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Projects

My Block

My Block celebrates and showcases independent businesses and culture and is supported by Innovate UK.

Dig Deep

Dig Deep was a creative enterprise support program that brought young women (18 – 30) from different backgrounds NI & BAME together in a supportive and nurturing environment over a 9 month period to help them build successful and sustainable creative industry businesses.

Rewriting The Narrative

We’re excited to announce that we are creating a special 4-part audio documentary series exploring the experiences and personal stories of creatives during the Covid-19 crisis.  We’ll be looking at how the last few months have impacted on the work, communities, networks and health of entrepreneurs, freelancers and workers within the creative industry sector in Northern Ireland. We want you – the listeners – to get involved too and we’ll be sharing some call-outs so you can add your voice and tell us your stories!

This project is funded by Future Screens NI and NI Screen as part of their ‘Rewriting the Narrative’ project and co-produced by Blick Shared Studios with Small Town Big Dreams.

The Time is Now

The Time is Now is a collaborative project with Creating a Space focusing on honest and meaningful conversation style events for early stage creative entrepreneurs still on their creative journey.

Flock NI

Flock NI is the new trading arm of Blick. Flock is a company that delivers multidisciplinary creative projects.

Flock brings together the creative talent involved with Blick to work on creative industry projects managed by the team behind Blick Shared Studios.

The Design Salon

A design collective for people in the design industry in Northern Ireland, to discuss projects and plans that are contemporary, cutting-edge and promote design locally and internationally.

Late Night Design

A chance to see behind the scenes of some of Belfast’s most creative design studios and meet and connect with other design industry professionals

Womenfolk

Womenfolk is a project celebrating female design entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland. The project aims to encourage more women to start up their own design businesses through showcasing the profiles of Northern Irish designers, guest blogs, talks, workshops and meet ups.

Blick Academy

Blick Academy is an ongoing series of events and workshops for creative industry start-ups, freelancers and small businesses all about sharing skills and knowledge within the creative community to help people start and grow their creative industry business. Previous workshop topics have included Crowdfunding, Pricing Your Work, Selling Online and Setting up a Website.

Share 6

At Share 6, 6 creative speakers share their stories over 60 minutes on a theme with an audience Q&A at the end.  Previous topics have included “Fashioning the future,” “Made in Northern Ireland” and “Going against the grain.”

NEST Creative Incubation Programme

The NEST program was a bespoke business support program we developed and managed for Eighty81 Creative Workspace in Derry-Londonderry for creative and digital start-ups. The program included affordable workspace, industry mentoring, business planning support and advice and business growth workshops over a 15 month period.

The Burning Question

The Burning Question is a panel discussion with design industry leaders. This interactive event seeks to find out the human element behind businesses through the sharing of stories as well as advice and tips for creative entrepreneurs.

Eighty81 Club for Creative Startups

Eighty81 Club for Creative Startups is a community for startups, entrepreneurs and small businesses in Derry-Londonderry.  It is a series of events including workshops, clinics and case studies with industry professionals sharing their skills and knowledge to help support creative and digital industry startups.

Graduate Entrepreneurs in Residence

The  Graduate Entrepreneurs in Residence programme in Belfast and Derry-Londonderry is designed to support newly graduated designers to develop their business ideas with the help of free studio space and mentorship from an industry expert.

25 Pop Up

25 is a design-led pop up showcasing and retailing independent design brands with products all priced at £25 or under, making it affordable for everyone.  25 Pop Up has been in Blick Shared Studios, Eighty81 Creative Workspace, Indigo Coffee & Gelato and Victoria Square.

Exhibitions at Blick

Exhibitions at Blick include “The Art of the Comic” and “Failures” and aim to support creativity through showcasing local talent and highlighting important areas within creativity and entrepreneurship.

The Faculty

The Faculty is a collaborative project with Seedhead arts offering courses and workshops designed to teach you a new creative skill – be it photography, film-making, street art, flower arranging, stand-up comedy or creative writing.

 

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Our Time is Now Interview Insight: Tony McGaharan on taking risks to build confidence.

