Do you struggle to know how to get paid for your creative work? Do you struggle to know how to pitch for new opportunities? Do you find it hard to talk about money with clients?

In this workshop, we are covering how to sell our services/products and learn how to get paid for creative work.

Whether you are just starting out, or already in your business journey, it can be hard to know how to sell your work and ask for payment. Women, in particular, can lack confidence in their abilities.

We want this workshop to help women who struggle with talking about money within business, that lack confidence in asking for money or pitching for work.

Talking about money in business is a hard thing to navigate, especially when you are starting out. It can be uncomfortable to know how to approach the subject. How do you approach people that you want to work with or sell to? How should you present yourself and your work? How do you bring up the subject of payment and money and actually close the deal and make sure you get the money you deserve?

It is important as women, that we continue to gain the confidence that we need to succeed in business. We want to empower women to be able to develop their own style of sales and selling their business products or services.

Within this module, we wanted to have a workshop with 2 women from different creative business backgrounds to share their story and offer advice and guidance on how they generate sales within their business followed by a Q&A session at the end.

What we will be covering:

• Getting your business in front of potential customers

• How to present yourself & business

• How to sell your business products/services

• Techniques on building confidence

• Communication as a business

• Navigating money & payment

• Building relationships with clients

Our workshop will be facilitated by Emma Johnston of Hunter Paper Co and Lisa Smyth of Shesaid.Design.

Emma Johnston is the designer and founder behind Hunter Paper Co, a luxury greetings card & stationery brand based in Belfast.

Lisa Smyth is the co-founder of @shesaid_design which is a graphic design studio situated in the heart of Belfast near City Hall.

Do you struggle with knowing how to create ads on Instagram & Facebook?

Do you struggle to know what is the right platform for you to promote your creative business?

Now more than ever, during the pandemic, we are seeing that social media is one of the key ways that businesses can connect with their customers and sell their products or services.

It can be hard to know where to start when it comes to social media advertising. You might question what platform is useful for your business, or struggle to know how to even put an ad together for your product or service.

We are excited to introduce our workshop facilitator, Emma Gribben who is a digital marketing consultant based in NI who will be coming in to help us get better at social media advertising.

Emma has a breadth of experience working with start-ups, SMEs, brands and agencies across NI, ROI, UK and Europe.

Emma’s training clients include global brands Aer Lingus, Pandora, Vodafone and Electrolux as well as Arts Council of Ireland, Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank, Belfast Telegraph and Monaghan Mushrooms.

AIMS

The aim of this event is to help you understand the role of social media advertising on how it can help your business grow and how to put together social media advertisements in a simple way.

It can be easy to think that it’s not for you because the language and the platforms are too confusing, but we want to create an event that breaks down these big concepts and give you some tools to navigate this all.

WHO THIS IS FOR

If you are an individual looking to build your projects or business if you have a business and wanting to gain some more knowledge or someone that is just starting out and thinking about how they can grow their future business.

OVERVIEW

Emma will be covering the following:

• The role of Social Media advertising within the Social Media plan

• How to set up Facebook Ads Manager

• Demo of the kinds of ads available

• How to create custom, lookalike and saved audiences

• How to develop a Facebook and Instagram Ad

• What is Facebook Pixel and how to use it

This is a great opportunity for you to ask an industry expert all the questions you have about social media advertising.

Do you want to take your business to the next level?

Book your tickets today!

Emma is a digital marketing consultant, mentor and trainer working with start-ups, SMEs, brands and agencies across NI, ROI, UK and Europe. 

Emma offers solutions across digital strategy, website performance enhancement, social media, content marketing, SEO, email marketing, online PR and influencer marketing. 

As a training partner to Google Squared Online, Google Digital Academy and Google Digital Garage programmes as well as the Facebook Digital Skills Training programme, Emma has insights into the latest digital trends, platforms and activities to continually give businesses a competitive edge. 

Emma’s training clients include global brands Aer Lingus, Pandora, Vodafone and Electrolux as well as Arts Council of Ireland, Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank, Belfast Telegraph and Monaghan Mushrooms. 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DigitalByEmma

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/digital_by_emma/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmagribben/

Website: www.digitalbyemma.com

Are you a young professional or a creative business owner struggling to build your network?

We are excited to introduce our next event - ‘A DIY guide on LinkedIn’ with Emma Gribben. 

As creative business owners, it can be hard to know what platforms are important to use to build your network. As there are many platforms out there, Linkedin is often overlooked as a space to get opportunities. It is a great place to connect with businesses locally and internationally, a great way to connect with people, to get jobs and even promote your own business. 

AIMS

The aim of this event is to help educate you on the importance of using LinkedIn for yourself personally & professionally and to help you get the skills that you need to set up your own Linkedin profile that will help you build your network. 

OVERVIEW

In this workshop Emma Gribben will be covering the following topics: 

• Overview of the LinkedIn platform on desktop and Mobile 

• How the newsfeed works 

• How to optimise your personal profile 

• How to set up a Corporate Page 

• LinkedIn Events 

• LinkedIn Live Streaming 

• LinkedIn Stories 

• How to build and develop your network using LinkedIn

WHO THIS IS FOR

This event is for anyone that is looking to build their business networks. Whether you are just starting out, or already in business, this event is for you. 

Don’t miss the opportunity to learn how to build your skills, and be professional online. 

This event is funded by Ulster Bank.

This event will be recorded for learning purposes. 

Emma is a digital marketing consultant, mentor and trainer working with start-ups, SMEs, brands and agencies across NI, ROI, UK and Europe. Emma offers solutions across digital strategy, website performance enhancement, social media, content marketing, SEO, email marketing, online PR and influencer marketing.

Emma has helped global businesses achieve impressive returns on digital marketing, including spectacular growth in website visitors (200%), in-unit sales (186%), revenue (97%) and e-commerce conversion (67%).

