For those wondering, after approximately 6hrs, ma is out of surgery and doing well.

Whilst I'm breathing a sigh of relief, here's last night's sunset in Naarm.

#TLWVision #MobilePhotography #actuallyAutistic #artistWithADisability

Yesterday's fortnightly photography adventure with my support worker saw us at Mentone, land of the Bunurong people of the Kulin nation. Neither of us had ever been, but will definitely revisit.

#TLWVision #MobilePhotography #MastoArt #artistWithADisability #actuallyAutistic

*Eye contact
Artists on our way to bask in art.
First Goddess @ ACMI, then Melbourne Now @ Ian Potter Centre, Federation Square. Naarm. 😍

#actuallyAutistic #artistWithADisability #MaskUp #CovidIsNotOver

Oh bother, it appears to be a "forget to eat lunch" kind of day. 👀

#artistWithADisability

It's official, in less than a month the series I've been working on for over a year, "The Reclamation of Terra" will be released into the wild!

Come for the brief speeches at 6:30pm with MC Bayley Turner (burlesque performer “Bananas”, poet), Arts Access Victoria CEO Caroline Bowditch, and Teague Leigh.

For information about the series and about venue accessibility, please visit my website.

https://tlwvision.au/artworks/events/sol-gallery-reclamation-of-terra-070923

#TLWVision #MastoArt #actuallyAutistic #artistWithADisability #disabledArtist #LGBTQIASB+

On the way to art class this morning I saw a van and thought "it's a sign" 🤣

#transgender #actuallyAutistic #artistWithADisability

For those of you who like a Facebook event invite: https://fb.me/e/R0cyvTTH

My exhibition opening at SOL Gallery on the 7th September, 6pm. (Naarm)

"The Reclamation of Terra" is a call to arms, asking the LGBTQIA+SB community and our allies to work together to reverse climate devastation; because together we get sh!t done.

#TLWVision #MastoArt #LGBTQIASB+ #multiDisciplinaryArtist #galleryExhibition #TheReclamationOfTerra #ActuallyAutistic #artistWithADisability

This is why I'll always have HECS/HELP debt living solely on a disability pension.

It was around $14,000 by the time I finished my second degree in the early 2000's. Even though I worked enough to automatically pay back some of the debt, by 2014 it was $21,000.

How can the govt justify such a large indexation hike? 🤦🏼‍♂️

Plus, all the medications I buy are not being recorded through Medicare. Apparently, according to the govt, I was only out of pocket $43 last financial year. Sure, if you only count one month's expenditure!!!

#actuallyAutistic #artistWithADisability #FML #TheSystemIsRigged

So, on top of all the other expenses I'm currently accruing, yesterday I blew up the blender whilst making potato and pumpkin soup.🤦🏼‍♂️

However, there is always the sky. 👐🏼

#TLWVision #MobilePhotography #actuallyAutistic #artistWithADisability

After several failed attempts at turning my 3yr old laptop on, then it turning on, but none of the keys working, I finally got it working enough so that I can create a backup file.

I can't see any way around it, with deadlines looming and grants to apply for, I'll have to fork out $150+ for Geeks2U to come take a look at it, inside and out (I have a suspicion it's a hardware fault because there's dead pixels in the bottom left of the screen).

With a mega rent increase, trying to save for a waterproof camera, and possibly going on an additional medication schedule (bringing my total daily meds to 17), I really don't need this right now. 🤦🏼‍♂️

https://ko-fi.com/tlwvision
If you can help a brother out, please do so. ❤️

#artistWithADisability

So blessed to call so many talented and hard working Midsumma humans my friends. 😍

#actuallyAutistic #artistWithADisability #midsummaFestival

What a night!

From an art opening celebrating the disability community's climate activism voices (with no toilet on premises), to a Smith St venue that locks its accessible toilet because they use it as a storage room 🤦🏼‍♂️.

We should not be your afterthought or some woke idea you had for five minutes to look cool.

#DisabilityPrideMonth #CripPride #artistWithADisability #actuallyAutistic

Another Wednesday fortnight, another photography adventure with my support worker.

Today we took the hour drive to Wathaurong Country to commune with Bunjil and walk three hours around the You Yangs.

My body aches, the pain is real, but my heart soars. 💞

#MobilePhotography #TLWVision #MastoArt #artistWithADisability #actuallyAutistic

The end of Pride (June) marks the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.

