you know what isn’t acknowledged amongst the people on salaries scoping the opportunities? It’s the reality for artists of working freelance – with no regular money coming in – plus the sheer time we need just to make the work.

This extract is from my qualitative, longitudinal study of the lives of 14 visual artists from three English regions. Drawn and anonymised from interviews, each artist's life is represented by a written profile, these forming the body of the report. Ask me if you'd like a pre-publication copy!

Stinson Carter: threads.com/@stinsoncarter Today I'd like to give a shout out to everyone who has been at this same level of alarm about Trump for the past ten years, but has had to endure being told you were too political or too emotional or too alarmist for reality. This, and what comes next, is what we have seen coming all along.

One year in of Trump’s second term and it already feels like a decade.

I don’t feel we talk about this enough, but the amount of PTSD we’re all experiencing as a result of Donald Trump is off the charts.

Basically we’ve been living in trauma since 2016. Let that sink in - a decade of chaos. 😕

I think part of the reason everyone is so blown away by this Carney speech is it's so long since we heard an actual grown-up articulate serious thoughts about the world. Empty vessels have been making a lot of noise

#visualartists are encouraged to be visible: proactive when sifting all opps on offer. But as screen grabs from Arts Council England's job site and @Jobs.ac show, there's *nothing* advertised.....So who in 'creative industries' is making a song and dance about this to Government and policymakers?

It was an honour to be invited by MIAAW Owen Kelly and Sophie Hope to talk about my longitudinal, qualitiative study *Artists' lives: Ecologies for resilience*.

This 1-hour podcast 'Position, influence and income' covers the study's findings and other outcomes.

www.miaaw.net/season/2026

Time years back when we had to tell a community artist they couldn’t carry their axe into the exhibition preview….

Today’s hospital waiting room/corridor vista - captions anyone?

New term of the day “high windshit parts of the UK.” @theguardian.com weather story typo seems appropriate…

It’s really fun to be a historian. We are fun at parties. We will absolutely not ruin your traditions by explaining the history of them.

At last! An independent longitudinal qualitative study getting to heart of why artists do what they do and how, identifying barriers & brakes & how ACE’s institutions favouring policies >2010 impacted + conditions for artists’ emotional, environmental & economic resilience. DM for pre pub copy.😊

UK asylum seekers to be banned from taking taxis to medical appointments Move, which is part of crackdown on costs, comes after it emerged Home Office spends £15.8m a year on service

@guardian this story headline is plain wrong www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
The impression is of asylum seekers ordering taxis on whim & fancy & bamboozling taxpayers when the excessive use of taxis arises from poor systems in agencies administering asylum
programmes. Apology due!

On 3 Nov @starandshadow.bsky.social I'm contributing insight from my independent longitudinal, qualitative study of artists' lives to Artists' Graft. Other speakers are Kat Bevan, Theresa Easton, Dr Ewan McKenzie and Dr Tom Hopkin. Part of ESRC's Festival of Social Science 'Our working lives'.

I was honoured to have Owen Kelly's consideration of my research 'Artists' lives: ecologies for resilience' as a MIAAW podcast. He describes the research's value as 'a detailed analysis of the lives #artists lead when #culture is seen as an industry".

Listen at podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/m...

Microsoft 365 charges for AI: Here’s how to opt out for Microsoft 365 Classic Learn how to avoid the extra charges from Microsoft 365's Copilot feature and switch to Microsoft 365 Classic. Save money with this easy guide to opt-out of Copilot and continue with a traditional Mic...

Heads up for #Word365 users working independently! Here's how to avoid Word365 Microsoft increased subs for (the pretty irritating and largely unnecessary I've found) #Copilot #AI tool, follow instructions in this link to revert to cheaper Classic version.

www.itregulators.com/blog/microso...

Starmer has always been better in opposition than when leading. Now that it *feels* like he’s opposition again maybe that’s the trick to keep him saying the right thing?

A graphic showing a 20-euro banknote with the design area pixelated. Above the note, bold text reads: “What will the future euro look like?” A curved arrow points to the blurred area. Below the banknote, the message says: “Submit your design.” The European Union flag appears in the bottom right corner. The image is shown in a design software interface.

💶 Shape the future look of the euro!

The European Central Bank has launched a design contest for new euro banknotes with two themes:

🖼️ European Culture
🐦 R️ivers & Birds

Open to designers across the EU, submit your ideas by 18 August 12:00 CET

→ europa.eu/!cWfmdT

I’ll send batches off over the next week. BTW age verification process is straightforward and no data from it stored. I was impressed with it when I did it yesterday

Artists' lives: ecologies for resilience 2025 is now completed.

33,440 words
84pp
14 #artists' stories

If #artistslivelihoods is a research topic close to your own heart I'd be delighted to send you a personal copy. Just send me a DM.

Very essential reading.

Trump’s birthright citizenship order struck down again in new legal challenge

Trump’s birthright citizenship order struck down again in new legal challenge

Has anyone senior in Labour considered telling people Reform is wrong? And why they are wrong. And what a threat they are to the NHS, to national security? That Farage seeks divide us, *he* is the threat to our institutions? Anyone? Anyone got *any confidence* in who they are at all? It's pathetic

A surreal, black ink line drawing with strong political satire. In the centre, a large roasting spit is set over a fire pit made of round stones. On the spit, a pig-like body with the human head of UK Labour leader Keir Starmer is being roasted. His expression is blank, and a long skewer pierces through his mouth, exiting the back of his head. In the foreground to the right, another caricatured of Nigel Farage — appears in close-up, laughing maniacally with an exaggerated, open-mouthed grin. A massive mushroom cloud and thick plumes of smoke rise from an explosion, dominating the sky and landscape in the background. The atmosphere is apocalyptic and chaotic, with scribbled lines suggesting destruction and disorder. The entire scene merges grotesque humour with political commentary, evoking themes of collapse, complicity, and mockery in British politics.

Todays doodle is a bit dark, stop chasing reform & back to pledges!!

The lowest turnout of voters 30% reform 777 out of 18,645 2nd lowest of any party.

The reason they won anything is apathy for the current parties

opencouncildata.co.uk

#art #oc #traditionalart #sketch #reform #politics #starmer

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far too early up here for the home grown - the seeds only just coming through - so it's from the supermarket or organic farm for me for now

This was stunningly worrying to hear - as was the real possibility of losing democracy in the US. The consequences are unimaginable

Arts and Culture for a just & flourishing Earth – Big Give Culture has the power to reach hearts, change minds and drive action. Culture Declares Emergency (CDE UK) - hosted by The Movements Trust - supports the cultural sector in inspiring and mobilising co...

I was one of the first founders of the Culture Declares Emergency, which over 6 years has grown to c.2000 organisations & individuals committed to addressing the Earth Crisis through Culture. In that time, we've never asked individuals to donate. Until now! donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...

Please sign this.

This Is What a Digital Coup Looks Like | Carole Cadwalladr | TED YouTube video by TED

A must-watch from the great @carolecadwalla.bsky.social

— the Trump-broligarchy are staging a global coup, and they have more information on more of us than the Stasi ever did.

But we can fight back. We must.

youtu.be/TZOoT8AbkNE

This ‘working day’ thing - part of the gap between those who’re creative for whom weekends = time for practice and those who just manage stuff.