Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff

The start of this month I started off concentrating on editing the backlog (which I am now stressing less about in order to focus on my health, which means all of these images are again from my phone) and hanging with friends. The first photography trip wasn’t until the 10th of April, which was to watch Puffing Billy (the old steam train that winds its way through the forested mountains of the region) pull into Belgrave station. This required all my patience as a multitude of passengers poured from the locomotive to walk or stand directly in front of me as I was taking photos.

After this shamble (I was also disappointed that it wasn’t billowing steam as it came into the station, the way it does along some parts of the track), my support worker and I drove to Sherbrooke Forest. This was a lesson for my support worker who had been telling me the fortnight earlier his hate for leeches. During one segment of this 2.5hr walk he was inundated with well over a dozen baby leeches whilst I remained unscathed. We now pack salt on our adventures! For some reason I was placed in charge of the map and being extremely Irish when it comes to directions, we ended up getting lost and tacking on an extra hour to our walk. However, it wasn’t a complete failure of a trip.

Sherbrooke is a gorgeous pocket of Victoria, only 90mins from Naarm. Sherbrooke Falls themselves are nothing to write home about, but the river walk is exquisite. We also had the added bonus of seeing a very angry crayfish – a Eustacus Woiwurru (Central Highland Spiny Crayfish). These unique and very aggressive crays make their burrows in the ground and can be found near freshwater. In Victoria they are becoming harder to find, so I registered the sighting on the iNaturalist app – which I highly recommend as it is a powerful tool in the fight for conservation. It’s cousin up in Queensland is on the endangered list.

The menacing Eustacus Woiwurru (a screenshot from my laptop)

With no rest for the wicked, Michael and I flew to Lutruwita on Friday and spent Saturday driving from Longford (near Launceston) to Somerset (near Burnie). Saturday we went chasing waterfalls: Liffey Falls, Upper Preston Falls, and Delaney’s Falls. Between Liffey and Preston, we took the time to walk to Tulampanga Lookout and I am so glad we did. I now urge everyone to visit this lookout to give perspective over how insignificant humans actually are in the grand scheme of things. You can feel the ancient call of these cliffs, the area being a sacred women’s space for the local First Nations people – the Pallittorree.

The inspiring view from Tulampanga Lookout (mobile phone image by T.Leigh)

Whilst I did not get attacked by leeches when out with my support worker on the Wednesday, I did find one on me after Upper Preston Falls but because I had learnt from my support workers experience, I deliberately wore knee high white socks on the trek. I know white socks are the last colour you want to be wearing whilst getting dirty, but I was able to see the black leech immediately and flick it off me with a nearby twig. Win!

Sunday was an early start at Fern Glade Platypus Reserve. This is a nice, easy walk and we had the place to ourselves until we were about to finish up our breakfast at a picnic table near the river. We had not seen any platypus whilst walking, but as we were finishing up breakfast, I noticed two women concentrating on the water down by the river’s edge, so I tiptoed across the gravel path to stand at the viewing platform nearby and lo’ – there was indeed a real wild platypus swimming and diving for an early breakfast itself – my first time seeing a platypus in the wild! Such a phenomenal way to start the day.

Next, we drove to Upper Cam Falls. Reviews on Google Maps are mixed about the difficulty of finding the falls. Let me tell you – it is very, very easy to find. Whilst it is not signposted, and there is only a goat track down to the falls, it is a very simple five minute walk (although I do not think I would like to do it in the wet). The effort is worth it. These falls, this little pocket of nature, is magical. It feels like the best kept secret – so pristine and perfect. I could have literally stayed there for hours; however, I was wary of leeches so didn’t sit on any damp logs, plus we had a schedule to keep.

The mystical Upper Cam Falls (mobile phone image by T.Leigh)

Our next stop was Hellyer Gorge. It is a little walk near a river that is pretty with plenty of different types of fungi and mushrooms (that I like to think are faerie houses/villages, so I do not approve of foraging – plus Irish tales of p!ssed off faeries are scary – you do not want to anger a faerie!). This is a nice area, but I would not go out of my way to see it.