To mark the occasion, Archer has released my essay "Protest alongside Pride: A call to action" onto the world.

https://archermagazine.com.au/2023/06/more-queer-protest-less-pride/

I hope y'all like it and it drives you to action - especially the allies amongst you. I'm a very proud Daddy.

Please share widely. 👐🏼

PS. You can also search for my previous essay on their website too!

#ArcherMagazine #LGBTQIASB+ #Pride #actuallyAutistic #artistWithADisability #TLWVision #MastoLit

Sent an email today to an organisation that hasn't bothered to reply in months saying that even though I am out of spoons I am forced to come into their office on Friday to get some answers.

I once again gave them my ever growing list of questions and asked them to respond before Friday because I really don't want to travel to their office.

They finally responded. And said it's best I come onto the site as it's easier [for them]. 🤦🏼‍♂️

I guess for some people, disability needs are non-existent.

#actuallyAutistic #artistWithADisability

I have had the longest 96hrs I have encountered in quite some time (you don't get to tell me time is linear).

Every time I tried to start writing my Australia Council Disability Grant funding application for my exhibition spectacular as part of the Midsumma 2024 Festival my laptop would 💩 itself. Every time.

The WiFi and Bluetooth drivers would break &/or disappear. Then my laptop would freeze. Then it would shut down. It's only four years old!

On my phone I had to research all the possibilities. With my cognitive disability that is not an easy thing to comprehend. Download drivers. Turn back time. Boot. Bios. Restart. All the things. I lost hours of work time. An average of 3hrs every day. The fun never stops.

Amongst all that I also had to edit the images I took of the Emerging Writers Festival Closing Night because I promise my clients a 24hr turnaround and with a laptop that doesn't want to play I must admit my zen temporarily went AWOL.

Oh, and I also had to go to the hospital for my nerve conduction study only to be told that she's sure my symptoms are real, but the nerve, in the spots she tested, weren't that bad and if my symptoms prevail in 6-12 months to go have follow up tests done.

I think though, through all my jaw clenching and counting to ten and eating my feelings, that the thing is stable. For now.

On the plus side - because I do always try to find one - I finally locked in a gallery for said Midsumma exhibition extravaganza. 🥳

AND glueing the mdf to the thin canvas boards that had curled whilst drying, worked - so I now have two usable canvases with which to finish my series. 🥇

Also, I went to a free event tonight by Green Bee, "An evening of radical perspectives on ecological art, activism and philosophy curated by Caitlin Dear & Rebecca Jensen", that gave me a lot of great stuff to think about.

I'm a tired gay. 😴

#actuallyAutistic #artistWithADisability

The closing night party for the 20th Emerging Writers Festival was a blast, so honoured to have been able to capture the night.

#MastoArt #TLWVision #eventPhotography #EWF2023 #EmergingWritersFestival #actuallyAutistic #artistWithADisability

Not to toot my own horn but...

Picked up a last minute paid photography event tonight for the Emerging Writers Festival after their usual photographer could not make it.

It's the official closing night spectacular celebrating 20yrs of wonderful words.

I've worked for Melbourne Queer Film Festival, Midsumma, The Rainbow Band and others over the past ten years. I am great at what I do and have a fast turnaround. I am for hire. Especially if you want trans, queer, disability representation/ understanding at your event.

http://tlwvision.au

#disabledArtist #eventPhotographer #actuallyAutistic #artistWithADisability

So ages ago I bout canvases online, not knowing what the terminology meant. They arrived - a thin layer of canvas on a very thin layer of cardboard (?).

They are not fit to use for what I need them for with this series I'm working on, but due to a lack of funds I perservered and laid the thick impasto down anyway. As it dried, the board curled substantially.

The (hopeful) work around was to buy some cheap ply and wood glue and stick them together. The books are for weight. I'll keep them like that for the weekend and pray to the Mother. 🙏🏼

Otherwise I'll have to fork out even more money for two more proper canvases and more impasto. 😂

#StarvingArtist #artistWithADisability #actuallyAutistic

Oh my, I just started a blog on my website 🤪. Who even am I? 😂

In future it will be filled with tips and tricks about photographing in the world whilst living with autism, and creating art as a queer trans man wanting community unity.

I hope you drop by, share with your folx, and find it mighty helpful. 😍

https://tlwvision.au/blog/here-i-am-070623

#TLWVision #MastoArt #autism #artistWithADisability