Poet, artist and designer, Jessica ni Leacai, pulls her inspiration for her creations from her experiences of living all over the world. Now settled in the Village area where the views stimulate ideas for her work, she is putting all her time and effort into designing headpieces and jewellery.
I was born in Cork
I grew up between Cork and Texas
I now live in the Village
I was educated at the Art Institute of Houston, Texas
My earliest memory is acting out Star Wars with my cousins. The two lads were Hans Solo and Luke Skywalker, because his name was Lucas of course and I was Princess Leia
When I was a child I wanted to be a performer
I actually became a financial accounts administrator but ended up working as an artist/designer
Worst job I’ve ever had - there are too many to name
Best job I’ve ever had - working for myself
The bravest thing I've ever done - is recover from a car crash
The stupidest thing I've ever done is try to sit at the bottom of a swimming pool and have a chat.. don't ask.. long story
The biggest thing I've yet to do - see more of the world
The people who inspired me most are my grandmothers, both strong women
The most important thing in the world is belonging
I'm very bad at being serious
I'm very good at not being serious
I'm most proud of my accomplishments and going it on my own for this long
My best friend would say I am a good laugh and a bit mad
I like to relax by reading and listening to music
My favourite quote is “I can resist all things except temptation“ - Oscar Wilde
The last book I read was - am reading The Anti Christ. Ecce Homo, Twilight of the Idols compilation by Frederich Nietzsche
My favourite movie is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The actor that would play me in a movie of my life would be Scarlett Johanson
The song that makes me dance is Dance Yourself Clean by LCD Soundsystem
The song I would have played at my funeral would be May you Never by John Martyn
The best place I've ever been is Mexico, after the Arann Islands of course
The place I have to visit before I die is Galapagos Islands due to my love of Charles Darwin
The last person I talked to on the phone was my mate Liz
The last text message I received was from my mate Dean, what a legend
If I was a politician I would invest more in the people and less in glitzy regalia
If I won the lottery I would buy a house here and in Mexico
If I could describe myself in five words they would be poet, artist, joker, designer, carefree
If I could invite five people (living or dead) to a dinner party they would be Stephen Fry, Richard Dawkins, Seamus Heaney, Rory Gallagher, Gilda Wagner
If I could change one thing about South Belfast it would be the image, people get a bad impression and the place really needs to be cleaned up
My favourite thing about South Belfast is the location and the view in the backdrop
