Aoife Mullane from Bray is killing it right now. Nominated for lots of awards including the Image Interiors & Living Design Awards, her designs are really, really  beautiful.

We asked the NCAD graduate about making her passion her job.

Hi Aoife, you are a very talented young designer. Were you always artistic?

I have always enjoyed being creative; it seems to be embedded in. My mind never stops! I studied printed textile design in NCAD and graduated with a collection of textiles that I was very proud of.  I applied for a couple of design jobs in Dublin but in my heart, I knew I just wanted to be working on my own designs.

Was your talent encouraged in school? Could our schools do more?

I always chose art as one of my modules to study – I found it a real break from the other ‘book heavy’ subjects such as maths and geography. I really enjoyed art in school but often found it a little regimental – it was all very much based on drawing skills. Art and creativity means much more than this to me, its about the freedom to create and shouldn’t be judged on how similar you can get a vase to look through the medium of drawing.

It seems that to make it in any forum, you have to promote yourself. How comfortable are you with this?

In this day and age, you can often be scared people will judge you for seeming like you are promoting yourself too much. I think to be honest if you want to be successful you just have to get over this. I think the more you get your name know the more people really start to believe in your work and ideas.

Do you have a business brain or is it something you’re working on?

I grew up working in a family-owned business – a boutique; this definitely helped me learn a lot of skills even down to pricing. My Dad is definitely my savior however when it comes to any questions I have regarding the business end. I think it’s so important to have a business side as well as a creative side though – one can’t work without the other.

What advice would you give a young girl who is passionate about art and doesn’t know how to pursue it as a career?

Work really really hard, and be passionate about your work. If you’re not passionate you won’t put in the hours that are required. I try to remain excited by my work – constantly thinking up new ideas and designs. I think as long as you are inspired, good work will come.

We wish Aoife all the best for the awards and can’t wait to see what she does next.