For sunset, after lunch and a nap, we headed to Tioxide Beach. It wasn’t what I was expecting (which were rockpools that I wanted for foreground material with the golden hour colours in the background), it was an adventure with driftwood and dead cut logs everywhere. Tioxide Beach is near Burnie, which is proud about its ongoing commercial logging industry, so I’m not sure how many of these logs have fallen off of the back of trucks, or how many of them have washed up from other areas. The deadwood is interesting to photograph, but as a Pagan, it hurts to see the felling of so many trees and the wastage of the industry.

Tioxide Beach at the end of the day (mobile phone image by T.Leigh)

Monday is a workday, so it was lots of driving to shops on the way to Nipaluna. Whilst Michael was at their appointment in Pataway/Burnie I headed to the beach and some rocks leading into the water. Such a fun time, especially getting the camera ready and chasing after birds so they would lift off en-masse. Then we had some time before the Launceston appointment, on the lands of the Kanamaluka People, so we spent a couple of hours around dozens of juvenile peacocks strutting about Cataract Gorge. Even for a Monday, this area was teeming with people. I would like to spend a day here doing all of the walks, but we just walked across the Alexandra Suspension Bridge and back and then around the Basin.

I truly loved this area, and we will definitely spend more time here in the future, however, with the mountains and trees everywhere juxtaposed with the large area of manicured park grass and Olympic sized swimming pool, it made me think about what we do to the land for the sake of commercial tourism. Surely this area speaks for itself and doesn’t need the gaudiness of these two colonist structures to bring people here (& I’m deliberately ignoring the horrendous chair lift).

Alexandra Suspension Bridge at Cataract Gorge (mobile phone image by T.Leigh)

Tuesday morning, whilst Michael was in appointments, I photographed around Salamanca and up to Battery Point (where I had never explored before). I also did a spot of street photography, which is not my natural go to, so I really admire professional street photographers and their craft.

Hobarts street art (mobile phone image by T.Leigh)

Due to circumstances, that was the last photography adventure for the month. However, I did train up to Ballarat for an afternoon to check out the sublime Nan Goldin exhibition. Previously stating I admire street photographers; I also greatly admire those who can capture humans. Nan Goldin is an absolute ace at this genre of photography. Having recently seen her documentary “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”, I was looking forward to seeing this exhibition and the level of talent is exceptional. Fortunately, the National Gallery of Australia has purchased the entire exhibition, so hopefully generations of Australians can experience this significant work for decades to come.

Now that I am no longer stressed about getting all of my editing done immediately and the flow-on effect of that decision, I am not nearly as stressed as I have been getting. I have been putting a lot more time into positive energy and it feels like that is paying off, to the point that I may have exciting news for you in my next blog post (watch this space - subscribe to email/rss notifications).

T.Leigh

A quarter of the way

The first quarter of 2024 has been and gone – can you believe it! My apologies for the silence, I took some time off after working as a contracted event photographer for Midsumma Festival and have found it difficult to establish a routine. Which isn’t to say I have been sleeping this whole time – I wish!

First up, with the money my Ko-fi fans have graciously donated my way, along with my savings and the first half of my Midsumma payment I was able to buy my new waterproof full frame camera body – the Nikon D850. The D850 has been a blessing - allowing me to push my old lenses at low light events, and photograph beautifully crisp and colourful landscapes.

I ended up photographing seven extraordinary events (including Carnival, Pride March, and Victoria’s Pride) on behalf of Midsumma. “Animalising” is one of the events I photographed that has altered me forever – to the point where I am now trying to formulate the basis of a grant to allow me to photograph the official Bull Trance Festival in Batu City, Indonesia, which the director of “Animalising”, Taka Takiguchi told me about. The trance master of “Animalising”, Master Agus runs the festival, and I would love to explore the connection and importance of trance and nature within the local indigenous communities who have re-embraced this tradition.