As a training partner to Google and Facebook across the Google Squared Online, Google Digital Academy and Google Digital Garage programmes as well as the Facebook Digital Skills Training programme, Emma has insights into the latest digital trends, platforms and activities to continually give businesses a competitive edge. 

Emma’s training clients include global brands Aer Lingus, Pandora, Vodafone and Electrolux as well as  Arts Council of Ireland, Bank of Ireland, Ulster Bank, Belfast Telegraph and Monaghan Mushrooms closer to home.  

Websites:

www.digitalbyemma.com

www.alchemydigitaltraining.com

 Facebook:

@DigitalByEmma

@AlchemyDigitalTraining

 LinkedIn:

@DigitalByEmma

@AlchemyDigitalTraining

Do you struggle with knowing how-to-write content for your creative business? 

As creative business owners, it can be hard to know how to write for your business. It can be hard to how to structure our workflow to create written content and follow through with our projects. It can be hard to know how to structure written content for your website and to know what topics to write about. 

In this workshop, we are diving into the world of writing for your business. We will be learning how to incorporate content creation and publishing into your working life right through to knowing what content to write for your business. Now more than ever, it is important to focus on the language that you use, and how your business comes across digitally. 

In this workshop, Heather McGarrigle will be helping us navigate how to write for our business and giving us tips to figure out what social media platforms are suitable for your creative business. 

AIMS

The aim of this event is to help you gain knowledge of how to create written content for your business and learning how to incorporate content creation into your working life.

Heather will be sharing important tips on how to write content for your website and covering the importance of finding your voice in the content you create. 

OVERVIEW

In this workshop, Heather will be sharing a presentation of the topics we will be covering, following a Q&A session after. 

Topics we will be covering:

• How to incorporate content creation and publishing into your working life by creating a content plan and calendar, batching content, and scheduling content 

• How to decide what social media platforms to use for your creative business

• How to structure and write content for your website

• How to pick topics/decide what to write about for blogs, newsletters and social content - how to look at your business as a journalist to 'find the stories'; but also how to look at your business like a marketer and create content for every aspect of the customer journey. 

• Finding your voice - creating content that sounds like you while maintaining the quality of content: the balance between authenticity 

• Making your content go the extra mile - basically tips and good practice on how to repurpose content that you create

WHO THIS IS FOR

This is for anyone that has a creative business or brand and struggles with knowing how to write for their business. Whether you struggle with knowing what written content to create and publish, to knowing how to structure and write content for your website. 

We wanted to create an event where you can walk away with practical tools that you can apply and implement into your business. 

This event will be recorded for educational purposes.

This event will be facilitated by Heather McGarrigle

Bio of Heather McGarrigle 

 Heather McGarrigle is a qualified journalist and award-winning blogger with 15 years of experience in professional writing and content creation.

 She founded Quill Inc NI in 2015 and specialises in helping small businesses and creative sector organisations to find the right words for their written content, including blogs, websites, social media, newsletters and marketing materials. 

 Quill Inc NI services include planning, creating, scheduling, publishing and distributing content, as well as proofreading, editing, and updating or rewriting existing content.  Heather's approach is collaborative and follows journalistic principles to translate her clients' unique expertise and experience into original, high-quality, engaging content. 

 Website: https://quillincni.com

Facebook: facebook.com/quillincni

Insta and Twitter: @quillincni

AIMS

The aim of this event is to help you gain knowledge of how to build a brand or business on Instagram through hearing the story & journey of Lauren Taylor and Danni Simpson. They will be sharing their insights on how they have built their business, how they have built their brand and how they navigate growing their audience and business on Instagram.

OVERVIEW

This workshop will be split into two different sections. We will hear from Lauren Taylor first where she will be giving a presentation on her story, how she has created an international following, how she manages the business side of her brand and how she creates content around her brand on Instagram.

We will then hear from Danni Simpson, who will give us a presentation on her business story, how she has built her business and tips on planning content for Instagram.

After the presentations are complete, we will open the floor up for a Q&A session where you can ask both facilitators questions about Instagram.

WHO THIS IS FOR

This is for anyone that has a creative business or brand and struggles with knowing how to navigate the Instagram platform for business. Whether you struggle with knowing what to post, creating content for your brand, to knowing how to utilise Instagram as a business tool, this is for you.

We wanted to create an event where you can walk away with practical tools that you can apply and implement into your social media.

This event will be recorded for educational purposes.

This event will be facilitated by Lauren Taylor and Danni Simpson.

Lauren Taylor is an artist and illustrator originally from the US and now settled in Newry, County Down. She is the owner of Lauren Taylor Creates and LTCreative Tours.

Lauren does a range of projects including creating original artwork and prints as well as illustration projects for companies like Clive Christian Perfume and Steamline Luggage.

Her work is often inspired by nature and the landscape around her. Lauren has a passion for travel and recently launched her tour company LTCreative Tours with her husband. They offer tours and retreats in Ireland and Northern Ireland for artists and creatives.

Website - www.laurentaylorcreates.com

Instagram: @laurentaylorcreates

Twitter: @LTCreates

Facebook: Lauren Taylor Creates

Danni Simpson is an Australian Artist who specialises in Commercial murals and Illustrations. Her natural passion and talent for art have allowed her to complete a large number of projects and travel the globe to paint the world.

Over the years she has showcased her art in cities all over the globe, including a huge project for the 2018 Commonwealth Games held on the Gold Coast, Australia. Danni has worked her way throughout Europe designing numerous murals for cafes, bars and restaurants. As well as murals, Danni has worked alongside top high street labels creating their digital illustrations and designs.

