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!

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

Stephen Bush@stephenkb.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Mark Carney's speech really is terrific: full text is here and very much worth your time.

#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

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.😊

@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!

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

theguardian.com

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...

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...

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...

itregulators.com

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?

Jessica Elgot@jessicaelgot.bsky.social · 11mo ago

NEW - A punchy Keir Starmer at cabinet condemns the violence at Saturday's march "led by a convicted criminal" saying they had "sent a chill through the spines of people around the country, and particularly many ethnic minority Britons."

💶 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

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.

Hetan Shah@hetanshah.bsky.social · last yr.

'Too often, government is looking for one answer to a problem that it can scale; the perfect pilot that can make a difference everywhere. It still sees change as an industrial process.' Electric blog from Vidhya Alakeson, Deputy Chief of Staff to the PM www.powertochange.org.uk/evidence-and...

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

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

independent.co.uk

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

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

Dear YouTube, 🗣️ Share, comment, and let us know: How do we protect cultural work in a system that can’t always recognise its value? Also, feel free to tag @youtube ✍️ See more information here: buff.ly/rlSpiS7, or read the open letter here: buff.ly/dSVlpb0

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

Channel 4 News@channel4news.bsky.social · last yr.

US historian Stephen Hahn tells Matt Frei that Donald Trump is "hoping to have a real confrontation which might allow him to declare a national emergency and then rule truly as an autocrat." Read and watch:

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...

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...

donate.biggive.org

Please sign this.

Gillian Rodgers@gillianrodgers8.bsky.social · last yr.

act.38degrees.org.uk/act/ban-trum...

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 Is What a Digital Coup Looks Like | Carole Cadwalladr | TED

YouTube video by TED

youtu.be

Arts Council England DYCP access requests open today, can take 5 working days to sign off. But wow look at that Project Grants lead-in time now 😵‍💫 Factor this in if you’re hoping to apply any time soon!

**SIGNED COPIES** of Who Wants Normal? are now available to pre-order online from @fiveleavesbooks.bsky.social as a limited edition. If you’re on a low income or housebound, you’ll also get free postage nationwide. Get yours here: fiveleavesbookshop.co.uk/product/who-...

I just attended a conference in the US. We had one speaker detained and two others turned away at the border.

Chris Ashwood@cashwood.proteaglyco.com · last yr.

There are great conferences and science in the US, but with the way things are right now, it’s too risky to attend.

Could you do with £10k for some humanities or social science research? We’ve opened the call for our small grants. These are assessed using partial randomisation - after applications meet our quality threshold awards are allocated at random, reducing bias www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/ba-l...

British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants

The BA/Leverhulme Small Research Grants are available to support primary research in the humanities and social sciences. These awards, up to £10,000 in value and tenable for up to 24 months, are provi...

thebritishacademy.ac.uk