Taster Session No. 1

The first Taster Session for the "Creativity Thirst" in the Strule Arts Centre was delivered by Genevieve Murphy, from "Genevieve John Designs".

Genevieve started the session by explaining how she and her husband John had moved to Dublin after meeting at Art College in England, where she had studied Theatre Design and John studied Fine Art and Furniture Design. They worked hard to develop their own style, clientele and approach to their business. Initially their main contacts were with architects and people who were involved in creating interesting spaces. They were keen to see if their skills could enhance the constructed areas, by developing themes, creating interest and making interiors more exciting. It was clear that Genevieve and John had invested a lot of work into building these connections which paid off before they decided to move back to the Enniskillen area.

Although Genevieve had grown up in Omagh, they had to "start again" when it come to networking and getting established. This is now their base and their work has developed further since they made this step. She spoke of the need to "wear different hats": the need to be the project initiator, the maker, the business person as well as the constant networker. Mentors have also been significant to Genevieve and she commented on how supportive people like Noelle McAlinden' has been to their business.

Genevieve showed images of her work in schools: where they use creative approaches to teaching tools for maths and science, which allow children to interact as they play and learn. She also showed photos of work which have been produced under their tuition in day-care environments.

We saw images of large three dimensional structures of dragons and animals used in carnivals. She explained the dynamics of their work and how as a husband and wife team, they depend on each other for different tasks.

Their work is beautiful, colourful and fun and it is clear to see the impact in other people's lives because of what they do.

Taster Session No.2

Rachel O'Neill delivered the second session in the Strule, Omagh. She's no stranger to the "Creativity Thirst" programme and because of the love she has for the materials that she uses, her international successes and how her story demonstrates the development of her skills, students always feel enthused and inspired by her story. Her story demonstrates how one thing leads to another and how unpredictable the Creative Industries can be. This presentation was no exception as she explained the need to produce quality products, use strong marketing images and not being scared of risk. These are all messages that the attendees needed to hear as they consider their own businesses ideas.