Website - www.dannisimpsonart.com

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/dannisimpsonart

Instagram- @dannisimpsonart

We are delighted to be part of the Nerve Centre’s Spring Into the Creative Industries Programme with A Time is Now panel discussion on diversity in the creative industries for International Women’s Day next Monday 8th March at 6.30pm. The Time is Now is a collaborative project by Blick Shared Studios and Creating A Space, focusing on honest and meaningful conversations between early stage creative entrepreneurs. This event is produced in collaboration with Womenfolk, Belfast Design Week and hosted by Nerve Centre.

Event Details

A vibrant and timely discussion on the urgent need for greater diversity in the creative industries in Northern Ireland.
Join our panel of female creatives and innovators on International Women’s Day as they bring a wealth of life and professional experience to this vital conversation about diversity in the creative industries.

Hosted by Esther Mogada from Creating A Space, this event will see Emily Searle, Sorcha Ní Cheallaigh and Margaret Watiri share their perspectives on the current make-up of the creative sector in Northern Ireland and their ideas on how we can improve diversity within these industries.

This issue is long-standing in the creative industries, and is reflected in the visible absence of a diversity of gender, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation and socio-economic backgrounds among leadership roles in particular.

The creative industries are vital to the Northern Irish economy. As the sector we rely on to create and sell us ideas, content and products, diversity is arguably most important here so that we can understand and create things of value that reflect society as a whole.

Aims

The aim of this event is to help you get valuable tips and tools to be able to photograph your own work straight away. Whether you are shooting products or creating content for your business, we will be covering the basics of photography and how to create a quality image with a phone or camera. 

 As a creative, it can be hard to know where to start on knowing how to photograph your own work, especially at the beginning as you may not have the finances to pay for a professional photographer to shoot what is needed. 

Who this is for

Whether you are just starting out in business, wanting to create a brand, or need a refresher on the basics of photography, this is for you. 

We wanted to create an event where you can walk away with practical tools that you can apply and implement straight away. Using what you have is what is important. Whether you have a basic phone or camera to take photographs, these tips apply to all devices.

This is a DIY workshop to help you get started on your own. Even if you are planning to pay for a professional, you may not know what is required to ask for, so in this workshop, we will be covering the following: 

• Basics of photography - creating a strong focal point, using exposure and white balance to get your images right, working with natural light

• Telling a visual story with your images - so not just products but your process, portraits etc too to build a brand online

• Different types of set up - plain backdrop, editorial styling and flat lay. What they all work best for and how to use them

• Editing your images - using software to improve your photos, the importance of sharing your best photos not posting for the sake of it

• Images for print and web use - important differences

• Backing up and storing your image catalogue

Our facilitator for this event is Carrie Davenport who is a photographer based in Belfast. 

Short Bio from Carrie Davenport

“I’m a Belfast based freelance photographer, specialising in event, portrait and commercial photography. I love to travel with work and have been lucky enough to work across Europe and the USA as well as regular work in Dublin, Glasgow and London. 

I first discovered my love of photography when I was putting my hatred of maths class into practice at school. Choosing instead to hide in the art department (my favourite subject for the entire school) it was here I first tried to teach myself about the darkroom and fell in love with photography.

I got an old fully manual Pentax SLR and started teaching myself as much as I could about photography and developing my own black and white images. After that, I went on to study Art and Design at tech before completing a degree at the Belfast School of Art. 

Throughout the entire time, my focus was in photography (no pun intended) and after leaving uni I worked for a design agency for several years until I decided to go it alone and set up my own business in 2005. 

Since then I’ve met amazing people, photographed amazing things and I still absolutely love what I do. I shoot for the likes of BBC NI, Getty Images, large charities like Guide Dogs UK and Diabetes Uk, and lots of amazing community groups like Artsekta, the Oh Yeah Music Centre and many more.”

Facebook: @carriedavenportphotos

Instagram: @Carrie Davenport 

Website www.carriedavenportphotographic.com

AIMS

The aim of this event is to help you become knowledgeable in getting started with understanding how to set up your own website DIY style.

We will be covering:

- What is important to include on a website ( information, photographs & copy)

- How to make your website user friendly & accessible

- Practical tips on using different platforms such as Squarespace

- Domain names

- SEO

- Planning content

- Consistency

- Products to display

- Logistics of the backend of selling online through a website

As a creative, it can be hard to know where to start or what to include when creating your own website for your creative business or personal project.

This is a DIY workshop to help you get started on your own. This event will help you understand how to design the website you want, the tools on how to create it and a clearer understanding of how to navigate the different platforms available.

OVERVIEW

The workshop will be split into two sections. The first part of the workshop will be facilitated by Karishma Kusurkar who will be giving us practical tools on how to create a website and using Squarespace as an example of how to use it.

The second half of the workshop will be led by Emma Jackson of Hunter Paper Co, who will be giving us a presentation of how she built her own business and website herself.

WHO IS THIS FOR?

This event is for anyone that is looking to set up a website for their creative business.

Whether you already have a website and are looking for tips to navigate the platforms or update your current website, or you are someone just starting out and needing a push to get started, this is for you.

This event will be recorded for educational purposes.

Emma Jackson of Hunter Paper Co

“Hi! I'm Emma, the designer and founder behind Hunter Paper Co, a luxury greetings card & stationery brand based in Belfast.

We fuse modern design with traditional letterpress printing methods to create beautiful stationery that brings people together. Since 2016 we have grown significantly and currently supply independent shops across the UK, Europe, USA & Australia as well as a number of major retailers within the UK. We print everything in our range in-house on our 1960’s Heidelberg printing presses.

Letterpress is a centuries-old technique in which ink is applied to a raised design and then pressed into the paper leaving a beautiful embossed impression on the page.

In 2020 I also established Hunt & Gather, an online stationery shop stocking some of the best stationery brands from across the world alongside the entire Hunter Paper Co range.

Hunt & Gather has got off to a great start, and we're constantly growing, working on expanding, adding new brands regularly and hoping to open a physical retail unit post-pandemic!”