In this clip, Tony shares a beautiful story ...

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Mar 28

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Our Time is Now Interview Insight: Tony McGaharan on taking risks to build confidence. In this clip, Tony shares a beautiful story illustrating how he built his confidence in his early 20’s. Tony moved to Sweden when he was 21/22 to take an Erasmus year and ended up staying for a full year acting as a coach for a female basketball team. He shares a moment when he was doubting himself and didn’t feel like he was qualified, but overcame that doubt by believing he could learn what he needed to. He really believed that he could do it and anything that he lacked in skills or experience, he could make up for by his passion to learn. This is a great story about putting yourself out there and taking the risks you need to move forward towards the dreams that you have. Stay tuned for the full release this Friday! #confidence #businessjourney #coaching #Belfast #smallbusiness #Belfastcity

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We are so excited to share with you our last interview of this podcast series. Over the last 5 weeks, you have heard from such a range and diverse ...

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Mar 27

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We are so excited to share with you our last interview of this podcast series. Over the last 5 weeks, you have heard from such a range and diverse group of people who live and thrive in Belfast. This week we are excited to share Tony’s story. Tony McGaharan is a learning design and founder of People Playbook @peopleplaybook a global learning and development consultancy that crafts and facilitates learning experiences which are fresh, engaging and interactive. Tony is our 5th and final interviewee for this series of ‘Our Time is Now’ and we are delighted to be sharing his interview with you this week. In this clip to start the week, Tony dives into how he struggled with confidence as a kid, but developed his confidence through living in a different country when he was young. He shares how, by living in America, it inspired him to think about his life differently. Tony talks about how he always knew he wanted to work with young people, so he started coaching basketball at a young age. This was the building blocks of his life, and the lessons he learnt during that period run through his entire life until now. Stay tuned for the full release this Friday! #creativejourney #learningdesign #entrepreneur #entrepreneurship #learninganddevelopment

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Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a fashion content creator and influencer?

What an incredible week it has been to hear Tanice ...

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Mar 24

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Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a fashion content creator and influencer? What an incredible week it has been to hear Tanice Samuel's @taniceelizabeth story! We are delighted to be able to share the full episode today. Tanice is a content creator and influencer and the 4th creative we have interviewed for 'Our Time is Now' video podcast series which focuses on telling the stories of creatives from Belfast. In her interview we hear about Tanice's creative journey from getting pregnant at 18, through studying and working in Law for 10 years and how through using Instagram to express her creativity through fashion and makeup and her style overtime she was approached by brands and became a professional content creator and influencer. Tanice dives into what being a content creator is like, how she navigates her job and gives us a peek into the fashion world. Tanice’s story is a story of determination and resilience. She talks about how important it is to be yourself if you want people to connect with you online. We hope you enjoy this conversation and are inspired to create your creative dreams. You can find Tanice's online on YouTube and Spotify links below and in our profile. You can watch the episode on Youtube: https://lnkd.in/eQTiEXh4 Or listen to it on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eF8jCShk You can also find all the episodes and video clips on our website: https://lnkd.in/egjz4aEa This project is in collaboration with Creating A Space @creatingaspace who directed & produced this series. This project is supported by Belfast City Council #contentcreation #creativewomen #creatives #creativeentrepreneurs #creativeentrepreneur #creativejourney #creativewoman

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Having the courage to leave a stable job and steady income to become a self-employed creative with @taniceelizabeth

In this clip, Tanice ...

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Mar 23

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Having the courage to leave a stable job and steady income to become a self-employed creative with @taniceelizabeth In this clip, Tanice shares how she turned a hobby into a business and became a professional content creator. She shares how she always remained true to herself, her values, and only working with brands that she aligned with.There is such a thrill when you pursue your creative path full time. The road is scary because you don’t have a consistent income. However, you can push yourself to go get your dream & make it a reality. What an incredible story so far, and we hope you’ve taken a lot of inspiration from Tanice! Stay tuned for the full release tomorrow! #self-employment #creative #contentcreator #contentcreation #selfemployed #creativebusinessowner #creativeentrepeneur #creativejourney

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What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever been through?

