Field recordings with creative micro-businesses exploring sustainability and regenerative design.
Pocket Notes takes you into the studios, homes and spaces of creative micro-businesses across Northern Ireland.
We explore the specific approaches each business takes to sustainability and regenerative design whilst hearing about their work, lives and projects.
You may hear some traffic, music - and even birds - as we immerse ourselves in the business owners’ workdays. You’ll also hear the “real-ness”, the humour, the challenges and the joy of what it is like to run a creative business.
00. Introduction
Recorded in Hundred Studio on the Ormeau Road, Belfast.
Hundred Studio are an independent creative company creating and curating experiential design for their clients including Sidemen, Exemplar Coffee and the newly opened Charlie’s Pizza-by-the-slice on the Ormeau Road. Craig, Gregg and Kaia’s “open door” studio policy, highly collaborative approach and passion for Belfast’s creative scene is what really gets them going. They’ve also become a B Corp and we delve into the whats, the whys and the how tos for those considering this for their own business. We hope you enjoy our conversation!
Visit hundredstudio.co.uk, follow @hundredstudio_ or sign up for their newsletter!
01. Hundred Studio
Recorded in Boom! Studios in the heart of Bangor.
Boom! Studios’ Co-Founder and Studio Director Marianne has spent the past decade on projects supporting and celebrating Bangor’s creative and cultural scene. Breathing new life into empty and disused spaces whilst supporting local creatives such as Jenni Robinson Art, the Boom Stitchers and the Past The Label sketch comedy group, she has created a close-knit community and recently helped to set up the new initiative Late Night Art Bangor. Marianne is connecting Bangor with the rest of the UK, Ireland and Europe through being a part of the European Creative Hubs Network giving her further insight into creative, financial and environmentally sustainable placemaking.
Visit boomstudios.org.uk, follow @boom.studios or drop in to Boom Studios in Bangor!
02. Boom! Studios
Recorded at the Belfast Bow Co. Studio in Historic Dromore.
Belfast Bow Co. was founded by wife Karen and husband David initially as a “pocket money” company and they have grown it slowly and organically to include customers from all over the world today. They are all about attention to detail - from the Liberty fabrics and linen they use, to using the tiniest scrap fabrics to create new products, to selecting the right people for their team - and if they don’t know how to do something, they are always open to learning. When a customer drops by, the whole team are involved in helping them select their bespoke order and Karen and David plan to expand this offering to a dedicated fitting space echoing all of their favourite places, colours and materials in the future.
Visitbelfastbowcompany.com, shop on Etsy or follow @belfastbowcompany!
03. Belfast Bow Co.
Recorded at the Taylor Yates store on Bushmills village’s Main Street.
Karen, Ellen and now - Tom - are the family business Taylor Yates. They are redefining what it means to be a modern luxury brand through creating thoughtful handbags with a beautiful purpose, as well as expanding to a wider range of lifestyle products.
Taylor Yates has progressed from starting out in The Designerie’s creative shared space to having their own store and they have ambitions to grow their studio and repurpose waste leather through technology. In our conversation, Karen shares the process behind designing and creating their bags and the experiences and inspirations that have shaped how her and Ellen have developed the business.
You’ll hear the buzzy and busy background of an active store, so get ready to step into the world of Taylor Yates!
Visit tayloryates.com or follow them on Instagram at @tayloryates.co and read their upcoming Substack: tayloryates.substack.com
04. Taylor Yates
05. David Keys Sustainable Woodworking
Recorded at David Keys’ woodworking shed in rural Moneymore in Mid-Ulster with a soundtrack of insects and birds!
David’s journey into woodworking started with making a single coaster and soon turned into a regular hobby that helped with his mental well-being. A decade later, the hobby is now a business and David has gone deep into learning everything there is to know about the skills, tools, heritage and techniques that woodworking encompasses.
As well as creating beautiful products from sustainable and reclaimed materials including fallen trees and whiskey barrels, David is passionate about sharing his knowledge with the wider community and what he loves most is seeing the spark of joy in people’s eyes as they make something by hand for the first time or after a long time.
In an age of fast-paced design, “fast-furniture” and fast social media sharing, David’s practice is reminiscent of the traditional artisans and makers that valued slower and more purposeful making and longevity in their products.
Discover David Keys’ work on Facebook or Instagram and find out more about Hares Corner Co-operative.
06. Jenny Eva Design
Recorded in Jenny Eva Design’s home studio in Bangor.
In the Jenny Eva Design Studio in Bangor, creative director and graphic designer Jenny Rusk works remotely with a wide range of companies and has a particular love of projects in the food and environmental spaces.
Jenny is passionate about how designers - particularly small business owners and freelancers like her - can still make a genuine sustainable impact on the world.
Recently celebrating her business’ 5 year anniversary, Jenny has lots of great ideas, advice and guidance for emerging creatives, especially those wanting to make a difference for people and our planet.
From facilitating pre-project conversations with clients to creating nature inspired colour palettes, to making decisions around the materials used for projects and balancing budget and sustainability, this conversation will get you thinking about what your personal path into a sustainable life and business could be.
Visit Jenny’s work on the Jenny Eva Design website, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.