The dancers of “Animalising” in rehearsal, by Teague Leigh

What have I been up to since the end of Midsumma Festival? Well, here’s the brief rundown of the photography and art adventures I have been on in date order:

Based on my time with Midsumma this year and what I saw and overheard during and then read and discussed afterwards, I wrote an open letter to the board asking for all members to step down as a vote of no confidence after the violence that was enacted at Pride March. The LGBTQIA+SB community deserve better than to kowtow to police and political parties and I firmly believe there is no place for uniformed police officers to march in any Pride around the world, particularly whilst we are still being abused by these institutions without recourse.

Midsumma Festival Pride March, by Teague Leigh

March was jam-packed and an indication that whilst I have not found routine yet, I am back to busy:

The first photography adventure with my support worker was to Noojee & Gentle Annie;

Then we took a few friends to Daylesford for the weekend for ChillOut Festival where I did bring my camera, but only took a few images at both the Pride Parade and the Carnival. I didn't end up with too many shots as my very old long lens is starting to melt on hot days (it was 38 degrees Celsius - in March! - hello global warming) and not focus automatically;

Cape Schanck mid-month was outstanding. It has long been on my bucket list to photograph and the ferociousness of it did not disappoint. I only managed to stack and land in the water once (within the first 30mins - but I got the shot!) and the tide, whilst going out, was still quite high by sunset (1.3m), so we didn't make it all the way around to the rock pools where I would have loved to have shot from, so I will definitely come back again;

Thanks to your ongoing commitment to my craft and the beauty I am trying to share with the world, and my final payment from Midsumma, I bought my new weatherproof wide-angle lens to replace the limited non-weatherproof wide-angle crop-sensor lens. She's a heavy-duty workhorse, though I must admit I am still getting used to her personality.

For instance, my previous Nikkor 12-24mm wide-angle lens was not fish-eyed, meaning the front of the glass was not rounded outwards. This new Nikkor 14-24 however, is fish eyed. It does not affect horizon/straight lines at all, but what I have discovered is that I need to clean the lens all the time. My workload has been bogged down trying to remove dust spots! I did some Milky Way photography with it which I am not looking forward to editing. There’s a tip for every photographer – know your equipment and make sure it is always clean before every use.

Michael & I went to Sea Lake for a weekend. Nearby Lake Tyrell (Direl) was another longstanding bucket list location, so it was fitting we spent our 5yr anniversary celebrating "walking on water" out on the pink salt crystals of the lake;

Lake Tyrell (Direl), Victoria, by Teague Leigh

During this trip we visited many places along the Silo Art trail and various other places across the Mallee region. I give thanks to the Latji Latji & Ngintait, as well as the Ngai Awang, Ngawait, Nganguruku, Erawirung, Ngaralte, and Ngarkat people as the original custodians.

Did you know that Wergaia is the word for Mallee and refers to the Eucalypts that grow with thick multi-stemmed roots under the ground that collect water? Local lore in the region is fabulous and I urge you to read up on it.

Penultimately, I took myself to Bendigo for two nights, sans camera, as a bit of a cleanser for the months of hard work prior;

Lastly, my support worker and I drove to Marysville to hike Steavenson and Keppel Falls. When I planned that trip Steavenson Falls was the main objective and I had also scheduled sunset in the region, however, once we saw Keppel Falls, I ditched sunset (even though conditions were promising for a gorgeous colour) and truly communed with the magic that is this region.

On the way out of Keppel falls, just after sunset, a tire shredded on the gravel road, and we were stranded for 2hrs as my support worker struggled to swap tyres. Perhaps this was the spirit of the Taungurung people, willing us to slow down and embrace the rivers and mountains of the region?

Despite the difficulty, we persevered in the dark with relatively cool heads, so I’m jubilant knowing that we can triumph over adversity together.

Triumph over adversity. Mobile phone image by Teague Leigh

Going forward, my plan is to continue blogging monthly about the previous month and share tips and tricks that I have learnt as a disabled queer trans artist. I will also start providing more information about the lands on which I visit so that you can get a feel for Country no matter where in the world you are.

