As the world was turned upside down and everyone was told to stay at home, the creative students of Queen’s and Ulster University began to turn their passions into commissions.

As March 2020 saw the beginning of hospitality closures and the collapse of retailers, students were faced with the uncertainty of the furlough scheme and the horror of being made redundant.

With many students left without a reliable income, Bethany Lockhart, a final year diagnostic radiography student and owner of bethxlockhART remarked that the “little bit of extra money has been particularly nice” after she was furloughed in her part-time job.

First year Politics and Criminology student and owner of artbynieshakelly, Niesha Kelly, also expressed her appreciation for the financial benefits that owning a small business has provided her with. “I was unemployed for a while, so it was a good way of earning money which eventually allowed me to move out.”

Niesha’s art incorporates a lot of history pieces

Bethany’s business, handmaking accessories and jewellery, has not only provided her with financial benefits in this harrowing time but according to her, is “a nice distraction whenever I’ve needed a break from online university”. Niesha added, that as an artist, it has helped her take a break from university while also learning at the same time, her art primarily focusing on history.

During these unprecedented times we have relied on technology. Although social media is a useful tool to promote a business, it has been very difficult for these businesses to share their work with a different customer demographic. Niesha said she “had mural plans with an organisation in Cork and also in Belfast which can’t go forward due to the pandemic” while Bethany related that her business has a “very specific age demographic” that she hoped to expand through craft fairs. Unfortunately, these were closed due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Following the UK‘s departure from the EU, businesses across the nation have been faced with the challenges that new legislations brings, but there is a constant battle for survival for small businesses. As Niesha stated, larger businesses “are viewed as a more legitimate businesses.”

However, as the public adapt to buying online, business owners like Bethany feel small businesses are a lot more likely to receive grief over shipping delays for which she personally takes the blame.

Bethany added that she does not think people understand the difference between the processes big companies have in place compared to student business owners, like herself “who make and pack up all their own orders between lectures.” Niesha also mentioned the difficulty of ordering supplies when there is limited stock.

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on student livelihoods has caused surplus financial concerns. Thankfully, platforms such as Etsy and Instagram encourage the public to support local businesses. For Bethany, it makes her day that someone “likes her art enough to spend money on it.”

Niesha summed up the importance of supporting small businesses, “you are supporting their dream, and local communities thrive in their chosen profession.”

As we progress into 2021, buying from student-owned businesses will not only support them financially but will help them achieve their dreams and bring light to these tenebrous times.

You can support both Bethany and Niesha by following them on Instagram at bl_ckhart and artbynieshakelly.

Holly Fleck is a second-year Journalism student at Ulster University.

FEATURE - The Students Who Are Turning Their Passions Into Commissions