We are so lucky to know so many cool people and this week we caught up with one such person. Roisin Lafferty is inspiring, motivational and an overall super cool lady. She is the founder and creative director of Kingston Lafferty Design and we are so proud to have her on board as a Mentor. Read on to hear more. 

Why do you think creative skills are important at second level?

I think creative skills are important at every level and I think unfortunately creativity isn’t always encouraged as children go through school, especially secondary school. I think creative thinking and creativity is fundamental to life in general and in every single person so it’s imperative to instil it early.

What is Mentoring?

Mentoring to me, I’ve had incredible Mentors, both formally and informally along my road, Louise Phelan, Patrick Lafferty, Bernie Cullinan to name a few, my Mum, Becky. For me, Mentoring is just someone that you can bounce things off, it doesn’t have to be this big thing, it’s asking silly questions and having someone not laugh at you back and it’s someone being able to give you honest feedback. You may not necessarily want to hear it but it’s good feedback.

What has been the most important aspect of Mentoring for you?

For me, being asked to Mentor was a real privilege. It gave me the opportunity to talk to the students in a way from lessons that I have learnt in the industry so trying to ask questions more so and maybe trying to get them to think just to develop their thoughts a little bit further.

Would you have benefitted from The B!G Idea in school?

When I was back in school creativity was formally thought of; it wasn’t overly encouraged. To have something like The B!G Idea would have opened my eyes sooner to the possibilities.

What was your biggest take away from Mentoring?

The biggest take away for me is that I just was astounded by the eloquence, the thought, the intelligence, the passion, the creativity and innovation and quite simply I said I’d hire quite a lot of them as graduates.

Did you enjoy the Mentoring process and did you feel supported through it?

I thoroughly enjoyed the Mentoring process. It was actually such a rare treat to get to bounce ideas and thoughts with other creatives that aren’t necessarily in my discipline. I’d absolutely do it again. I felt incredibly supported throughout the journey of The B!G Idea.