I have some amazing news about the upcoming months, but you'll have to keep engaging with my blog posts to hear all about it. As always, I thank you for your support. Together we shall share the magic that is nature in an effort to save it.

This month’s blog question: How many dust spots are too many?

Together we are stronger.

T.Leigh.

A Gala: the Goddess Keeps Me Humble

The Summer months, January in particular, is always a busy time filled with travel to see family (this year we drove to Yass to spend time with my sister and her three children for Christmas), and photography gigs and adventures.

Lake Hume, Victoria, by Teague Leigh

Despite also having a Gala to arrange (more about that in a minute), there was a lot of everything else going on, starting with a trip to Dinner Plain in the High Country of the lands of the Gunaikurnai, Dhudoroa, and Jaitmathang peoples.

As was the case for December, I have put the editing of that trip aside, but do have exclusive images, just for my supporters. They were taken with my phone, so don't show the whole grandeur of the region, but I hope they get you excited enough about Country!

Dead Timber Hill, Victoria, by Teague Leigh

Mount Hotham Summit, Victoria, by Teague Leigh

Omeo, Victoria, by Teague Leigh

The sunrise shoot at Pioneer Lookout, Omeo was initially a bust because I didn't listen to my instincts and I had placed so much pressure on myself to capture meaningful images of Country as part of my push to save it, that I was a grumpy douche! Fortunately, I got over it in time to take great photos in Omeo.

Whilst away for the seven days, I worked my patootie off on the Gala. Promoting the event, including all my talented performers. I was on the wireless! Joy 94.9 had me on as their first guest of 2024 - so honoured! You can listen to the segment here.

In one day, I had 17 items on my to-do list in my schedule; and I completed them all! Including the audio descriptions for all my artwork.

I've been running ragged, often sick, Midsumma Festival Carnival kicked off on the 21st and as an official event photographer it was a long day.

Me, by Suzanne Balding

Miss Moneesha at Midsumma Carnival, by Teague Leigh

A party-goer at Midsumma Carnival, by Teague Leigh

The Gala on the 25th January was a successful hoot and the amazing Tom Noble (@NobleTomNoble), whom you can hire, has already sent me his first pics - I've included a sample below, more will go up on my website eventually (check my website regularly for the link) and on Instagram (@tlwvision). The stunning portrait of me was also taken by Tom.

Rosie Roulette at The Reclamation of Terra Gala Exhibition Opening, by Tom Noble

Yin Paradies at The Reclamation of Terra Gala Exhibition Opening, by Tom Noble

I am exhausted, and with no help from the gallery who refused to answer many of my questions then act like I was the inconvenience to the point that I am questioning if they’re just a bunch of allists and ableists, I am so incredibly proud of what I pulled off with the Gala opening and the exhibition itself. It is always stressful sharing a piece of your soul with the world - what if they hate it or at least don't empathise with what you're trying to do?

I am particularly proud of the additional canvas I decided to do at the end of the 17 months after visiting many art galleries with so many textures that I could not touch - I would walk away overstimulated from the effort! So, I decided to create a canvas that people could touch - run their fingers over the textured paint and "Feel Country". Tom has captured that well in his image of Yin Paradies above.

Every single performer was sensational, and the gathered crowd enjoyed it. Bayley Turner spoke beautiful poetry; Dean Arcuri belted out an Abba medley; Wakaya man, Yin Paradies gave a speech that made me so emotional and proud that I am going to put it up on my website; Saskia hula hooped the roof down; and Rosie Roulette sang a pitch-perfect rendition of Kate Miller-Heidke's "Gravity"; and our MC Goddess Naavikaran was witty and performed a beautiful song in her mother-tongue of India. If you weren't there, you missed out!

As I think I mentioned last month, 5% of every sale from The Reclamation of Terra between now and the 5th of Feb will be donated to Environment Victoria, a grassroots community organisation who works tirelessly on a local, state, and Federal level to reverse climate devastation and our current negative impact on the planet.

