Book Inspiration: Do Fly by Gavin Strange - Blick Shared Studios

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About Do Fly

Do work you love. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But the reality can be quite different. Whether you’re just starting out or ready to head in a new direction, you’re going to need some help turning your natural skills into success-seeking missiles of radness.

On hand is Gavin Strange, a creative working by night under the moniker JamFactory and, by day, at Aardman Animations – the Academy Award-winning studio behind Wallace & Gromit.

With advice, encouragement and a reminder that life’s too short to not pursue your passion, whatever your age or position – whether you’re a recent school leaver, a graduate, a team leader or the actual CEO, Do Fly will inspire you to:

Change your perspective and revamp your mindset
Develop creative side projects
Stay optimistic and resilient
Discover skills and passions you never knew you had!
Do Fly is your all-in-one guide, ticket and passport to a new destination. Are you ready for take off?

Week 5 of our new Design Hothouse Residency with Rachel and Beth, this week working on refinement and layout, the micro-adjustments that elevate the artwork from amateur to professional with @belfastdesignwk co-founder @karishmasworld on Tuesday at Queen’s University Students Union and starting to think about creating supporting assets and Checking layouts, colour ways and formatting with Blick Resident Molly Long to finish the week on Friday.

Aug 24

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Week 5 of our new Design Hothouse Residency with Rachel and Beth, this week working on refinement and layout, the micro-adjustments that elevate the artwork from amateur to professional with @belfastdesignwk co-founder @karishmasworld on Tuesday at Queen’s University Students Union and starting to think about creating supporting assets and Checking layouts, colour ways and formatting with Blick Resident Molly Long to finish the week on Friday.

As the seasons change and we move onto new projects here is a summary of some of my favourite bits from Belfast Design Week 2026, I also wrote a blog about it which is on our website (link in profile and below)

https://blickstudios.org/blog/bdw26-my-best-bits/

Aug 21

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- - Meet The New Design Hothouse Resident: Beth Schmidt - -

In our latest Meet The Resident we get to know the second of our new Design Hothouse residents @beth__schmidt who is currently working as an architectural assistant @studioidir in East Belfast

Tell us a bit about yourself, your background and your creative work?

I work as an architectural assistant at Studio idir in East Belfast, where I contribute to a range of residential and placemaking projects. My work is driven by a passion for community-led design and an interest in re-evaluating food and waste systems, which was a continuous theme throughout my academic work. After graduating from Queen’s University Belfast in 2024, I spent time volunteering for various community-led projects across Europe, engaging in hands-on construction, food preparation, and permaculture farming. This allowed me to create meaningful change on an everyday scale, which I think can be difficult within architectural practice.

Can you tell us why you wanted to take part in the residency

I’m interested in the potential of design in reshaping our cities, which the residency encourages us to explore. The collaborative nature of the project was also important to me – I come from a background of architecture, which is often a very individualistic discipline. Buildings have historically been portrayed as the work and genius of one person, rather than reflecting the vast range of people involved in design and construction processes. I think collaboration enriches design and creates better results, and so I was interested in the opportunity to work with designers from other disciplines throughout the residency.

What would you like to achieve from this residency?

I’d like to explore design within circular economy principles, and create a body of work that is genuinely sustainable and has a positive contribution to the public. I’m also eager to gain experience and insight more generally in delivering the various events, branding, and physical exhibition that the residency links into. Lastly, I’d also like to become more confident in my ability to work within these areas going forward

Aug 19

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- - Meet The New Design Hothouse Resident: Beth Schmidt - -

In our latest Meet The Resident we get to know the second of our new Design Hothouse residents @beth__schmidt who is currently working as an architectural assistant @studioidir in East Belfast

Tell us a bit about yourself, your background and your creative work?

I work as an architectural assistant at Studio idir in East Belfast, where I contribute to a range of residential and placemaking projects. My work is driven by a passion for community-led design and an interest in re-evaluating food and waste systems, which was a continuous theme throughout my academic work. After graduating from Queen’s University Belfast in 2024, I spent time volunteering for various community-led projects across Europe, engaging in hands-on construction, food preparation, and permaculture farming. This allowed me to create meaningful change on an everyday scale, which I think can be difficult within architectural practice.

Can you tell us why you wanted to take part in the residency

I’m interested in the potential of design in reshaping our cities, which the residency encourages us to explore. The collaborative nature of the project was also important to me – I come from a background of architecture, which is often a very individualistic discipline. Buildings have historically been portrayed as the work and genius of one person, rather than reflecting the vast range of people involved in design and construction processes. I think collaboration enriches design and creates better results, and so I was interested in the opportunity to work with designers from other disciplines throughout the residency.