It’s so incredible to have heard so many stories of resilience within this project ...

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Mar 22

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What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever been through? It’s so incredible to have heard so many stories of resilience within this project so far. How people have lost their loved ones and overcome grief, which lead them to really expressing themselves creatively In this clip, Tanice shares how she lost her dad a few years ago and how that impacted her mentally and physically She shares how she felt so lost and didn’t know what to do with herself. When she took some extended time off from work, she started documenting her life, sharing the things that she loved. Form there, her husband said that she should post the photographs she was taking on Instagram and that became the start of her creating her brand. Creativity was the thing that got her through the hardest time in her life. How incredible. Stay tuned for the full release this Friday #contentcreation #creative #creativeentrepreneurship #creativeentrepreneur

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Have you ever struggled with being your full self?

In this clip, Tanice shares her journey of working as a lawyer for 10 years before ...

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Mar 21

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Have you ever struggled with being your full self? In this clip, Tanice shares her journey of working as a lawyer for 10 years before embarking on her creative career and gives us an insight into what the corporate world can be like. She shares that in the corporate world, it’s very focused on climbing the career ladder and how many men would rise through the ranks. She shares that it wasn't a place for her to express her full self and that she wasn’t able to express her creativity. Stay tuned for the full release this Friday!

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Have you ever had people not believe in you?

Welcome back to another week of wonderful stories! We are so excited to kick off this week with ...

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Mar 20

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Have you ever had people not believe in you? Welcome back to another week of wonderful stories! We are so excited to kick off this week with the incredible Tanice Samuels @taniceelizabeth who is a content creator based in Belfast. This week, we dive into her story of how she got pregnant at 18 and was determined to finish school and go to university to study law. She shares that she pushed herself because she wanted to create an amazing life for her and her son. What an inspiring story hopefully it will give you the motivation needed for this wonderful Monday evening! Stay tuned for the full episode release this Friday! #ourtimeisnow #contentcreator #creativejourney #businessjourney #inspiration

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Don’t forget you can listen to the full hour long interview with Mel Carroll illustrator, designer and the founder and director of Usfolk ...

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Mar 18

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Don’t forget you can listen to the full hour long interview with Mel Carroll illustrator, designer and the founder and director of Usfolk Illustration agency now on Spotify and Youtube (links in profile). We also wrote a short blog on some of the key things we learnt from Mel’s interview.  1. Art and Creativity can be a useful outlet and a tool for self-expression and personal development “I used art as escapism. It allowed me to disappear into my own world.” “Instead of being the queer kid I was the kid who was really good at drawing.” “My creativity came from my queerness.” 2. The journey to success as a creative isn’t always linear or easy “My whole university history is pretty messy. I had a mental breakdown. I lost my mum when I was a late teenager doing my A-levels. I don't think I properly dealt with it.” 3. Sometimes, the toughest experiences in life turn out to be the most valuable “In hindsight, it was one of the best things that happened to me. When I was first in university, I didn't really appreciate it. I wasn’t really interested in the learning aspect. It was more about the partying and the fun. When I went back, I felt really lucky to be able to do it. Financially, it wasn’t easy for me. But I really appreciated every minute of it.” 4. You have to be willing to put yourself out there and put in the hard work to build your skills and portfolio “It’s your portfolio that matters.” “When starting out, I didn’t have the skills I needed, but I was pretty sure I was going to learn them. I think you have to put that effort in when you are starting out.” 5. You only live once and should follow your passion “Something that I regret not doing when I was younger was not following my passion for painting.” “Follow your passion for drawing and painting and never stop.” You can read the full blog on our website (link in profile) #ourtimeisnow #illustration #illustrator #creativejourney #artist #Belfastcity #usfolk #usfolkillustrate

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What piece of advice would you give your younger self?

This is a question that we always ask at the end of each interview. It’s always so ...