Instagram -
@hunterpaperco
@huntandgatherbelfast

Website: www.hunterpaperco.com

OUR FACILITATORS

Karishma Kusurkar of Belfast Design Week & Small Town Big Dreams Podcast

“I'm a multidisciplinary designer based in Belfast who works within the spheres of design, facilitation and podcasts. I'm a collaborator and co-founder on projects including the Small Town Big Dreams podcast and Belfast Design Week.

Some of my recent work has included the Pop-Up Design Museum at Belfast Design Week 2020, an augmented photography project called Pause, innovation and design thinking workshops and I am currently co-developing an exciting new project releasing later this year (watch this space!).”

Instagram: @karishmasworld @belfastdesignwk @stbdpodcast

Website: www.karishmasworld.com

AIMS

The aim of this event is to help you become knowledgeable in getting started with understanding how to set up your own brand DIY style.

We will be covering how to create your own logo, what font to use, and what important things you need to include in setting up your own brand.

As a creative, it can be hard to know where to start when designing your own brand, especially at the beginning as you may not have the finances to pay for a professional graphic designer to put it together.

WHO THIS IS FOR

Whether you are just starting out in business, wanting to create a personal brand, or need a refresher on how to create a brand, this is for you.

We wanted to create an event where you can walk away with practical tools that you can apply and implement into your brand.

This is a DIY workshop to help you get started on your own. Even if you are planning to pay for a professional, you may not know what is required to ask for, so in this workshop, we will be covering the following:

• A simple break down of what branding is

• Brand Guidelines

• Typography

• Brand Identity - what is a brand identity, what is it used for, and what is in it?

• Logo ( how to create a logo that translates well throughout various platforms, what format it should be in, where your logo will be placed, where it needs to be,

• Fonts ( what fonts are suitable & what they communicate)

This event will be facilitated by Karishma Kusurkar.

Bio from Karishma Kusurkar

"I'm a multidisciplinary designer based in Belfast who works within the spheres of design, facilitation and podcasts. I'm a collaborator and co-founder on projects including the Small Town Big Dreams podcast and Belfast Design Week.

Some of my recent work has included the Pop-Up Design Museum at Belfast Design Week 2020, an augmented photography project called Pause, innovation and design thinking workshops and I am currently co-developing an exciting new project releasing later this year (watch this space!)."

‘DIG DEEP’ is Womenfolk's new free creative enterprise support program that brings women from different backgrounds together in a supportive and nurturing environment over a 9 month period to help them build successful and sustainable creative industry businesses.

The 9-month online program created for young women (18 - 30 years) especially reaching out to recent graduates and young women from NI & BAME backgrounds. This program will help you ‘Dig Deep’, start and grow your own sustainable creative business. It will bring participants together to learn, share skills, knowledge, and experiences in a nurturing and supportive environment.

Taking a holistic view of starting a business, combining self-care and creativity alongside business skills and knowledge. It will be a tailored program to help you grow your creative business to meet your values, goals, and ambitions through a series of online workshops, resources, peer, and one-on-one mentoring. 

This program is about sharing experiences, hearing other people's stories from different backgrounds, and collectively working to help each other to grow and build in a supportive and nurturing environment. This course offers a creative approach to starting a business. Giving participants the practical skills they need, alongside peer inspiration, motivation, support and accountability, one-on-one support, and space and time to focus on your business hopes, dreams, and ambitions. 

The program will consist of online content with weekly videos, worksheets, exercises, and resources alongside industry expert workshops, monthly one-on-one mentoring, and group peer mentoring sessions.

Topics covered will include:

• Business planning - values, vision, aims & objectives

• Finance planning & management

• Branding

• Social Media

• Setting up a website

• Sales

• Confidence

• Failure

• Self Care

• Habits

• Work-life balance

• Imposters syndrome

Why take part?

This project will provide much-needed support and structure at a time of huge economic and social uncertainty. It will give you practical business skills and knowledge and the confidence and resilience to help you make your dreams of running a creative business a reality. It will give you the opportunity to meet people from different communities, build your network, and make new connections to help you build a sustainable future.  

We have experienced and been involved in the creative enterprise sector in Northern Ireland for over 10 years and can see there is a need for a more holistic approach to entrepreneurship. We believe there is a need for support that helps women build businesses that fit with their values and the realities of their lives and responsibilities.

We also believe there is a need to challenge the traditional view of what a successful business and business owner looks like and the narrative that to be successful in business you need to grow your business at all costs and constantly be hustling and working long hours.

Most of all we believe there is a need for support that helps creative entrepreneurs manage their mental health, avoid burnout and become resilient and able to cope long-term with the stresses and challenges of running their own business.

We will provide all project participants with:

• A welcoming space and a supportive environment

• A nurturing and inspiring community

• Weekly digital resources and exercises - including articles, opportunities, templates and toolkits, as well as physical worksheets for relevant weeks

• Bespoke designed self-care and business journals to mark your business journey 

Project activity:

• Weekly video tutorials - on a mix of business, self-care and creativity topics, designed to support creative entrepreneurs on their start-up business journey

• Weekly online resources - a weekly compilation of useful resources to align with the theme of the weekly video tutorials

• Weekly exercises - weekly exercises designed to encourage engagement, learning, accountability and business growth

• 9 longer online industry expert skill workshops industry expert workshops on relevant topics to improve the skills, knowledge, and success of all program participants 

• Monthly one-on-one sessions with the program manager for bespoke, tailored support to help participants and to measure progress and impact of the program on participants and any additional support required

• Monthly peer-mentoring sessions that bring together the group physically or online to share their progress, goals, and intentions and to brainstorm challenges or problems, as well as build networks and learn from other participants 

• Access to program Facebook and Whatsapp group - for sharing ideas, problems, opportunities, and building relationships and community

We are looking for determined women that want to succeed. You must be willing to commit to completing all aspects of the program, be happy to engage with other program participants, treat all other program participants with respect and empathy, and be happy to become part of the womenfolk community.

