Feeling Stronger Than Ever

Nothing in my life – apart from knowing and loving The Girl – has been as positively transformational as undertaking a PhD. I’ve come to enjoy the hardest moments the most, because I almost always come out the other side feeling stronger than ever. Inching ever closer…

“Pain Is Temporary – PhD Is Forever”

I’ve been thinking fondly of my time in Brisbane last July. In between: lots and lots of writing up findings. Almost there.

The new slogan of our cohort is “pain is temporary – PhD is forever.” 😏

Total Clarity

Yesterday I finished the hard part of my ‘pre’ data collection (this photo is, in fact, part of that data). For the first time in my PhD candidature, I can see the finish line with total clarity. 30 October, y’all.

An Unusually Long Series Of Small Steps

Doing a PhD seems big when considered in the aggregate, but it’s actually just an unusually long series of small steps. One step at a time tends to get the job done.

Many of those small moments are thresholds, the crossing of which being worth celebrating. Finishing a draft, completing an article. Selfishly: the first time you cite yourself 😂. But there’s rarely time to stop and properly soak it in. The next step is always waiting.

From today, the next three months will be the busiest such period of my life. Along the way there will (hopefully) be much to celebrate, but I’ll have to contain my excitement.

For now.

A City That Isn’t Sydney

I’m in Brisbane this week – part mini writer’s retreat, part HDR conference, part holiday. Hoping to finish up a personal essay I’ve been mulling over for about a year now, but I’m also enjoying the opportunity to mill about in a city that isn’t Sydney (and take the new a7ii for a few spins).