Freelance Reflections #197

I haven’t updated this in about a month. In terms of poetry, I hosted the Forest Hill Stanza open mic at the end of May, but cancelled today in order to rest as I am recovering from a really nasty mystery rash, which is hopefully finally improving! One of the things I’m wondering is what my body is telling me; slow down, yes, but also perhaps something to do with boundaries.

I’ve been finding value in my day job, but also been struggling without clarity on having a reasonable adjustment to work from home one day a week due to being autistic. We have had some training days, and sometimes that has worked out well as it is delivered online and I’ve been able to work from home at times.

Through work, I met a very like-minded person and had the pleasure of attending a Traitor’s experience that they created and it was so much fun! I volunteered at Download Festival again, and it was everything I could have dreamed of and more, including my first ever crowd-surfing experience to Linkin Park playing ‘In The End’! I have been to so many gigs since then as well: Humbe, Gorillaz, Billy Talent & Alexisonfire, and finishing off with Kneecap. No more gigs now, until July!

I’ve also completed a couple of paintings inspired by exhibitions I’ve been to; namely Whistler’s nocturnes and Hurvin Anderson’s pool images. I’m looking forward to going back to the Tracey Emin exhibition as I only managed to make it through two rooms before, and I have some ideas for what I might make afterwards.

Watching: Younger, Love on the Spectrum, Wuthering Heights

Reading: Magdalene by Marie Howe, Handwriting by Michael Ondaatje, Stung with Love by Sappho, The Museum of Innocence by Orhan Pamuk, and the Expressive Therapies Continuum by Lisa D. Hinz.

Music: The Plot in You, Linkin Park, Doja Cat, Scarlxrd, Cara Delevingne, Olivia Rodrigo, Alexisonfire, Billy Talent, Mouth Culture, Humbe, Kneecap, Gorillaz, The Mary Wallopers, Fat Dog, Madra Salach, Biig Piig, System of a Down

Podcasts: Jillian on Love, What Now? with Trevor Noah

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