Are you ready to take the leap?

Our applications are open now! There are limited spaces available.

This program is kindly supported by Ulster Bank

Currently closed for applications

Join us on Saturday 14th March to celebrate International Women’s Day 2020. We will be hosting our first annual Womenfolk meet up of the year for our community. We are excited for 2020 and have a few things lined up over the year.

Our aim this year is to continue to deepen the connections between women in design. Provide a support system and see and hear more creative journeys. We all find it comforting to hear someones story that we can relate to.

For this event we are creating a theme around ’empowerment’ and asking questions around how we can empower ourselves & others within the community.

We will be joined by guest speakers that are Belfast based women designers. Each will be giving a 5 minute presentation of their journey and seeing how they incorporate the theme ’empowerment’ into their work.

Following a coffee break we will be splitting into different focus groups where we will be answering different questions and getting to know each other more. The aim is that you leave with a new contact and get to know someone else better.

Come and join us and lets celebrate each other!

Date : 14th March

Time: 10:00am – 1:00pm

Location : Blick Shared Studios 46 Hill St, Belfast BT1 2LB

Free

SPEAKERS

1ST SPEAKER - LAUREN TAYLOR

We caught up with our first speaker and asked a few questions abut them so we can get to know who they are and what they do.

Lauren Taylor is an American artist and illustrator living in Northern Ireland. Lauren loves to mix both the whimsical and real in her artwork and uses her travels around Ireland and the world as inspiration. She has worked with many clients on exciting illustration projects including illustrating her first children’s book Tales of Wonder. She and her husband have recently launched a tour company, LTCreative Tours offering tours around Ireland for artists and creatives.

What inspires you?

I’m inspired by people, nature, fashion and travel.

Can you tell us a fun fact about yourself?

I went bungee jumping on my honeymoon.

How do you stay motivated/inspired?

I think it's more important to have discipline to work even when you don't feel motivated or inspired. Like W.B. Yeats said, “do not wait to strike until the iron is hot, but make it hot by striking.” And if that doesn’t work, take a break and go for a walk!

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

Live illustrating guests at an event in NYC in October. It was so intimidating drawing people in 10 minutes while they are standing in front of you, but I really enjoyed it. I loved getting to talk and laugh with each person and they were all blown away with their drawings. The event was a huge success!

What piece of advice would you tell your younger self?

Ask more questions and always follow up!

You can find all of her fab work at :

 Website : Laurentaylorcreates.com

 Instagram : @laurentaylorcreates

Lauren also has co founded LC Creative Tours with her husband, which is a luxury tour catered to artists & creatives wanting to explore Northern Ireland and create beautiful work. They have a few spaces available and the booking closes on Saturday!

For more information & to book your space visit https://www.laurentaylorcreates.com/ltcreative-tours

2ND SPEAKER - FIONA MCDONNEL

We caught up with our second speaker and asked a few questions abut them so we can get to know who they are and what they do.

Fiona McDonnell is a Belfast-based freelance illustrator with a distinct and colourful style of work. Often accompanied by commentary and self-reflection on social issues, music, film, or whatever else she may be interested in at the time. After studying illustration at Norwich University of the Arts Fiona returned to her hometown of Belfast, where alongside her practice she works as agency manager for UsFolk illustration agency

We did a quick fire round of questions to get to know our speakers!

What inspires you?

Seeing what other people are passionate about and how they share this.

How do you stay motivated/inspired?

Trust that if I keep going i'll figure it out eventually. Better to have learned from the process of finishing something, even if I don't necessarily like the outcome, than giving up half way through.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

Becoming agency manager for UsFolk and just being a part of the agency in general.

What piece of advice would you tell your younger self?

Stop over thinking and trust that you're good enough.

You can find their work at :

@fionaamcd
www.fionamcdonnell.co.uk

THIRD SPEAKER - BETH WYLIE

My name is Beth Wylie and I am a jeweller silversmith from Northern Ireland. I create bespoke pieces out of old piece of silver and gold that may be sentimental but are no longer work and rework them into pieces that are wearable and still live to tell the story. My inspiration comes from pattern and repetition.

What inspires you?

I am daily inspired by the small details and patterns that people miss. From pieces of graffiti to crumbling buildings I find myself asking questions about how they got their and the process behind them.

Another inspiration of mind is typography and illustration. Ever since I was young the first thing I had in my hand was a pencil and a notebook to doodle in and to this day that hasn't changed!

How do you stay motivated/inspired?

This is certainly one of the things I find most difficult.

Motivating myself to design can be a struggle at times and I usually turn to reading about how things are created and produced as well as looking at artists who inspire me. Other times I just need to get in front of my bench and start making and experimenting and then from that something begins.

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

To date I am most proud of how I have progressed as an artist and developed a brand that I am more than proud of. What I love to see is how people react when they receive a piece specifically for them and designed to their personality.

What piece of advice would you tell your younger self?

My advice would be get as much information and knowledge out of your tutors and your peers as possible because experimentation and this time to develop will never come again. You are in a prime time to just be creative, learn and develop.

You can find their work at :

@bethwyliejewellery

www.bethwyliejewellery.com

WOMENFOLK JUNIOR.SENIOR.

For this year’s Belfast Design Week we are hosting a very special Junior.Senior. breakfast event featuring some of the Mentors and Mentees from our mentoring program that has been running over the last 6 months. We will hear about their journeys over the past 6 months in their businesses and as part of the mentoring program. There will also be the opportunity for coffee, cake and connecting with other like minded women designers the perfect way to start your Friday

In association with shesaid – a female led design and branding studio in the heart of Belfast.

Date: Friday 8th November

Time: 8.00 - 9.30am

Venue: Belfast Design Week Hub, Butchers Building

MENTOR : LISA SMYTH

Lisa Smyth is a creative design consultant and business owner with a 1st class honours degree and almost 20 years of professional experience in the field of graphic design and branding design. Lisa previously worked for large design and advertising agencies in Northern Ireland, Scotland and London. 

