When did you set up your business and why?

I have been practising my art for years, but always needed another job for financial support.

When I had my children, I wanted to stay at home and be there for them, as my mother was for her four children.

Now that they are of school-going age, I have the time and energy to push my practice forward.

I am hoping that my art and wall hangings will be able to sustain a manner of living to provide for my family, as I absolutely need to create every day - it’s my medicine for the soul and a dream come true.

Can you explain your process?

I work with many mediums, but textile art always brings me the most joy.

I love the tactility of the fibres and the story that each stitch can portray. It’s like painting with thread and gifts me with a daily meditative practice.

The overall sensory aspect of my textiles is very important to me.

Wall hangings provide for visual excitement, textural stimulation, tactility and even a calmness/quietness by absorbing sound in otherwise echoey or noisy spaces. They provide comfort and warmth.

Trish Middleton loves the freedom of working as an artist.

I take my inspiration from the Irish landscape and her ancestral history woven into the fabric of this rich land.

I manipulate the landscape and colours to provide a feast for the eyes in a contemporary Ireland and our future generations.

I try to use as many ethically sourced products as possible by acquiring yarn ends from factories, wool from local farmers and reusing fibres from second-hand clothing.

What is your best seller?

It’s hard to pinpoint this, as my hand embroideries and oil pastels have a different audience and customer base. Both have been very successful.

My upcoming solo exhibition on 13 April in Gorey Library will showcase my new wall hangings and furnishings for the first time in a public space, so it is exciting and scary to see how they will be received.

I am going to display all my work, which is a huge undertaking for me, so I hope that the experience will be positive.

What is it about your business that brings you joy?

The freedom. The freedom to create what I want. The freedom to be present for my family. The freedom to choose my own hours!

Don’t get me wrong, the hours are long and random when working from home and a mother, but it’s a labour of love and I wouldn’t do it otherwise.

What are your hopes for 2023?

I would like to expand my visibility online and garner more customers.

I am 47 now and have never given up on my dream, so maybe this year will be my breakthrough!

This year so far, through hard work and dedication, I have built my own website at www.trishmiddletonart.com, organised and curated my own solo exhibition and created many works for display, along with everyday family living.

I’ve swallowed my pride and asked for help and support. People are very willing to help when they genuinely see your ambition and positive energy.

What advice do you have for another start-up business?

Do what you love, work hard, ask for help, truly believe that you are as worthy as any other person and, lastly, enjoy any success big or small today, for tomorrow is promised to no one.