Weeknote 2025/06

Rejection v Not Getting Picked

I received the email from the Royal Academy informing me that after careful consideration, The Path, my submission to this year’s Summer Exhibition, has not been selected for the next stage. This is with regret…apparently. Does that last bit make me sound grumpy? I’m not - and aside from a fleeting tinge of disappointment, I move on.

I used to see these things as rejections - and when I did, they weighed much heavier. I know it’s only words, but framing something like this as ‘not getting picked’, helps lighten it, for me at least. Although unchosen, the book I submitted remains a fine piece of work, one of my best so far, I think. Conceived, designed, and constructed over several weeks it tells a story of the walk to work, both pictorially and topographically. I love it and the news from the RA frees me up to show this work at a couple of other exhibitions soon. Not getting picked has left me feeling flying high, and as one door closes…

New Beginnings

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about interviews, and so it has come to pass that I’ve started working with Sutton African Caribbean Cultural Organisation (SACCO). It’s no secret that my work has becoming increasingly community focused in recent years and I’m please to be able ot use my skills to work with interesting people doing interesting things in my neighbourhood. What is SACCO all about? SACCO aims to help people of African and Caribbean heritage of all ages to participate more fully in the local community, through a range of enrichment activities, delivered from an African and Caribbean perspective. SACCO aspires to build bridges across the culturally diverse communities in Sutton and the surrounding areas, by organising events and activities where people from all backgrounds and races can come together to celebrate, share and learn about each other in mutual respect.

I think this work will complement my programme management role at Arts Network Sutton nicely, and I’m curious to see how one influences the other.

For Better or Verse (Ouch!)

I’m continuing to lean into narrative and verse - you may have seen one or two pieces emerge on here recently. I love how when you focus on something - it often starts showing itself more often, and as I’ve continued to write, both about work and nature, I’ve been seeing and hearing a lot more of this interesting character.

Green Woodpecker

The green woodpecker is a stunning, often nervous bird. Of late I’m often hearing its laughing call and spotting it rooting around for its main diet of ants. I took this photo - it pushed my old tired camera to the limit but soon I will have a new piece of kit with which I hope to supplement my field recordings to a better standard. Watch this space.

I’m also making some slow progress on my fledgling book idea - combining writing, photography, and hand printed work. A halfway house between a fully handmade book and a machine made one. I’ve chatted with a local printer, and now I need to assemble a mock up which I plan to start work on in the next couple of weeks.