Previous to shesaid Lisa Smyth has been a sole trader at mrssmyth.co.uk for the past ten years. Lisa works with business and organisations who like to build a relationship with a dedicated designer to turn their business goals into reality. Mrs Smyth’s aim is to assist the growth and success of a clients business through great design.

Lisa has been providing design and branding services to a diverse range of clients across the Voluntary and Private Sector. Lisa has collaborated with other design agencies working on branding projects for Channel 4 and Discovery Channel. 

In 2017 Lisa was part of the core design team in the redesign of the new polymer Ulster Bank notes. Working for service design agency Nile (Edinburgh) and branding agency O Street, Lisa worked as part of the design team in accumulating insight and developing networks of Northern Ireland expertise. Lisa was also integral to the creative direction through the concept phase. Lisa delivered conference pitches to the Royal Bank of Scotland representing the ‘voice of Northern Ireland’.

http://www.shesaid.design/

MENTEE : LAURA CRAIG

Laura Craig is a freelance graphic designer, living and working in Belfast. She combines her love of design, music and activism through bold imagery and typography and as a multidisciplinary designer she has worked on a diverse range of projects including editorial design, print and branding.

https://lauracraigdesign.myportfolio.com/projects

MENTOR : GEMMA O’NEILL

Gemma is an author/illustrator from the Causeway Coast. She graduated from Falmouth University in 2011 with a BA (Hons) Degree in Illustration and her first authored and illustrated picture book deal after visiting the Bologna Children's Book Fair during her final year of study.

Her books have been published globally and have been nominated for awards such as the prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal. Nature, history, travel and exploration have always influenced Gemma's work. Her need to explore has since led to her establishing her own print range alongside working in children's publishing. She works from Blick Studios and is part of the studio team too, taking photographs in the Cathedral Quarter, Belfast.

https://www.gemmaoneill.co.uk/

MENTEE : KATHRYN MCGRANE

Kathryn is an  illustrator currently based in Northern Ireland.She uses digital and traditional media to create work based on her interests in  documentaries, folklore and nature .

Womenfolk, Creating A Space & Blick Shared Studios have teamed up to create a unique interactive event with a panel of female design entrepreneurs based in Belfast talking about their experiences as a female entrepreneur , the journey in the design industry and how they have crafted their business up until this point.

We will also ask them to give us their thoughts on the design industry in Belfast, the future of Belfast as a design city and how we can encourage and inspire more women in Belfast to take on design leadership roles and/or start their own design businesses.

The phrase ‘The Time is Now’ came from noticing a change within Belfast within the creative scene. We love that there is a rush of women in design that are inspired to pursue their creative dreams. ‘The Time is Now’ is turning into a platform where we gather together to encourage men and women to challenge themselves, be vulnerable in a space by sharing experiences within their industries and give an insight into the beginning & middle stages of their career.

There will be a panel of four female designers from different design disciplines and backgrounds discussing their perspective of achieving success within the design industries. We will be asking the panellists to share their story of how they built their businesses and what the realities they have faced in the midst of creating an entrepreneurial lifestyle.

We are wanting to discuss and encourage women to take up space within their industries and to showcase the realities of what it is actually like, versus the social media representation. We will be covering themes of :

• Perfectionism

• Going for your dreams and the realities of creating

• Patience and knowing that it takes time to build

• Surrounding yourself with the right people

• How to build a better and more supportive creative community within Belfast

We are excited for the growth of The Time is Now project, and are constantly working to share stories of people from all creative walks of life.  We hope that you can join us and be part of creating an experience to connect with people.

SPEAKER 1 - EMMA JACKSON FROM HUNTER PAPER CO

Hunter Paper Co. is a stationery brand based in Belfast. Combining playful modern design and illustration with the beautiful tactility of traditional letterpress printing designer and printer Emma Johnston produces a range of greetings cards and stationery in-house.

Hunter Paper Co started just a few years ago in 2014. Fresh out of uni, Emma’s side project quickly grew to stock shops around the UK, Europe and America, including Selfridges and Oliver Bonas and in 2017 was awarded a Paper Award for Engaging Print at Top Drawer London.

https://www.hunterpaperco.com/about

SPEAKER 2 : ROISIN MCCANN FROM MARSHALL MCCANN ARCHTIECTS

With a recent win of ‘House of the Year IE’ and her brother and business partners house being awarded ‘Energy Efficient House of the Year UK’, Marshall McCann Architects are a young practice with big ideas.

“As a new practice, one of our core aims is to focus on the person; designing your dream home often is a one-time only experience; it is a new adventure. I inspire clients to dream big; aspire for greatness; give them more than they thought possible; making the process enjoyable and engaging.

We want to ‘get into your head’, so that we have an idea of your likes & dislikes. We mould your house around your lives; focussing on your passions, and intertwining them with your building. We take you on a journey; walking you through the design; pointing out the important views or features meaningful for you: creating your vision and designing a better future together”.

https://www.mmccarchitects.com/

SPEAKER 3 : DONNA COLLINS FROM DOT PROJECTS

“Dot Projects is a creative Interior Design and Architecture Practice. I’m a sole practitioner and so really I named the business Dot Projects because my work is a collection of the Projects that I do.

I like the idea of working collaboratively with other creatives and wanted the name to be inclusive of any type of creative endeavour, whether that be an architectural design, an interiors project, a collection of photos, a drawing, painting, an article I write for the paper – or anything else that may come along and that I’d like to be involved in.

