January didn’t just bring us snow but the ‘Creativity Boot Camp’ workshop as part of the ‘Student Entrepreneurship Series’. The Belfast campus’ creative students lived up to their name with a series of interactive seminars and workshops led by some of Northern Ireland’s most innovative senior lecturers and businessmen. That combined with a free hot breakfast was definitely the best way to kick-start a freezing Friday morning!
The aim of the workshop was to understand and develop ideas and was opened by the very exuberant and energetic Allister Fee, Professor of Innovation. Right from the beginning of the morning students were engaged in the lecturers’ passion and thirst for knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurship of creativity. It was such a positive reinforcement that so many shared the same views and potential as each student in their own discipline. His views on tactile and exploratory creativity showed that it would allow our minds to fully interact in the execution and marketing of creativity, ‘that we need to pause. Touch. Engage,’ with the Zeitgeist and consumers. Students felt that the seminars offered a wide variety of advice, development and also the encouragement of confidence which is of such importance for entrepreneurial creative. Drawing the students in with his enthusiasm he spurred us all on by reminding us all that people who break the rules, discover! What better advice to encourage students to peruse their ambitions, explore and create.
Next up was Paul Clarke, a senior lecturer in Architecture but more importantly a big child at heart who encouraged us all to think the same! ‘Don’t trap yourself, design and create like a child.’ Through his seminar a strong focus stayed on the power of sketchbooks and communication of ideas through telling stories. Such an emphasis was put on the journey of the design process and showed such a passion for the two simplest materials any creative will ever need, a pencil and paper.
‘Walk the walk!’ Super, encouraging advice from Christopher Murphy, senior lecturer of Interactive Design. Don’t just talk but learn, do and be curious! With such a fetish for design gadgets and design communication he stressed the importance of maintaining connections and feeding the brain with knowledge. He spoke so passionately to stop procrastination, look for problems and be curious about everything!
As students it was of such value to see the work and development of Stephen McGilloway, Managing Director of ‘BigSmall’. From his experience from clients and growth throughout the creative sector he shared what he had learnt about prototyping and creative exercising but also how above all else the business comes first and the designer/creative comes second.
Once everybody was re-fuelled with another cup of coffee, the innovative ideas and creative solutions came bursting out during the workshop. Both students and lectureres found it a fantastic experience to come together and with great enthusiasm from Allister Fee were creating new, entrepreneurial and daring fearless ideas for Belfast’s future generations. Students especially loved the opportunity have the time to remember to differentiate, explore and set yourself out but to breathe creativity! As the afternoon came to an end students expressed their enjoyment, personal reflection and hope for further workshops in the future with Professor Allister Fee closing by encouraging students to, ‘Create, talk talk talk, be human and communicate, be crazy, cry, laugh, talk and draw.’
Look out for the review and much more in February's Issue of 'Visual Belfast'.
Alexandrina