What would you like to achieve from this residency?

I’d like to explore design within circular economy principles, and create a body of work that is genuinely sustainable and has a positive contribution to the public. I’m also eager to gain experience and insight more generally in delivering the various events, branding, and physical exhibition that the residency links into. Lastly, I’d also like to become more confident in my ability to work within these areas going forward

The fourth week of our Design Hothouse Residency with @rachelcowie_graphics and @beth__schmidt , this week working on reviewing sketches and ideas for custom fonts, layouts, colours and pairing fonts with Blick resident Alex Synge @thefirst47 on Tuesday 11th August. Then a finance and budgeting workshop and second opinion on fonts and artwork direction with Blick Finance and Operations Manager Rosy on Friday.

Aug 18

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The fourth week of our Design Hothouse Residency with @rachelcowie_graphics and @beth__schmidt , this week working on reviewing sketches and ideas for custom fonts, layouts, colours and pairing fonts with Blick resident Alex Synge @thefirst47 on Tuesday 11th August. Then a finance and budgeting workshop and second opinion on fonts and artwork direction with Blick Finance and Operations Manager Rosy on Friday.

We have one private 1 - 2 person studio available in our Cotton Court studios from September
– £295 per calendar month all inclusive (rent, rates, utilities, broadband) no VAT
– Minimum 3 months contract then on a rolling monthly contract
– 1 months rent required as a deposit
– Industrial style building full of creative organisations
– Cathedral Quarter location opposite the Merchant hotel
– Email christine@blickstudios.org for more info or to arrange a viewing or visit the Cotton Court page of our website (link below and in profile): https://blickstudios.org/locations/cotton-court-belfast/

Aug 17

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Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann right on our doorstep in the Cathedral Quarter last week

Aug 12

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Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann right on our doorstep in the Cathedral Quarter last week

- - Meet the new Design Hothouse Resident: Rachel Cowie - -

In our latest Meet The Resident we get to know one of our two new Design Hothouse residents multidisciplinary designer @rachelcowie_graphics

You can also read her interview on the blog on our website link in profile and below:

https://blickstudios.org/blog/meet-the-new-hothouse-resident-rachel-cowie/

Aug 10

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Week 3 of our new @belfastdesignwk collab Design Hothouse Residency with @rachelcowie_graphics and @beth__schmidt , this week working on initial ideas and sketches, colour palettes and font pairings and a special inclusive design workshop with Blick resident inclusive designer Lorna McFall

Aug 7

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Week 3 of our new @belfastdesignwk collab Design Hothouse Residency with @rachelcowie_graphics and @beth__schmidt , this week working on initial ideas and sketches, colour palettes and font pairings and a special inclusive design workshop with Blick resident inclusive designer Lorna McFall

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

– £130 per dedicated desk per calendar month all inclusive utilities, rates, broadand etc (No VAT)

– 7am – 10.30pm access

– Industrial style building full of creative organisations in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter

– Safe, well-lit Cathedral Quarter location opposite the Merchant hotel

– 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 the Cotton Court page of our website link in profile or below

https://blickstudios.org/locations/cotton-court-belfast/

Aug 4

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Blick Creative Roundup

Our latest roundup of funding and opportunities for NI Creatives.

01. Irish Design Week

Closing date: 10th August

02. Design Researchers in Residence

Closing date: 6th September

03. British Council Connections Through Culture 2026

Closing date: 12th August

04. CoSTAR Screen Lab: Spatial Audio in Virtual Production

Closing date: 19th August

05. QEST Grants

Deadline: 13th August

06. National Lottery Support for Individual Artists Programme – Creative Progression Scheme

Deadline: 20th August

Full listings including links on our website:

https://blickstudios.org/blog/13970/

Aug 3

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Blick Creative Roundup

Our latest roundup of funding and opportunities for NI Creatives.

01. Irish Design Week

Closing date: 10th August

02. Design Researchers in Residence

Closing date: 6th September

03. British Council Connections Through Culture 2026

Closing date: 12th August

04. CoSTAR Screen Lab: Spatial Audio in Virtual Production

Closing date: 19th August

05. QEST Grants

Deadline: 13th August

06. National Lottery Support for Individual Artists Programme – Creative Progression Scheme

Deadline: 20th August

Full listings including links on our website:

https://blickstudios.org/blog/13970/

Design Hothouse Residency Week 2

Productive second week of our new Belfast Design Week collaborative Design Hothouse Residency. Starting with an interpreting the brief workshop on Monday morning with the brilliant David Woods from Bag of Bees Studio which was so good we forgot to take any photos. Then a city walk and exhibition site visit on Tuesday evening. Before finishing on Friday with a session on moodboarding, concept generation and ideation.