Naturally as I’m starting out in business my work is almost entirely small scale domestic architecture projects and commercial interior design, as that is where qualifications and professional design experience lie.”

https://www.dot-projects.co.uk/

SPEAKER 4 : REBEKAH JOHANSON FROM LINES & CURRENT

Born out of a love for clean lines with a boho twist, I'm Rebekah, designer and creative voice behind the online Accessory brand Lines & Current. I set up our business 5 years ago with my husband. The designs emerged as an expression of my inner craving for a more minimalist approach to the clutter of life, especially as a mum of two, and now three. The theme of my designs continue to dance between two poles where I find myself constantly. Clean lines and unpredictable flow, the dainty and the robust; the minimal and the earthy; the stillness and the wilds.

https://linesandcurrent.com/

Kindly supported by Jameson Whiskey with a free Jameson with ginger and lime for all guests on arrival

About Jameson: In 1780, John Jameson established a way of making Irish whiskey that Jameson have been proudly sticking to ever since. Jameson have distilled over 200 years of courage, craft and a collective appreciation for taste, to create a signature smoothness. At Jameson, we are proud to run a single distillery, which means we have full control over the production process, from grain to glass. Triple distilled, remarkably smooth, and unmistakably Jameson. Jameson, Ginger Ale and Lime is a simple whiskey drink, it’s a thirst quencher that couldn’t be easier to make. Whether it’s a party drink or a post-work drink, we have got you covered!

Shouting out to all women! Women Who Code and Womenfolk are throwing open the Vault doors for an evening of community gathering, career insights and story telling (and so much more!), and we want you to be there. Join us as we bring together software engineers, designers and fine artists to talk about journeys from conception to execution, the continuously male dominated world of work, and celebrate women who are pushing the boundaries of change and making a difference in their industry! 

# S P E A K E R 1 #

Aislinn is an engineer at heart, after 15+ years she's still as passionate about her role in the software industry as she was on day one. Aislinn has led scaled technical teams to deliver software solving real world problems for citizens today. Her current role involves both leadership of continuous improvement for technologists and supporting the Digital Services delivery teams in achieving success. Aislinn is also a keen advocate of the NI IT community and contributes to various events including curating the Engineering stream for Belfast's biggest IT conference; BelTech.

Random fact: Aislinn’s first real job was working in a greasy spoon, fuelling Belfast bus drivers with sausage butties! Don't miss out, grab your ticket now!

# S P E A K E R 2 #

I’m Kezie Todd, but you can call me Kez. I’m an all-round geek who went from a self-taught designer to studying interaction design full time. Education in six different countries helps me bring a new perspective to any project and motivates me to design to delight the globe. You can find me UXing things on placement at Puppet when I’m not dying on the five-a-side pitch or as @sayskez around the web. Random Fact: I never studied art or design before university, instead little me was too busy preserving bugs in the freezer and dreaming of becoming an entomologist.

# S P E A K E R 3 #

Claire is a frontend developer with a passion for accessibility, currently working for Bazaarvoice Belfast. She is an avid speaker at conferences & meetups, and organises local events and groups such as Women Techmakers Belfast, Women in Tech Lean In Belfast, Global Game Jam and BelfastJS."
Her favourite hobby/thing to relax is painting my nails and doing nail art.

# S P E A K E R 4 #

I am currently doing MFA Fine Art at Ulster University and working as an artist/curator
within Vault Artist Studios. My art practice involves creating installation using video,
sculpture and audio, as well as performance art. I am particularly interested in creating
art through the use of technology and computer coding.
Random Fact
I have made a mental note of who to ditch during the Apocalypse (however, please don't
publish this on a public platform, as some of them are family members)😉

# S P E A K E R 5 #

Hi, I'm Carrie and I'm a Cloud Engineer at Deloitte. My career path has been a curvy one through 3 countries and several industries. I'm a former Chemistry graduate and scientist in nuclear safety engineering. About 6 years ago, I moved home to NI and did quite a few roles in lots of different areas of STEM education. I joined the 4IRC programme at Catalyst in 2016 and I met a lot of brilliant people in the Belfast tech ecosystem. Last September I got a place at the Deloitte Cloud Academy and now I'm working in cloud architecture and platforms. It has been the learning journey of a lifetime! To keep the balance, I do yoga, meditation, singing, dancing and energy healing therapies. The lightbulb moment at start of my quest to tech was Design Thinking. Collaborative, creative and communicative problem solving. It's been a game changer for me.

# S P E A K E R 5 #

For International Women’s Day 2019 we will be hosting a meet up to launch our new online publication promoting women in design (kindly funded by Belfast City Council) and our new mentoring program. We will also be hearing from Hannah Sharp on her new project Make Your Mark a book dedicated to talking about the design industry from a female designers perspective.

This will be the third in our series of breakfast events where a senior designer shares the story of their career path to success. Complimented by a young emerging designer starting out in the professional world, telling their story so far and the challenges they face.

Junior.Senior aims to open the floor (and the doors) to the world of Junior.Senior. female designers in Northern Ireland. Create collaborations and help champion young emerging designers.

One event a month on a Monday morning between now and Belfast Design Week!

August Senior Speaker: Marie-therese McCann

Marie-therese is UX Lead in Fathom, a human experience agency based in Belfast. She has worked on major projects north and south of the Island of Ireland's capitals. She leads her multi-disciplinary team across user experience and service design projects which span sectors such as Banking, Healthcare, Start-ups and the Public Sector. Building a healthy design culture for her team which helps foster creativity for her clients, is a key motivator for Marie-therese.

Her interests span topics across usability, human pyschology & inclusive design, ethical tech and diversity while constantly self educating to keep up with the pace of change in a world were the lines continue to blur between the physical, digital, and biological spheres.

August Junior Speaker: Sophia Bradley

Sophia Bradley is a UX designer at Fathom, having joined the agency in early 2017 to focus on user-centred design. Since graduating from DJCAD University of Dundee in 2016, Sophia has developed her passion for understanding human behaviours and their interactions with the digital world. Alongside this she is a strong advocate for accessibility in design.

