The last couple of days in Belfast

It's interesting to think about what happens over a couple of days in Belfast. Yesterday I was at the launch of the consumer council report on Insurance at Stormont. No surprise here about the fact that NI are paying upteen £ more for every different type of insurance that is possible and the big answer was SHOP around for every different type of insurance there is. Dont just take it as read that your policy that you have been updating is good for another year. Shop around , shop around. When will people in NI realise that they have to take an active part in their existence to get themselves a better deal?

Then today i was at the design conference. Wayne Hemmingway and Sebastian Conran were excellent. I was particularly inspired by Wayne Hemmingway as he used to have a stall in Kensington Market in London off Kensington High street where I used to sell my clothes and jewellery. I asked the question did he have "any advice for the artistic community of Northern Ireland who have international standard talent but because NI has 1.7 million people and a very specific mentality that doesn't appreciate this talent " what should they do and he said that in Stockport where he lives he found that lots of the young people are leaving to go to London because they don't supply the kind of "Arty things that they are looking for to help them stay so got together a creative consultation body of about 300 creative people that are consulted on for all things that are relevant for them "ie 75% of all the council decisions" This has enabled them to make decisions that have helped put things in place that have encouraged people to stay. When I asked the questions there was a big moan in the room- when I spoke of the mentality and he siad " hold on it's very important , if your creative people are not happy to stay here they will leave and you need them around for the next stage of the economic cycle because things are getting tough" So there is a lession in there somewhere lot's of opportunities out there you just have to grab them.

Conran was excellent , what was depressing was the local examples, devised by people who have had to comprimise because of the mentality here. Oh there I go again..................ho hum.

So what about the rest of the week and what about something I taked about a while ago about how people get exhibition opportunities in Northern Ireland. Well let me tell you a story...................................................................................................................the first one I'll tell is of an artist I know who was offered an exhibition when she was just out of college by a very well know gallery in Belfast if she slept with the owner. Now she did'nt do it and left the provience but she has always been aware of the other female artists who have had exhibitions there??? it's all very sad really.............;-( YUK! but more on that another time. I hope those of you that went to gorilla girls took down lots of information....................because you know what it's still needed.