Before I go for the month, I managed to shoot Jessie's Ngaio's original one human play "Oh Yuck It's Me" on opening night as part of the Midsumma Festival. So very thankful to have been given that opportunity. This is a play that will make you both cry and laugh and move you in all the ways in between. Jessie is a masterful writer and performer. Tix here.

Jessie Ngaio performing in her play “Oh Yuck It’s Me”, by Teague Leigh

Jessie Ngaio performing in her play “Oh Yuck It’s Me”, by Teague Leigh

Jessie Ngaio performing in her play “Oh Yuck It’s Me”, by Teague Leigh

Still so much to do, but that will be in February's post!

I almost forgot the fall and how I see the Goddess as she keeps me grounded, despite my achievements. Two days after the Gala, @littleElfman tested positive for Covid. The gallery subsequently locked me out from attending and speaking about my exhibition, despite me consistently testing negative for Covid and never having Covid - ever.

Whilst angry at my treatment, setbacks like this keep me humble. The Gala has people talking about my intent and my vision for the world - this is the success I was after, but the Goddess sending me these hurdles keeps me from getting an inflated ego and I am thankful to be shown my place in the natural order of life. I am but one link in the cosmic chain of change. To be truly successful, we all must be united and experience equity, including all those nations and individuals suffering from ongoing genocide, oppression, murder, and destructive colonial and capitalist rule.

This blogs question: How do you celebrate your wins, whilst also maintaining humility?

Keep finding your peace and joy within and with others.

T.Leigh

Happiness Is…

*trigger warning: mention of violence

Hello friends, I bring you tidings and good news this blog post, which is a pleasant change from the previous. December can be a mixed bag of emotions if you are part of the rainbow community, with large numbers of us estranged from family (not to mention the violence).

For me, this December started off with a visit to South Australia/ Kaurna country to visit my ma and aunt and were able to sneak in some time with my cousin and his family and reconnect with them. I am pleased to report that my ma is doing surprisingly well after her fall and month-long stay in hospital from knee-replacement surgery and subsequent complications. This is a huge relief to me. She also surprised me by not referring to my past self in the feminine; listened to me speak about Palestine and the other atrocities happening across the globe and in our own country; and never uttered the phrase “I’m not racist, but…”. I waited for these things to occur and am still pleasantly in shock that she seems to have changed her ways for the better.

Whilst in town, we also made time for friendly catch ups, and I was able to get to the Karrawirra Parri to photograph it for sunset.

View from the pedestrian bridge over the Karrawirra Parra, South Australia

You’ll have to excuse the mobile phone picture; I have stopped editing photos to concentrate on my upcoming Gala Exhibition Opening (more on that later).

In fact, my last photography adventure with my support worker was on the 7th of December to Point Leo, lands of the Bunurong people. All the images are on my hard drive, screaming at me to make joyous, however I have no time. Here’s a behind-the-scenes mobile image that I didn’t take with my camera.

Point Leo Beach, Victoria

On the 9th of December I had the pleasure of photographing the annual Carols by Queerlight celebration by the Melbourne Rainbow Band. As this was for a client, I can show you one of the images I produced of the night.

The featured singers performing with the Melbourne Rainbow Band, St Kilda Town Hall

Mainly what I worked on in December was my Gala and trying to acquire funding through the Australian Cultural Fund project. I have happy to say that with your generous support, I reached just over halfway to my target finances. Whilst this is amazing news, it does mean that I will be spending all my new waterproof camera savings to finance the rest.

Unfortunately, that means no camera upgrade for me until possibly after Midsumma (February). This is a shame, considering I am an official Midsumma photographer and wanted the upgrade to produce better work and do less post-editing to make up for the lack of quality of my current camera.

Therefore, if you know of anyone who loves art and photography, who would like to be a financial benefactor to a queer, neurodivergent, disabled trans man, let them know I am in need. To be completely transparent, here is what I am requiring, with the camera body the most urgent, then the lenses. As I am upgrading from what is called a “crop sensor” to a “full frame” camera, most of the lenses that I have will unfortunately also need to be replaced eventually.

