud to align my brand to.”

In this talk, Juliette will share her creative story, including the highs and lows and some of the lessons she has learned along the way!

You can find out more about Juliette on her website lecontour.co.uk and follow her on on Instagram at @lecontourcandles

EVENT DETAILS:
Event Date(s): March 19, 2025
Event Time: 7pm-8pm
Location: Blick Shared Studios, 46 Hill Street, Belfast, BT1 2LB�
�Cost: Free

Sign up now for your free ticket link below and in profile!

https://blickstudios.org/events/creative-talk-with-juliette-el-fouly-founder-of-le-contour-contemporary-candle-company/

Love this space with the light at this time of year. Our Hill Street Studios earlier this evening 💙 💙

- - BLICK APRIL CREATIVE TALK WITH LAUREN KELSO - -

Join us for our April Blick Creative Talk on Wednesday 9th April with upcoming illustrator Lauren Kelso @laurenkelsoillustrator sharing her creative story!

At Blick we like to share the stories of creatives at different stages of their creative journey as inspiration for others at a similar stage in their own journey. Our April creative talk is with Lauren Kelso an award-winning freelance illustrator who graduated in just 2023, but who has already achieved so much and is currently in the process of opening her own opening her own bricks-and-mortar shop and studio. In this creative talk Lauren will share her experiences and some of the highs and lows she has experienced on her creative business journey.

ABOUT LAUREN:
Lauren Kelso is an Award-Winning Freelance Illustrator based in Ballymena who has completed illustration work for businesses such as Galgorm Resort, Ulster Orchestra, Digg Deep for Kids Charity and others. Lauren is inspired by fashion, travel and the world,
often creating illustrations using ink and a cocktail stick, collage material and created textures. She loves to be experimental within her practice, enjoying the process and embracing the unknown.

Alongside selling her illustration prints and more through attending in-person markets/pop-ups, her online shop and through various stockists around Northern Ireland, Lauren is opening her own bricks-and-mortar shop & studio in Raceview Mill in Broughshane. This will be a creative shop where people are welcome to come and browse and buy illustration gifts for themselves and/or friends and family and the premises will also provide a working studio space for her to complete freelance client jobs etc. The space will also be used for delivering creative workshops and Lauren is really looking forward to this next step in this exciting season.

You can find out more about Lauren on her website https://laurenkelso.uk/ and Instagram @laurenkelsoillustrator

EVENT DETAILS:
Event Date(s): April 9, 2025
Event Time: 7pm-8pm
Location: Blick Shared Studios, 46 Hill Street, Belfast, BT1 2LB

For more info & to book your fre ticket visit our website link in profi

We have a great new interview on our blog with Juliette, founder of Le Contour contemporary candle company who is sharing her creative story with us at our next Creative Talk on Wednesday, 19th March!
Here is part 1 of the interview, or you can read the whole interview on our blog on our website link below and in profile ✨️ 🌟

You can also sign up to hear Juliette share her story in person!

https://blickstudios.org/blog/12476/

Last year was super busy and a huge year of change for us here at Blick, leaving our Malone studios after 15 years and moving into our lovely new Great Northern Street studios! We are finally now starting to catch up with ourselves and we thought it would be a good time to update new followers on what we do and why. Starting with our main service, our studios.

- - OUR STUDIOS - -

When we started Blick back in 2008, our ambition was to create beautiful but affordable spaces for creatives to work in alongside other like-minded creatives.

We started with just one building, our Malone Studios in South Belfast, then took on two others in the Cathedral Quarter, our Hill Street studios and Cotton Court studios. Then last year we had to leave our beautiful Malone studios, but were super fortunate to find our gorgeous new Great Northern Street studios instead. All our studios provide a mix of private studio spaces and shared workspace with dedicated desks and storage.

- - HILL ST - -

Our Hill St studios are our biggest providing workspace to over 25 creatives within an open plan loft space with high ceilings and original features close to Belfast School of Art right in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter. Our Hill St studios can also be used as a virtual office for creatives who want a professional city centre address for their business.

- - COTTON COURT - -

Our Cotton Court studios are our most affordable studios providing both shared and private workspace to over 10 creatives in a building full of different creatives in the Cathedral Quarter.

- - GREAT NORTHERN STREET - -

Our Great Northern Street studios provide shared and private workspace to over 15 creatives and are located just off the Lisburn Road in a modern glass fronted building nestled between traditional red brick Belfast terrace houses.

Our spaces are all fully serviced, flexible and affordable, with prices from £125 per month. All our prices include rent, rates, utilities and broadband. Taking a space at Blick is more than just a physical space; it`s about meeting and working alongside like-minded people, collaborating, learning, and sharing experiences.

Visit our website for more info

The second part of our interview with Laura Whitehouse founder of Might Fine Design @mightyfinedesign who is hosting a sold out branding workshop for us next Wednesday evening!

The full interview is on our website link below and in profile!

https://blickstudios.org/blog/12431/

Really looking forward to our next creative talk with the amazing Juliette founder of Le Contour contemporary candle company @lecontourcandles

ABOUT JULIETTE:

“I began my journey in lockdown of 2020 where, like many of us, I experienced first-hand the importance of being surrounded by things that enrich and encourage us in our day to day lives – namely in our home. This is what prompted the creation of my very first collection, designed to empower women and inclusively celebrate the female form. An ethos I am proud to align my brand to.”

In this talk, Juliette will share her creative story, including the highs and lows and some of the lessons she has learned along the way!

You can find out more about Juliette on her website https://lecontour.co.uk/ and follow her on on Instagram at @lecontourcandles

EVENT DETAILS:
Event Date(s): March 19, 2025
Event Time: 7pm-8pm
Location: Blick Shared Studios, 46 Hill Street, Belfast, BT1 2LB
Cost: Free

Sign up now for your free ticket! 

Link below and in profile

https://blickstudios.org/events/creative-talk-with-juliette-el-fouly-founder-of-le-contour-contemporary-candle-company/