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!

Created by: Karishma Kusurkar

With guests: Craig Norwood and Gregg Reid (Hundred Studio)

Visit ⁠hundredstudio.co.uk⁠, follow @hundredstudio_ or sign up for their ⁠newsletter⁠!

Music by: Bensound

License code: PD5DARAGVFCW0B4C

Artist: : Yunior Arronte

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 micro-business.

Created by: Karishma Kusurkar

Music by: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music

License code: 48QKOXX0UY7GIITI

Artist: : Yunior Arronte

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! 

Created by: Karishma Kusurkar

With guests: Marianne Kennerley (Boom! Studios)

Music by: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music

License code: SGZQEDCUEYHQBNYT

Artist: : Yunior Arronte

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.

Visit belfastbowcompany.com, shop on Etsy or follow @belfastbowcompany!

Created by: Karishma Kusurkar

With guests: Karen and David Weir (Belfast Bow Co.)

Music by: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music

License code: ONUDUKOA9KYAWIXX

Artist: : Yunior Arronte

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.

Created by: Karishma Kusurkar

With guest: Jenny Rusk (Jenny Eva Design)

Royalty Free Music: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music

License code: H8FYFAR5RFUHHSIK

Artist: : Yunior Arronte

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.

Created by: Karishma Kusurkar

With guest: David Keys

Music by Bensound.com/royalty-free-music

License code: 2EZIVPMJ4JO5YPNQ

Artist: : Yunior Arronte

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

Created by: Karishma Kusurkar

With guest: Karen Yates (Taylor Yates)

Music I Use: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music

License code: Q15AD6FX7EGPRIHE

Artist: : Yunior Arronte

Recorded with Kristen Robb Textiles in a church suite at a leisure centre complex in Holywood.

Emerging textile print designer Kristen Robb has just completed a remote Masters in Regenerative Design from University of the Arts London that has led to her looking at the world of design through the lenses of biodiversity, seasonality and her local environment. Setting up her own brand Worthy Earth Apparel, exploring her practice through dye experimentation and leading bespoke workshops are all part of Kristen’s portfolio and like many emerging creatives, she is navigating the balance between working and creating part-time. 

Kristen is like a design “detective” and has discovered a lot of knowledge about plant species through research, apps and reaching out to those in the know. She is keen to explore how using non-native plants could both create gorgeous, colourful dyes and help native plant species to thrive and is creating a field guide to share knowledge of this with others.

Kristen believes that regenerative design should be a vital part of a designer’s repertoire and that it is important to consider both people and the environment when making design decisions. She is also keen to emphasise that we don’t have to make “sustainability” or “regenerative design” boring topics, and is filled with vibrant new ideas on how we can bring people together - learning and playing while doing.

Visit the Worthy Earth Apparel website or Instagram. You can follow Kristen’s work on Instagram and LinkedIn.

Created by: Karishma Kusurkar

With guest: Kristen Robb (Kristen Robb Textiles + Worthy Earth Apparel)

Music I use: https://www.bensound.com

License code: QCXEH1I1UBQVHU5F

Recorded in the OURSELVES studio at home tucked away between the countryside and the sea.

Sarah McCullough recently moved back to Northern Ireland after spending decades in London and now works both solo and with a remote team from her home studio. Through her own consultancy and OURSELVES studio, Sarah has amassed a wealth of experience working with global brands. Her speciality is helping them to craft their messages and engage their audiences in their products as well as to adopt more sustainable and regenerative processes.

Through her work with Selfridges, Sarah has seen firsthand that if a brand as famous, large and structured can implement new sustainable strategies, that there is so much scope for the nimbler creative microbusinesses, startups and emerging businesses to experiment with better processes and ways of working without "breaking the bank."

Sarah believes that we as creatives have the power to incentivize consumers to make shopping sustainable the “easy” or “fun” choice and she shares her thoughts on how “cultural scarcity” could make products more valued.

Sarah is passionate about connecting with the local creative micro-economy here in NI and supporting the brilliant local emerging talent to make connections and bring their ideas to a global audience.

Discover Sarah’s work on Sarah McCullough Studio’s Instagram and LinkedIn and OURSELVES studio’s work on their website and Instagram.

Created by: Karishma Kusurkar

With guest: Sarah McCullough (Sarah McCullough Studio + OURSELVES Studio)

Music by https://www.bensound.com/free-music-for-videos

License code: JZAOH4PFF4GMBQF8

Artist: : Yunior Arronte

A short tour of the Field Day Ireland HQ at the end of a country road beside Monlough.

Recorded at the Field Day Ireland HQ at the end of a country road beside Monlough.

Alix from Field Day Ireland has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. Learning about retail business at a young age in her father’s shoe stores, she embarked on her own business over 20 years ago wanting to evoke the scents and atmosphere of “home.” 

In a converted mushroom warehouse, the business has gone from Alix the solo-preneur to a diversely skilled team working on candlemaking, marketing, packaging and more. Stepping into the Field Day headquarters, you can tell that there is comfort and joy throughout the team, many of whom have been with the company for a long time.

Diving into regular re-branding cycles, learning how to capture scents like “Rain,” “Peat” and “Wander,” creating with purpose and starting meaningful new collaborations with organisations such as Ulster Wildlife, are just part of the story of what keeps Field Day current, vibrant and thriving.