Sponsored by Cubist Coffee

Junior.Senior. July – the second in our series of breakfast events where a senior designer shares the story of their career path to success. Complimented by a young emerging designer starting out in the professional world, telling their story so far and the challenges they face.

Junior.Senior aims to open the floor (and the doors) to the world of Junior.Senior. female designers in Northern Ireland. Create collaborations and help champion young emerging designers.

One event a month on a Monday morning between now and Belfast Design Week

This months Junior speaker – Kim Hetherington founder of Little Designs: 

Kim Hetherington is founder of Little Designs, she started her digital doodles in 2017 and has been creating cute things ever since.

Our Senior speakers this month are design duo Lisa Smyth and Christine McKee from shesaid a new design and branding studio in the heart of Belfast: 

Lisa Smyth is a creative design consultant and business owner with a 1st class honours degree and almost 20 years of professional experience in the field of graphic design and branding design. Lisa previously worked for large design and advertising agencies in Northern Ireland, Scotland and London. 
Previous to shesaid Lisa Smyth has been a sole trader at mrssmyth.co.ukfor the past ten years. Lisa works with business and organisations who like to build a relationship with a dedicated designer to turn their business goals into reality. Mrs Smyth’s aim is to assist the growth and success of a clients business through great design.

Lisa has been providing design and branding services to a diverse range of clients across the Voluntary and Private Sector. Lisa has collaborated with other design agencies working on branding projects for Channel 4 and Discovery Channel. 
In 2017 Lisa was part of the core design team in the redesign of the new polymer Ulster Bank notes. Working for service design agency Nile (Edinburgh) and branding agency O Street, Lisa worked as part of the design team in accumulating insight and developing networks of Northern Ireland expertise. Lisa was also integral to the creative direction through the concept phase. Lisa delivered conference pitches to the Royal Bank of Scotland representing the ‘voice of Northern Ireland’.

Christine McKee has over 15 years professional experience having worked in some of the top design agencies in Belfast, such as AV Browne, Slater Design, McCadden Design, Tandem Design and formerly Whitenoise. Her expertise spans from creating corporate identities for small and large businesses, to print, exhibition design and retail.

Christine has worked with companies such as the Open House Festival, Newcastle Evolution Festival, Lloyds TSB Foundation for Northern Ireland, Belfast City Council and a wide range of smaller businesses. She has recently won an account for Ormeau Credit Union. The new brand identity reflects how community finance is seen in nature, just as bees work together as a cooperative for the mutual benefit of the hive. Strategic design lead thinking has brought the concept to life through their visual language and customer perception.

In association with shesaid – a female led design and branding studio in the heart of Belfast.

www.shesaid.design

Get your tickets here!

Introducing Junior.Senior. – A series of breakfast events where a senior designer shares the story of their career path to success. Complimented by a young emerging designer starting out in the professional world, telling their story so far and the challenges they face.

Let’s open the floor (and the doors) to the world of Junior.Senior. female designers in Northern Ireland. Create collaborations and help champion young emerging designers.

Kick starting Monday mornings between now and Belfast Design Week

In association with shesaid – a female led design and branding studio in the heart of Belfast.

Speaker Number One – Aisling Rusk: 

Aisling Rusk is the founder of Studio idir, a small, design-led architecture practice that flourishes in the in-between. Aisling is interested in the impact that the built environment can have on the negotiation of difference within societies that are in or moving out of conflict.  She is also interested in liminality, or practices of locating in-between, particularly in divided and contested contexts where divisive binaries are rife.

Speaker Number Two - Gemma O'Neill:

Gemma O’Neill is an illustrator/author from the Causeway Coast, now based outside Belfast. When she graduated from Falmouth University in 2011 she already had her first authored and illustrated picture book deal which has been published globally and received many award nominations. Although originally specialising in children's book illustration, she now also enjoys factual and adult illustration, creating greetings cards, prints and original artwork. Her Causeway Coast roots are of huge inspiration in terms of mark making, colour and the natural theme within her work.

www.shesaid.design

Get your tickets here!

There has long been a disparity between the number of men and women involved in Design and Entrepreneurship.

The Time is Now is an Interactive panel discussion which will discuss how we can encourage and support young female design entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland.

We have four wonderful speakers including Karishma Kusurkar and Aileen McEwen who will be joining us for this event that is part of Creativity Month 2018

Speaker Number One

Karishma Kusurkar is a designer-entrepreneur focused on inventing new products with her brand Karishma's World.  As co-founder of Belfast Design Week & The Design Salon, Karishma is passionate about raising the profile of Belfast as a design destination.  She is an avid collector of postcards and a huge fan of podcasts.

Visit Website

Speaker Number Two

Aileen McEwen is a painter and is also pursuing a career in collections management in the museums and heritage sector. Her paintings explore ideas of illusion, desire and memory and are full of the historic spaces she works in.

Visit Website

Speaker Number Three

Karen Miano is the Co Founder of DIAxDEM.
“I Remember distinctly when I started out in the creative industry, specifically in music management, being told that my place within the industry would eventually sit and fit into being a facilitator. Now I have no problem with that, but the issue is that men tend to dictate women's narratives within the creative community and we get lobbed into being the facilitators 7 times out of 10. I think all that is changing. Women are much more receptive to relatability and art (in whatever form that may be) is a huge way of connecting and bringing us together to share stories and ask questions. I hope to work on connecting the two roles of Facilitator & Creator, and to inspire young people of colour to feel empowered to follow their creative spirits!"

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Speaker Number Four

Geri Doherty is a TV/Film industry professional wth extensive experience as a costumier / stylist. Is a founding member and producer of Melt Fashion Collective, advocating for NI underground creative talent with the aim of nurturing expression of self, fashion as an art form and grounding a DIY/inclusive ethos. She loves all things spirtual and is obsessed with perfume.

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