Screenshot of the equipment I require from the cccwarehouse website.

I have also been working on my health – putting back all the naps, listening to my body, and I finally received my nerve root injection at the C4/5 vertebrae (in the top of the neck), and it seems to have actually worked which means the arthritic pain has substantially subsided.

Then I went to Yass/land of the Ngunnawal & Wiradjuri peoples, to visit my sister and her three amazing children. The oldest is 17, the youngest 9, and they are dealing with the fact that their father is an abusive douche. Their father reminds me of my own father and fortunately I was able to let them know that it gets better and that the emotions they are experiencing now, can be healed. I am so immensely proud of them all, especially my sister and despite hearing of the abuses she suffered, which were triggering for me to hear due to my own past, we were able to love each other’s company and I hope she will love herself enough in the future to embrace her own healing. Five days with my family is never enough.

The good news is that my Gala Exhibition Opening is ready to go for the 25th of January at the Victorian Artists Society. Being their first queer, trans solo artist is immensely humbling, so I want this Gala to be sensational – you can help with that by attending and supporting the amazing artists who will be performing on the night. Absolutely free, including drinks and finger food. On my home page you will find links to the event and artworks. I will also be linking venue and event accessibility in the coming days.

My question for you this month: How much do you want this world to change? United we can make a difference.

T.Leigh.

Official Image for The Reclamation of Terra gala exhibition/opening at Victorian Artists Society, East Melbourne, opening 6pm 25th January 2024. Image by Teague Leigh

The Resistance is a Full-Time Job

Hello my friends,

This month’s post is later than usual as I am still suffering from post viral fatigue syndrome after having a nasty virus for two weeks from the 19th of November. The brain fog and lethargy are real!

I keep forgetting (or fooling myself?), about my disabilities and that I can no longer do all of the things. Yet, I am currently still unable to get through the day without several rest periods, so the work leading up to my gala exhibition opening continues to snowball; photography editing piles up on my SD cards; and the daily detritus of life is building a nest and is looking like it’s going to permanently stick around.

My counsellor suggested that I am mourning my former self. I think there is something in that, even after 10 years. Perhaps I am grieving for the abilities I once had when pushing myself to achieve unhealthy benchmarks of success. Societies narrative is that you must keep working and getting better, so I guess I convince myself that I’m “not that disabled” & slip into ableist oversight.

Even though I am better now at scheduling in naps throughout the week, I am not used to resting, to allowing myself that luxury (even the word “luxury” implies rest is laziness). I am not as patient with myself as I would like, and I compare myself to “successful” disabled people within my immediate (and further afield) circles and ask myself “why aren’t I doing more?” All the while knowing that “success” is a predominantly capitalist construct pertaining to material wealth and not, more importantly, spiritual, and emotional wealth.

Nor are the goals I set for myself healthy, or particularly achievable. This high benchmark is a ghost I set for myself when I was young and doing all the sport, before even, when I was running events, and long before I acquired disabilities. They were unachievable back then; they are a pipedream now and need to be retired for the sake of my health and longevity.

My counsellor suggested that others might look at me in the same way and ask themselves why they aren’t doing more things. This gave me pause. I have been indoctrinated with societies narrative for over 40yrs years. There's still so much to unpack and do-over without the burden of having to “be better, recover from illness/injury/disability, work more”.

So, now I am at a point where I need to intrinsically listen to my body and ignore the piles of stuff building up around me. I have scheduled and rescheduled my schedule multiple times to rest whilst still trying to do the “bare minimum” of work that I have set for myself, but now I must start delegating to the friends I have around me whose “can I help” questions are often brushed aside.

Having said all that, I have been busy! The resistance is a full-time job. The sculptural piece "Tidal", one part of my "The Reclamation of Terra" exhibition was showing at the Counihan Gallery in Merri-bek here in Naarm as part of their annual Summer Show.