https://blickstudios.org/blog/design-hothouse-residency-week-2/

Aug 1

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Design Hothouse Residency Week 2

Productive second week of our new Belfast Design Week collaborative Design Hothouse Residency. Starting with an interpreting the brief workshop on Monday morning with the brilliant David Woods from Bag of Bees Studio which was so good we forgot to take any photos. Then a city walk and exhibition site visit on Tuesday evening. Before finishing on Friday with a session on moodboarding, concept generation and ideation.

https://blickstudios.org/blog/design-hothouse-residency-week-2/

Some of my favourite things from this year`s @belfastdesignwk

https://blickstudios.org/blog/bdw26-my-best-bits/

Jul 31

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Some of my favourite things from this year's @belfastdesignwk

https://blickstudios.org/blog/bdw26-my-best-bits/

Islands of Design Popup Exhibition

As part of Irish Design Week 17th – 21st November 2025 with Belfast Design Week we co-organised and co-curated a pop-up exhibition in Belfast School of Art featuring the work of 10 emerging designers working in different design disciplines.

Earlier this year we re-exhibited part of this exhibition in our Great Northern Street Studios just off the Lisburn Road.

Designers featured include:

Lauren Kelso - Illustrator

Matthew Talbot - Mixed Media & Experiential Designer

Kristen Robb - Regenerative Designer

Andrea Villaester - 3D Artist

You can also find more information on the project and the designers featured on our website: https://blickstudios.org/projects/islands-of-design/

Jul 27

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Islands of Design Popup Exhibition

As part of Irish Design Week 17th – 21st November 2025 with Belfast Design Week we co-organised and co-curated a pop-up exhibition in Belfast School of Art featuring the work of 10 emerging designers working in different design disciplines.

Earlier this year we re-exhibited part of this exhibition in our Great Northern Street Studios just off the Lisburn Road.

Designers featured include:

Lauren Kelso - Illustrator

Matthew Talbot - Mixed Media & Experiential Designer

Kristen Robb - Regenerative Designer

Andrea Villaester - 3D Artist

You can also find more information on the project and the designers featured on our website: https://blickstudios.org/projects/islands-of-design/

Lovely first week of our new @belfastdesignwk collaborative Design Hothouse Residency. Starting with welcoming our new residents Beth Schmidt @beth__schmidt and Rachel Cowie @rachelcowie_graphics and getting to know each other and sharing some initial information on the project . Then a session on working collaboratively identifying strengths and weaknesses, aspirations for the project, personal and shared values, and communications. Before finishing today with a session on discovery and strategy/ research, audience and competitor analysis and customer journey mapping.

Jul 24

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Lovely first week of our new @belfastdesignwk collaborative Design Hothouse Residency. Starting with welcoming our new residents Beth Schmidt @beth__schmidt and Rachel Cowie @rachelcowie_graphics and getting to know each other and sharing some initial information on the project . Then a session on working collaboratively identifying strengths and weaknesses, aspirations for the project, personal and shared values, and communications. Before finishing today with a session on discovery and strategy/ research, audience and competitor analysis and customer journey mapping.

- - BLICK CREATIVE RESOURCES - USEFUL AUDIO TOOLS & RESOURCES - -

In October 2025 we collaborated with Homewerk and radio and audio producer Owen McFadden from WhyFi Productions, who drew on his experience of creating award-winning audio for BBC Radio Ulster, Radio 4 and more, to give insights into the basics of recording, editing, and shaping audio into compelling listening. Here are some brilliant audio resources Owen shared with us.

Transform media – Global tips about recording and audio

Epidemic sound – a global music-tech platform that provides a direct-license catalog of over 50,000 music tracks and 200,000 sound effects for content creators and businesses

Sadie software – For decades, SADiE has been a trusted tool for audio professionals, offering precision and reliability in recording, editing, and production.

Reaper software – REAPER is a complete digital audio production application for computers, offering a full multitrack audio and MIDI recording, editing, processing, mixing and mastering toolset.

Adobe Audition – Audition is a comprehensive toolset that includes multitrack, waveform and spectral display for creating, mixing, editing and restoring audio content. This powerful audio workstation is designed to accelerate video production workflows and audio finishing — and deliver a polished mix with pristine sound.

Trint – AI transcription software turning speech to text isn’t breaking news. But Trint is. Convert video, audio and live conversations to text in 30+ languages.

Otter – Full AI-powered transcripts with automated summaries. Archived audio and video imports.  AI chat, and more.