Discover the Field Day Ireland collection on their website, Facebook and Instagram as well as several stockists across Northern Ireland and beyond. Find out more about Ulster Wildlife’s work on their website.

Created by: Karishma Kusurkar

With guest: Alix Mulholland (Field Day Ireland)

Royalty Free Music: https://www.bensound.com

License code: QZJHBLGKQ0DUDFQZ

Artist: : Yunior Arronte

Recorded at Boundary Brewing in Portview Trade Centre, a space which plays host to many Little Fox Events.

Little Fox Events' Caroline Baker is all about curating markets, pop ups and gatherings that champion local, independent businesses. Caroline believes that sustainable and regenerative action could be more widespread if we can use more engaging and positive messaging to get people on board. Recently she has started to look at how she - as an event organiser - can make a difference in terms of environmental impact and how to support traders to adapt their products and packaging accordingly. She is also finding her own path into a sustainable lifestyle that includes quality time and space for both family and business.

Little Fox events include East and North Block Bazaar in Banana Block and McConnell’s Distillery respectively, and the Portview Christmas Market has become a staple of independent Christmas shopping. It is clear to see the public appetite to support local businesses is already there, but Caroline is also passionate about “what's next” as the "market" for markets grows with potential for “fooderies” and “arteries” to revitalise and support local neighbourhoods.

Learn more about Little Fox Events on Facebook or Instagram and keep up to date with their events East Block Bazaar and North Block Bazaar.

Created by: Karishma Kusurkar

With guest: Caroline Baker (Little Fox Events)

Music by: Bensound.com/royalty-free-music

License code: SJMO3OSVAJITQKQ9

Artist: : Yunior Arronte

Recorded in spaces and places on Rathlin Island including a ferry shelter, the Branson Centre and the West Light Seabird Centre.

The episode opens with a reading by children’s book author and illustrator Paddy Donnelly and creator of the book “The Golden Hare.” 

The first conversation features Tom McDonnell, a Rathlin-based wildlife photographer whose passion for capturing photos of creatures great and small has taken him all over the world, from Alaska to Finland and his passion for visiting wild landscapes.

We hear the bustling sound of a workshop in the Branson Centre led by Alison Gault and Anna Duffy on creating small wall hangings made from naturally dyed Rathlin wool and a special guest - Rathlin’s Marianne Green - sharing the story of Rathlin Wool and her collaborative work with Lynn Finnegan. We travel to Rathlin’s West Lighthouse and hear how Johnny Mitchell from Picture Perfect Rathlin manages to highlight the creatures we would normally ignore.

Created by: Karishma Kusurkar

With guests: Paddy Donnelly, Tom McDonnell, Alison Gault, Anna Duffy, Marianne Green and Johnny Mitchell

With special thanks to:

Dr. Pamela Whitaker, MSc Art Psychotherapy Lecturer at Belfast School of Art and Design Fellow, Future Island-Island.

Additional thanks for the retreat goes to:

To Nikki Isles, Tania McFaul and Rauri Morgan of RSPB who were key supporters and organisers of the craft retreat and helped connect us with the podcast guests. They have recently launched the Rathlin 360 website to celebrate the people and businesses of Rathlin.

Katherine McDonald, Director of Craft NI who provided training and mentoring to participants in the craft package.

Dr. Susann Power,  Senior Lecturer in Sustainable Tourism and Hospitality from  the Ulster University Business School.

And finally, for this episode and throughout the Pocket Notes series and Design Fellowship work, a BIG thank you to my Co-Investigator from Future Island-Island, Gillian Colhoun for her brilliant wisdom, guidance, experience and ideas as well as her fantastic way with words.

Music by https://www.bensound.com

License code: J6OHOF6OOLQLWS66

Artist: : Yunior Arronte

Recorded in spaces and places on Rathlin Island including the Manor House Rathlin and the Rathlin Co-operative.

We pop into Rathlin Co-operative, the shop that has everything including a range of creative objects made by Rathlin islanders and friends of the island. Aoife runs the shop and we join her as she works and chats and tells us about life on the island, younger and older creative entrepreneurs and what it's like to run a business on a small island.

We speak with Oscar and his mum, university course director Jessica on what it's like living away from the mainland and working remotely, the joys of play and discoveries on the island and about childhood on Rathlin.

Creatives and craftswomen Donna and Penny have both moved to this island for different reasons, travelling here from the USA and New Zealand. For Donna, she has found deep connection and meaning to the land of her ancestors and the peaceful stillness of Rathlin at night and Penny found a community on the island that looks after each other through the sunshine and the - literal - storms. Donna sews beautiful quilts and soft furnishings with finesse and Penny explores metals, stones and the natural environment to create unique jewellery pieces imbued with meaning.

Created by: Karishma Kusurkar

With guests: Aoife Molloy, Jessica Bates and her son Oscar, Donna and Penny Sewell.

With special thanks to:

Tania McFaul and Rauri Morgan who connected me with all the amazing guests on the Rathlin episodes. They have recently launched the Rathlin 360 website to celebrate the people and businesses of Rathlin.

The Manor House Rathlin, where we had meals, teas and great conversations.

Dr. Pamela Whitaker, MSc Art Psychotherapy Lecturer at Belfast School of Art and Design Fellow, Future Island-Island.

Music I use: Bensound

License code: XGQBNE4RMNGXEODX

Artist: : Yunior Arronte