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Mar 16

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What piece of advice would you give your younger self? This is a question that we always ask at the end of each interview. It’s always so beautiful to acknowledge your journey on how far you've come & what it has taken for you to get to where you are now. In this clip, Mel shares that he wishes that he followed his passion more instead of being so worried about getting an adult job. He shares his passion for fine art painting & to lean more into what brings you joy. It’s been such an amazing week hearing Mel’s journey & we are so excited to share the full release of the episode tomorrow! #creativestartups #creativejourney #followyourdreams #followyourpassion #artist #illustration

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Do you think it’s important to put yourself out there?

In this clip, Mel shares his journey of how he got his first job creating logos. He ...

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Mar 15

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Do you think it’s important to put yourself out there? In this clip, Mel shares his journey of how he got his first job creating logos. He shares that he didn't have the skillset or didn't feel like he was qualified for the job, but pushed himself to get better at his craft. This then led to him building an amazing skill set within branding. He shares that it’s important for creatives to put themselves out & build their portfolios to get the type of work they want! Stay tuned for the full release this Friday!

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Have you ever struggled with your mental health?

In this clip, Mel shares with us his journey with grief, his mental health & how his ...

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Mar 14

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Have you ever struggled with your mental health? In this clip, Mel shares with us his journey with grief, his mental health & how his mother passed away when he was a teenager. He shared that he had to be taken out of university after having a mental break down & then came back a year later, only to find himself more in love with what he was doing. It’s so refreshing to hear these types of stories because we can always assume that everyone’s journey in linear & straight forward. It’s beautiful to hear the rawness & openness on how Mel navigated all of this at such a young age. Stay tuned for the full release this Friday! #creativeentrepeneur #illustrator #artist #creativejourney #mental health #creativity #creativebusinessowner #creativeentrepreneurship #business #businessjourney #businessstory

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Have you ever used your art and creativity as an escape?

Happy Monday, everyone! We are so excited to start a new week with a new story! ...

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Mar 13

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Have you ever used your art and creativity as an escape? Happy Monday, everyone! We are so excited to start a new week with a new story! We are delighted this week to interview Mel Carroll @melcarroll_usfolk who is a designer, illustrator and the founder of UsFolk illustration agency @usfolkillustrate In this clip, we get to hear how Mel had a huge passion for art and design from very early in his life. He tells us that he knew he was gay from a very young age and used art as a means to escape as well as to develop skills that gave him confidence and validation. Being good at drawing meant he wasn't seen or didn't feel like just that 'queer kid'. He beautifully shares that his “creativity came from his queerness” Stay tuned for the full release on Friday!

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Don't miss the full hour long interview we did with Linzi Rooney as part of our new video podcast series 'Our Time is Now'

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Mar 12

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Don't miss the full hour long interview we did with Linzi Rooney as part of our new video podcast series 'Our Time is Now' Linzi shares her story and creative journey from graduating from art college and working in journalism and photography to founder and owner of @wearebornandbred_ a Belfast City Centre store and e-commerce brand specialising in Belfast and Irish themed gifts Link to watch or listen in our profile #creativewisdom #creativejourney #creativeentrepreneurship #creativeentrepreneur #businessjourney #Belfast #belfastcity #creative #businessadvice #creativeinspiration

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We are delighted that our 2nd full hour long 'Our Time is Now' interview with inspirational Belfast creatives is now live. This episode is ...

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Mar 10

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We are delighted that our 2nd full hour long 'Our Time is Now' interview with inspirational Belfast creatives is now live. This episode is with Linzi Rooney founder of Born & Bred a Belfast City Centre store and e-commerce site specialising in Belfast and Irish themed gifts and homeware. Linzi gives a fantastic interview all about building a successful business and living life on your own terms. There is so much good stuff and wisdom and inspiration to be found in Linzi's story You can find Linzi's interview online (links below and in our profile) : On our website: https://www.blickstudios.org/our-time-is-now/ On Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/blick-shared-studio/episodes/Building-a-successful-business--living-life-on-your-own-terms-with-Linzi-Rooney-e203mcp/a-a9f8p4i On Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArVaxJe69cA #business #inspiration #interview #commerce #belfast #creativeentrepreneur #businessadvice #businessstory #born&bred #blickstudios #ourtimeisnow

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Our Time is Now Interview Insight - Linzi Rooney founder of Born & Bred sharing her experience with the pressure of social media

Have ...

