Love of art and fabrics inspires new business

I’m an artist, I design and make handmade original pictures using my love of mixed materials including fabrics and my handmade felts.

With my art being 100 per-cent hand crafted, each piece is one of a kind.

Tell us a little about yourself and how you ended up doing what you are doing now?

I am a married, stay at home mother to our two beautiful daughters, ages seven and three.

I worked in retail /optometry until we had our second daughter, which is when I decided to stay at home to raise our family.

This gave me more time to indulge in working with my love of art and fabrics.

Did you always want to run your own enterprise?

I’ve always loved art and the idea of people hanging my art work in their homes.

So when the opportunity arose that I had the time to focus on it I jumped right in.

The idea of being my own boss has always been appealing.

What skills/qualifications do you require for the role?

I don’t feel that it’s necessarily qualifications that are required, however imagination and artistic flair are definitely mandatory skills.

Has your business been affected by the current recession?

As a relatively new business I can’t say that I have been affected by the recession.

What were the biggest challenges you faced when setting up and what support did you get?

At the beginning my biggest challenge was having the confidence to show my work.

With the encouragement from family and friends I took the first step and showed a piece of my work to Sinead in The Bank House, Whitehead and Alison in Javart, Carrickfergus and with their help and encouragement I showed my first pieces to the public.

What three tips could you offer those considering starting their own business?

Have the confidence to take that first step.

Believe in yourself.

Never give up.

What are your plans for the next 12 months?

Within the next 12 months I plan to have a website designed and running. Also, more outlets for my work.

What do you get up to in your free time?

With having a young family and working in any free time it leaves very little time for hobbies, although I do love to relax with a good book.

If you could swap places with anyone who would it be and why?

I admire and love Terry Bradley’s work, another local artist.

I aspire to be as successful and my work to be as recognisable one day.

The Go Your Own Way series is run in association with Carrickfergus Enterprise which aims to create employment and prosperity for the local community.

Based at Meadowbank Road, the agency offers a comprehensive range of initiatives designed to assist those who want to start or grow their business. It also holds an annual Celebration of Enterprise (networking event) at which new enterprises are showcased.

Carrickfergus Enterprise can be contacted by telephoning 028 93 369528.