More good news in the month of November - I received a small fund of $2,500 through Midsumma's partnership with Treasury Wine Estates. I looked up TWE's environmental impact before accepting this funding, as the wine industry is notoriously nefarious when it comes to its green practices, however, after reading up on TWE's sustainability practices, I liked what I saw. They also have an international LGBTQIA+ group encouraging diversity, as well as a group invested in supporting more women in the industry. So, I am happy to say that Treasury Wine Estates are supporting my gala exhibition opening in January.

For Trans Awareness Week I recorded a little something for Joy 94.9fm. 

I attended several films and caught up with so many neglected friends during the Melbourne Queer Film Festival.

My Arts Access Victoria class, Artstop, have been working on a video projection "Prism" for months and it was projected on the walls of a Sydney Rd, Brunswick building all month, although, disappointingly, there were some technical glitches, so the word out on the Bulleke-bek street is they are going to reschedule it early 2024 (on a Tuesday night – watch this space for updates).

Then, on the 16th of November, Michael & I travelled north to the lands of the Ngarrindjeri Nation and the Ladji Ladji peoples of what colonisers call the Murray Mallee Region.

Michael was promoting their new anthology "Everything Under the Moon" (which you must buy for yourself and everyone in your life because it is a spectacularly designed and illustrated hardback with some of the World's best young adult authors within), and I tagged along to take some photos. It’s on backorder with Hares & Hyenas but ask your local book seller if they have it or can order it in for you!

On the 28th of November, Midsumma launched their jam-packed festival program. I watched the live stream at home, and colour me surprised when I saw my listing up on the big screen and the marvellous Midsumma CEO, Karen Bryant, talking about it alongside the remarkable Jessie Ngaio (who’s show I have been booked to photograph – can’t wait)!

With the launch, the embargo was lifted so I could officially talk about my Australian Cultural Fund project and try and appeal to some lovely (wealthy) philanthropists. With blessings to some lovely humans, I have raised $2,310 through the project, which means I am still at least $190 short to pay my stellar artists their minimum salary, but we're almost at 50% of the major target, so I'm really excited and massively thankful.

I know you have all donated significantly to this gala exhibition already - you're amazing and have blessed me so much, however, if you could share the link with your networks, I would be most thankful. The project ends on the 30th of December. The ACF takes no fees, and no matter what I raise, I get to keep the funds for my gala – the gala WILL BE GOING AHEAD. Plus, gifts over $2 are tax deductible! If you have not yet gifted me, please consider a $10 donation.

Despite being largely bed-ridden and having to give up tickets to many events so far this month, December is busy (hmmm, didn’t I just say I was going to listen to my body and rest more…)! Look out for my next blog post around this time next month, which will only be days away from the gala launch!!!

I hope life is being magical to you all and that you live with good mental, physical and spiritual health, whatever that looks and feels like to you.

The question for this blog post: How much wood, would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood? (It’s not nearly an irrelevant question as it would first appear)

T.Leigh.

Tom Nethersole Performing at Shepparton Carnival as part of Out In The Open Festival 2023. Image by Teague Leigh

Love Thy Neighbour (and yourself)

From the very beginning of the month, art was happening. My art class, Artstop, run by Arts Access Victoria for humans with disability, have created a projection "Prism" in conjunction with The Little Projection Company (this is our second project with this company). The video is being projected high on the wall at the art precinct of 260 Sydney Rd, Brunswick (Bulleke-bek) in Naarm from dusk till midnight until the 30th of November. We wanted to continue on from the theme of our group exhibition “Shining A Light Into The Darkness”, by investigating the many colours of identity that make up our group and our communities.

Finally managed to get out on a photography adventure with my support worker. We ventured to the outstanding Tesselaar Flower Farm for their tulip displays and because their season had started early due to the messed up weather, we got free passes to the next show and as a bonus, I found two more free passes on the ground!