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Mar 9

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Our Time is Now Interview Insight - Linzi Rooney founder of Born & Bred sharing her experience with the pressure of social media Have you ever felt under pressure when it comes to social media for your business? Maybe you feel overwhelmed or not knowing what platform to be on as a business? Or maybe you feel stuck in knowing what content to be creating & post? In this clip, Linzi talks about the pressure that she felt on social media last year & how it really impacted her. You are constantly questioning yourself on what's the right thing to do & how to grow your brand. Linzi shares that you just have to stick to your values & not chase wanting high engagement. Create good content, showcase your product & be consistent with posting. Do you struggle with social media? Let us know in the comments below! Stay tuned for the full episode release this Friday!

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Do women in business struggle with confidence?

Happy International Women’s Day!

We are excited to share this next clip where Linzi...

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Mar 8

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Do women in business struggle with confidence? Happy International Women’s Day! We are excited to share this next clip where Linzi talks about how she is passionate about growing the female industry & nurturing female talent. Linzi touches on how women may not have the confidence in what they can achieve & maybe feel like they have to be more in the home rather than taking the plunge to follow their dreams. When it comes to building a business & also creating a family, a lot of pressure is put on the woman to balance everything. Lizni talks about how it’s a sensitive topic at the minute & it’s very difficult to say the “right thing”. What are your thoughts about this? Let us know in the comments below! #happyinternationalwomensday #womeninbusiness #womenentrepreneurs #creativestartups #creativewomen #confidence #business

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Our Time is Now Interview Insight Linzi Rooney: Jack of all trades, master of none.

In this clip, Linzi talks about her experience of going ...

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Mar 7

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Our Time is Now Interview Insight Linzi Rooney: Jack of all trades, master of none. In this clip, Linzi talks about her experience of going to university & being told that in order to be successful, you need to specialise in one thing. Linzi shares the importance of having a diverse range of skills in different areas, especially when it comes to running your own business. Running a business is hard. One positive thing that comes out of it is – you learn how to be an adaptable & resilient person! Let us know your thoughts about this in the comments below. Stay tuned for the full episode this Friday! In the meantime, you can watch our other videos on our website: https://www.blickstudios.org/our-time-is-now/ #creativeentrepreneur #creativebusinessowner #Belfast #belfastbusiness #creativeentrepreneurship #ourtimeisnow

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We are so excited to introduce our next creative guest for Our Time is Now - Linzi Rooney who is the founder of Born & Bred @wearebornandbred_...

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Mar 6

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We are so excited to introduce our next creative guest for Our Time is Now - Linzi Rooney who is the founder of Born & Bred @wearebornandbred_ a Belfast City Centre store and e-commerce site specialising in Belfast and Irish themed gifts and homeware. Born & Bred exists to help artists thrive. Founded in 2014 by Linzi, Born & Bred sells beautiful, locally-made gifts in their shop. Born & Bred has impacted over 300 local makers and provides a space (both online and offline) where artists can come together to learn, share and sell. Born & Bred has received an array of accolades including Top place to shop for art by Lonely Planet, Top 10 places to shop in Belfast by the The New York Times and Top 50 independent shops in the UK by The Guardian. We had the pleasure of hearing Linzi’s story on how she first started out on her creative journey by being a freelance photographer. Through different jobs, she realised very early on that she wanted to work for herself & build something of her own. You guys are in for a treat with this story! Stay tuned for the full episode release this Friday! #creative #creativeentrepreneur #creativeentrepreneurship #creativejourney #womenbusinessowners #womeninbusiness #womenentrepreneurs

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Looking for some Sunday inspiration? You can now watch or listen to @macystewartstudio's full hour long interview on her creative journey from ...

