So what to say? What a year, year zero! It feels a bit like a leap year, but instead of moving forward, we remain in a purgatory-esque state of struggle, suffering, restriction and repetition with pockets of joy. I think it was around January this year when I finally felt as though I had had enough. I miss seeing my friends and giving them a cuddle. I miss having the opportunity to do something even though I probably won’t leave the house.

Currently surviving the precarious nature of post-doctoral life. I naively thought it would provide more stability than being a freelance creative.

I’ve entered my second year of teaching at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s  Junior Conservatoire which has been a nice challenge. I care deeply about my students’ development and often ponder about the best way to support their growth, how do I encourage them to do better without discouraging them when I highlight areas of development? How do I elicit from them their own ideas to move their pieces in a direction that serves the aims of their musical creations? How do I do this on Zoom? How do I make that connection?

Really excited to be hatching some plans with photographer B+. His work has been part of my life well before we met. He’s a cool cat and very generous. I won’t say too much.

Currently reading up on the notion of black aesthetics… Is it a thing? Is it possible? Is it too reductionist to group black creativity/expression into one mode of philosophical thought when Africa and the African disapora is hugggeeeee? Time to launch into some research and find out, eh. Loving this beautiful book by Paul Taylor, Black is Beautiful: A Philosophy of Black Aesthetics