Skip to content

Our Aims & Values

Blick exists to support and inspire creatives in Northern Ireland through affordable workspaces, business services and shared learning.

Our Aims
  • To provide working spaces for creatives outside the home to encourage productivity, creativity, connection and better work/life balance.
  • To provide affordable workspace for creatives in beautiful buildings with character in Belfast.
  • To offer fully serviced workspace without commitment that takes the hassle and risk out of renting premises and allows our resident creatives to concentrate on their creative practices.
  • To bring together creatives to encourage community, connection, collaboration and peer learning within our workspace and events and activities.
  • To provide meaningful support for creatives in Belfast to inspire and support them to follow their dreams, gain inspiration and motivation and meet and connect with other like-minded creatives.
  • To remain a financially sustainable and independent organisation, able to provide long-term support and facilities and adapt quickly and flexibly to the needs of creatives.
Blick Summer Meet 2023
Our Values
  • INDEPENDENT
    To remain an independent, financially sustainable social enterprise.
  • ENTREPRENEURIAL
    To maximise opportunities and be flexible and business-minded in our approach so we remain financially independent and sustainable.
  • INCLUSIVE
    Be inclusive and open-minded to new ideas and new people, and be an organisation open to everyone.
  • INDUSTRY FOCUSED
    Remain focused on the needs of creatives.
  • INNOVATIVE
    Be innovative and forward-thinking to provide sustainable solutions to the needs of creatives.
Belfast Design Week Photo credit: Joe Laverty

Stay in the

Sign up for our newsletter to hear from us about our projects, events and all things Blick.
Blick on

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

Open
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)!

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

Open
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!

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

Open
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!

Find out a bit about Grainne co-founder of @kitschsistersbelfast and one of the participants on our Nurture Creative Incubation Program!

Dec 17

Open
Find out a bit about Grainne co-founder of @kitschsistersbelfast and one of the participants on our Nurture Creative Incubation Program!

Find out a bit about Grainne co-founder of @kitschsistersbelfast and one of the participants on our Nurture Creative Incubation Program!

Dec 17

Open
Find out a bit about Grainne co-founder of @kitschsistersbelfast and one of the participants on our Nurture Creative Incubation Program!

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

Open
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)

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

Open
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)

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

Open
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!

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

Open
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

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

Open
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/