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Mar 5

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Looking for some Sunday inspiration? You can now watch or listen to @macystewartstudio's full hour long interview on her creative journey from starting out to becoming an established full-time photographer. Links in profile and below Website: https://www.blickstudios.org/our-time-is-now/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5CJV0iN7ifwFU9QjiG1qc2 Youtube: https://youtu.be/aegnaiG8M3k 📸 by @creatingaspace Graphics by @mehimandherdesign #photographer #photography #creativebusiness #creativebusinessowner #creativefreelancer #womaninbusiness #womanbusinessowner #creativejourney

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Some inspirational weekend listening!

Macy Stewart's Our Time is Now full hour long interview is now available to watch or listen to ...

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Mar 3

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Some inspirational weekend listening! Macy Stewart's Our Time is Now full hour long interview is now available to watch or listen to online links below and in our profile. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5CJV0iN7ifwFU9QjiG1qc2 Youtube: https://youtu.be/aegnaiG8M3k Website: https://www.blickstudios.org/our-time-is-now/

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Have you ever been burnt out?

What an incredible week it has been hearing about Macy’s journey of starting out as a photographer.

...

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Mar 2

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Have you ever been burnt out? What an incredible week it has been hearing about Macy’s journey of starting out as a photographer. Over the last few days we have heard how she got started, the lessons of being a creator & how she balances being a woman in a male dominated industry. In this clip, Macy shares that 5 years later she was finally getting the work that she dreamed of, getting to a place of being established only to constantly find herself feeling burnt out. When you are building a creative brand, it’s very easy to fall into feeling like you’re constantly behind & the workload can feel endless. What’s beautiful to hear is that Macy pushed through that phase & now is a place of finding that work life balance that we all hope to have! Stay tuned for the full release tomorrow!

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Not feeling respected as a woman

In this clip Macy shares how the film & photography industry is very male dominated & how she has ...

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Mar 1

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Not feeling respected as a woman In this clip Macy shares how the film & photography industry is very male dominated & how she has experienced a lot of disrespect on sets. She shares the challenges she has faced, the confidence she is building & how hard it can be to thrive in a male dominated space. It’s a really interesting thing to highlight because women do have to work twice as hard & can’t afford to have a “bad day” or an ego. There is a lot of unspoken pressure & it’s great to hear Macy speak out about it. Stay tuned for the full release of the episode this Friday!

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Do you struggle knowing your worth?

This is an important thing to work on when you are building a creative business. So often we can find ...

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Feb 28

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Do you struggle knowing your worth? This is an important thing to work on when you are building a creative business. So often we can find ourselves seeking validation from others, or simply placing our self worth in others hands. In this clip, Macy talks about the early stages of her career & how she had to learn to believe in herself and find herself worthy. Stay tuned for the full release of the episode on Friday! https://www.blickstudios.org/our-time-is-now/

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Have you ever struggled to find your passion?

We are so excited to kick off our new video podcast series ‘Our Time is Now’ in ...

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Feb 27

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Have you ever struggled to find your passion? We are so excited to kick off our new video podcast series ‘Our Time is Now’ in collaboration with @creatingaspace with support from @belfastcitycouncil Over the coming weeks, you will hear different stories about creative businesses, the creative journey & how people overcome adversity. In this clip, @macystewartstudio shares with us how she dropped out of school at 17 because her father passed away. She shares how she was dealing with her grief & how photography was a positive a way for her to process what she was going through. She shares how she was just following her passion for photography but never thought it would turn into a career! Macy has such a powerful story of resilience, inspiration & being a strong person! Stay tuned for the full release of this episode on Friday #creativestartup #creativebusinessowners #creativefreelancer #creatives #Belfast #resiliance #photography #photographer

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Not long now until we share the full Our Time is Now interviews, but in the meantime here is a taster of what to expect. Amazing insights and honest ...

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Feb 24

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Not long now until we share the full Our Time is Now interviews, but in the meantime here is a taster of what to expect. Amazing insights and honest stories from some really inspirational local creatives doing things differently and making their mark on the world.