Originally scheduled to finish at the end of June, my artist residency at Romulus Folio Gallery and The Gladstone/FBIdeas has been extended until September, a gift I don't take for granted. These past few months have changed me, not just as an artist but as a human being navigating the deeply layered and often opaque world of contemporary art.

For the first time, I've had the opportunity to fully step into both the artist's open studio and the gallery's perspectives. That shift has been beneficial. From the outside, a gallery can seem like a mysterious or even intimidating space, but being embedded within one has taught me how much care, vision, and risk are involved behind the scenes. I've learned to see beyond the making of an artwork. To consider how a piece lives, breathes, and communicates once it leaves the studio.

Being part of this process has opened up entire worlds of possibilities in how exhibitions and shows are shaped and experienced — especially when immersive installation, space, and access to different kinds of light and lighting are involved. I've come to understand the intersection of art and spatial design and how they combine to shape the story, not just the surface.

This residency provided me with the opportunity to create monthly exhibitions, which meant I had to keep showing up, not just to create but to refine, edit, reflect, and invite others in. To be seen. With an open studio and a constantly evolving exhibition space, I've received feedback in ways and at depths that were previously unknown to me.

Through this rhythm and the repetition that comes with holding 200m² of space and visibility, I've deepened my understanding of craft, curation, and what it truly means to place a work in context. I've also realised how deeply I care about the incredibly nuanced, layered, and often unspoken codes that shape how art is displayed, seen, and received, as well as the role of connection and community it can play in different contexts. Learning to navigate those spaces gently, deliberately, and without always feeling sufficiently capable, yet facing the fear and feelings of inadequacy and learning on my feet, has been invaluable.

Equally powerful have been the conversations when people speak about their investment in the work, their emotional or intellectual connections, and even the moments when a piece doesn't fully let them in and what creates that feeling in them. I've learned how much the title matters and how materials shape perception. How the stories behind the work matter, stories I rarely used to share but now see as part of my responsibility.

One of the most transformative lessons has been about mutual care. The artist-gallery relationship is essential to both the artist and the gallery. When this relationship is effective, it becomes a true collaboration. A holding. A shared promise.

Along the way, I've had the joy of working with extraordinary people: artists, facilitators, curators, Gladstone staff and residents, the FBIdeas amazing team and community, especially Kate Spenser, and the broader Fishermans Bend and Melbourne arts community. These collaborations and conversations have been among the most meaningful parts of the journey. They've shaped new possibilities for what's next.

With three months still to come, thanks to a much-appreciated residency extension, I feel grateful, grounded, and creatively alive. This time has already transformed me, and I look forward to continuing to grow, question, and offer what I can as the residency unfolds.

Together with Scott Ross, the Romulus Folio gallery operations manager whose dedication and care make this space sustainable, I'm excited to share what we've been working on. We'll be announcing the upcoming July and August program very soon.