My sculpture "Tidal", from my anarchic multimedia series "The Reclamation of Terra", has gotten around, first at Brunswick Uniting Church’s exhibition "Living Colour", and currently it is on display at Merri-bek’s Summer Show at Counihan Gallery in Bulleke-bek. Please vote for my sculpture so I can be awarded the People’s Choice Award of $1,000!

I am one of the subjects of a photo shoot for an upcoming (2024) coffee table book and exhibition about the "older" trans community. I think though at not-quite-50, I’m one of the young’uns (which is great for the ego).

Meanwhile, I decided to create a 12th canvas for my Reclamation series, to represent the Intersex community, which is sometimes seen on the progressive pride flag. Here is a sneak peek at it, although it is not finished yet - I have yet to paint the bigender pride flag river motif.

On the 19th of October I photographed the official Naarm book launch of "Everything Under the Moon", an exquisite anthology of faerie tales told in a queerer light, edited by Michael Earp. It was an amazing turnout of all ages on the beautiful rooftop of the Victorian Pride Centre whilst the sun set.

Then I participated in an induction training video for Midsumma as part of their accessibility training. It was a lot of fun, but you'll have to wait to see the video (if I can get my hands on it), as I did not take any behind-the-scenes.

Whilst doing all of this I was also hustling to try and obtain more funding for the gala exhibition launch in January - I only need about $2500 more to be able to pay for the performers, Auslan interpreters, Welcome to Country, and catering/refreshments. So please keep sharing with your networks! People can continue to donate through my Ko-fi, or if they would like to donate a tax deductible donation then my Australian Cultural Fund is a viable option. Another way to donate to the cause if you want to remain anonymous and not send your details through the internet is via my PayPal: TLeighs World Vision.

I also made a 2024 calendar jam packed full of the images I took over the course of 2023. If you would like to buy a copy for friends/family/yourself as a delightful Christmas present, please get in touch privately and I can arrange the order through Vistaprint (they look very good, I am very happy with the quality!). I am currently selling the 300gsm high gloss version for $32 (including postage – Australia only), but this price could rise, so get in quick! This is currently an exclusive offer - I will be launching to the public next week!

So much happening, but I guess that is life in a consumerist society when you're an independent artist hustling to get your message out in to the wide yonder.

Whilst the wonderful world of art and creation has been occurring, I have also been combating hate for Muslims, in particular Palestinians who practically live in concentration camps that are now being relentlessly bombarded by a Zionist government who has granted exploration oil licenses to land not currently their own; supporting my Blak friends and their communities after an atrocious referendum – it is time for Treaty and Sovereignty; writing to the NSW government to end the use of conversion therapy on trans and queer humans; writing to local, state, and federal government over the continuing funding of the forestry sector and selling fresh licenses to new coal projects; championing for disability equity; and currently shouting loudly about ending horse cruelty (#NupToTheCup).

Oh, and I also fought fungicide infection in most of my 65 house plants and both a carpet beetle and clothes moth infestation, which meant cleaning absolutely everything and scrubbing every surface, nook, and cranny. Not so great for someone whose schizophrenia manifests bugs!

Needless to say, I have not been sleeping and have had to request emergency counselling services to deal with everything. My message to y’all this blog post though is that you must continue to fight for what is right in the world, but occasionally take a break for self-care. You are useless if you collapse. Pace yourself. Monitor yourself for signs of cracks and love yourself. Stop for as long as you need, talk to loved ones, or if they too are frazzled, speak to Lifeline or some other professional service so that you can get back to the long fight for the wellbeing of our communities and planet. Yesterday I drove to the nude beach for a couple of hours of nature and sun time, and now I am refreshed and back in the battle.

Many thanks to y'all for your support. Please continue to talk about what I am trying to achieve - community unity to reverse climate devastation, especially if financial support is out of your means now. At times of crisis our souls still need art and artists are often at the forefront of change, especially those of us from minority communities.

With love.

T.Leigh

Teague Leigh’s sculpture “Tidal” is able to win People’s Choice Award. Link to voting in blog.