Full list including links on our web resources: https://blickstudios.org/resources/useful-audio-tools-resources/

Jul 22

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- - BLICK CREATIVE RESOURCES - USEFUL AUDIO TOOLS & RESOURCES - -

In October 2025 we collaborated with Homewerk and radio and audio producer Owen McFadden from WhyFi Productions, who drew on his experience of creating award-winning audio for BBC Radio Ulster, Radio 4 and more, to give insights into the basics of recording, editing, and shaping audio into compelling listening. Here are some brilliant audio resources Owen shared with us.

Transform media – Global tips about recording and audio

Epidemic sound – a global music-tech platform that provides a direct-license catalog of over 50,000 music tracks and 200,000 sound effects for content creators and businesses

Sadie software – For decades, SADiE has been a trusted tool for audio professionals, offering precision and reliability in recording, editing, and production.

Reaper software – REAPER is a complete digital audio production application for computers, offering a full multitrack audio and MIDI recording, editing, processing, mixing and mastering toolset.

Adobe Audition – Audition is a comprehensive toolset that includes multitrack, waveform and spectral display for creating, mixing, editing and restoring audio content. This powerful audio workstation is designed to accelerate video production workflows and audio finishing — and deliver a polished mix with pristine sound.

Trint – AI transcription software turning speech to text isn’t breaking news. But Trint is. Convert video, audio and live conversations to text in 30+ languages.

Otter – Full AI-powered transcripts with automated summaries. Archived audio and video imports.  AI chat, and more.

Full list including links on our web resources: https://blickstudios.org/resources/useful-audio-tools-resources/

Very excited to start our new @belfastdesignwk Collab Design Hothouse Residency this week with @beth__schmidt and @rachelcowie_graphics looking forward to seeing what they create over the next couple of months and sharing their progress!

Jul 21

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Very excited to start our new @belfastdesignwk Collab Design Hothouse Residency this week with @beth__schmidt and @rachelcowie_graphics looking forward to seeing what they create over the next couple of months and sharing their progress!

In October 2025 we collaborated with @homewerk.project and radio and audio producer Owen McFadden from @whyfiproductions who drew on his experience of creating award-winning audio for BBC Radio Ulster, Radio 4 and more, to give insights into the basics of recording, editing, and shaping audio into compelling listening. We learnt so much from this amazing workshop, but here are our key takeaways

Jul 21

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In October 2025 we collaborated with @homewerk.project and radio and audio producer Owen McFadden from @whyfiproductions who drew on his experience of creating award-winning audio for BBC Radio Ulster, Radio 4 and more, to give insights into the basics of recording, editing, and shaping audio into compelling listening. We learnt so much from this amazing workshop, but here are our key takeaways

Lovely sunny days and a more relaxed working schedule over the last few weeks, but back properly in the studio this week with our new collab residency with @belfastdesignwk starting and some other exciting new projects!

Jul 20

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Lovely sunny days and a more relaxed working schedule over the last few weeks, but back properly in the studio this week with our new collab residency with @belfastdesignwk starting and some other exciting new projects!

Putting up our new exhibition hanging grids in our Great Northern Street studios earlier this year!
After lots of research we designed our own hanging system.

We bought freestanding grid wall panels and some brackets and mounted them on the walls for an affordable and easy exhibition system
Making it really easy for us to change exhibits in the front windows as well as inside!

Starting with our first exhibit - Islands of Design Popup Museum Irish Design Week Part 1

Jul 8

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Putting up our new exhibition hanging grids in our Great Northern Street studios earlier this year!
After lots of research we designed our own hanging system.

We bought freestanding grid wall panels and some brackets and mounted them on the walls for an affordable and easy exhibition system
Making it really easy for us to change exhibits in the front windows as well as inside!

Starting with our first exhibit - Islands of Design Popup Museum Irish Design Week Part 1

Meet The Resident: Lorna McFall User Interface (UI) & User Experience (UX) Designer within the Video Games Industry
In our latest Meet The Resident we get to know one of our new residents at our Hill Street Studios, Lorna McFall a User Interface (UI) & User Experience (UX) Designer within the Video Games Industry
https://blickstudios.org/blog/meet-the-resident-lorna-mcfall-user-interface-ui-user-experience-ux-de

Jul 7

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Meet The Resident: Lorna McFall User Interface (UI) & User Experience (UX) Designer within the Video Games Industry
In our latest Meet The Resident we get to know one of our new residents at our Hill Street Studios, Lorna McFall a User Interface (UI) & User Experience (UX) Designer within the Video Games Industry
https://blickstudios.org/blog/meet-the-resident-lorna-mcfall-user-interface-ui-user-experience-ux-de