Slow Burn
A blog by an artist, for artists, and for anyone who believes (or is learning to believe) that meaningful work takes time.
Welcome.
Slow Burn is an evolving, contemplative space for thinking through art, practice, and the kinds of questions that resist quick answers. It began as a place to reflect on my own work, both in the studio and through research, but itās becoming something more: a quiet archive of process, slowness, and the long, often uncertain road of making meaningful things.
Here, time is not an enemy, but a material. This blog is part journal, part sketchbook, part letter to fellow artists and thinkers. Over time, youāll find essays, studio notes, and reflections on process, teaching, and the seasons of a creative life. Some posts draw from personal experience, others from theory, history, and the words of artists and writers I admire.
What ties everything together is this: a deep commitment to trusting time, to allowing ideas, practices, and artworks to unfold at their own pace. Thereās no rush here. No pressure to arrive quickly or perform clarity before itās real. Just an invitation to linger, to notice, and to create from where you are.
If youāre someone who values depth over speed, process over perfection, and the slow, strange beauty of becoming, youāre in the right place.
Thank you for being here.
Fumble in Time
A short poem on time. Iām quietly testing the waters with poetry this year, something I may return to intermittently as this work continues to unfold.
Tolerance for Invisibility
In a culture obsessed with immediacy, meaningful work requires patience. Why long-term success depends on reclaiming our tolerance for invisibility.
On Pauses, and Trusting the Shape of Your Own Path
There is no single way to live a creative life. Some paths blaze brightly and burn out quickly. Others move quietly, folding around the rhythms of daily life. Some unfold in long stretches, with pauses that only make sense in hindsight.
Do Schools Kill Creativity?
Nearly twenty years after Sir Ken Robinson asked whether schools kill creativity, the answer still feels uncomfortably unresolved. Drawing on experiences teaching and studying across four continents, this essay explores how the arts continue to be sidelined in education, and what we lose, culturally and humanly, when creativity is treated as expendable.
Painting, Photography, and the Living Archive: On Juxtaposition, Ethics, and the Afterlife of Images
Exploring the tension between painting and photography, my practice engages a living archive of personal and found images. Through juxtaposition, layering, and reanimation, the work examines vulnerability, ambiguity, and the ethical responsibilities of looking.
On Love, Loss, and the Quiet Work of Endurance
Some weeks carry a weight you canāt name. This week, I reflect on grief, endurance, and the quiet ways love keeps us going, even when the light feels dim.
Is the Royal College of Art Worth It? An Insiderās Take on Art School in the UK
Is the Royal College of Art worth it? Having studied at art schools in the UK and abroad, I know the ins and outs of applying and studying. Here are a few genuine thoughts on what art school really offers, and why the RCA might provide a unique foundation for your art career.
Too Many Threads: Learning to Let Go in a World of Infinite Ideas
Ever feel guilty about all the projects youāve started but never finished? This essay explores why letting go might be one of the most powerful things a creative person can do.
Rethinking Creative Living for Changing Times
An exploration of how time, art, and the creative process are shifting and what we might rediscover in the quiet hours.
Arenāt You Going to Paint Something Pretty?
What place does difficult imagery have in a world that often demands beauty and ease? This piece explores the tension between visual appeal and emotional weight ā and whatās lost when we expect art to only be āpretty.ā
Art as Constant
Making art isn't always about inspiration ā often, it's about discipline, doubt, and returning anyway. Reflections on why we keep showing up to create.
Transitions, Transitions, Transitionsā¦
Big moves, new beginnings, and uncertain transitions. After a decade away from Scotland, Iāve moved to Glasgow ā a city that feels both familiar and foreign ā and am preparing to settle into a new studio space by October.
What Cutting Out the Noise Taught Me About Creative Work
For a few weeks, I stepped away from my creative routine to focus only on finding a job. What I expected was clarity. What I got was something deeper ā a new understanding of the invisible load I carry just to sustain a creative life.
From Imposter Syndrome to Reconnection: A Quiet Return to Painting
A personal reflection on navigating imposter syndrome and creative disconnection ā and how a quiet return to painting helped me reconnect with my work.
Passion and Pay: Living Life as an Artist with a Job
Balancing creative work with a full-time job can feel impossibleābut it doesnāt have to mean giving up your practice. This post reflects on what it means to stay true to your artistic self, even when life pulls you in many directions.
Reflections on Artistic Time
Reflecting on how artistic time isnāt linear, this post invites you to trust your creative process and embrace your own unique pace.
Where We Work: Studios, Shifts, and the Space Between
Without a dedicated studio, Iāve learned to create in fragments and embrace the in-between spaces. This post explores how making art isnāt about the perfect place, but about showing up with what you haveāwherever you are.
To the Artist Who Feels Behind
Feeling behind or unsure in our creative work is something many artists face. This post is a gentle reminder to embrace the messy process, practice patience, and keep showing up ā even when it feels hard.
Beginning Again: Art, Uncertainty, and Small Leaps
After years of dipping in and out of writing, Iām starting a blog again ā this time with a little more patience for the process of sharing and reflection.