Over 18 months, from RFP to final launch, I led Safe Horizon’s brand identity refresh. Client, community partner, supporter, and staff perspectives were all included, as well as market testing, to launch a brand that meets the moment and centers survivor voices. The new brand includes simple, supportive, straightforward language and a unique image library of past Safe Horizon clients.

A Safe Horizon NYC-wide and national storytelling and marketing campaign I co-concepted and led, featuring Emmy-nominated actress and activist Zazie Beets.

The original version of this piece said, “I guess I should state up front: this piece isn’t written for you. It is written for me.” But how true is that really when I am putting it out there for anyone and everyone to read? But it was for me when I first wrote it. It was, as trite as it sounds, some catharsis for me after a heartbreaking event. Anyone with a less stuck up word than catharsis please let me know.

Part of a small nonprofit team that worked closely with the federal government to transition the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline brand to the 988 Lifeline brand.

“You’re my little slut aren’t you?” he whispers harshly my ear.

“You’re so fucking sexy and you’re my little slut and your wet, hot pussy is mine” he says.  

No, these aren’t the scripted words from a b grade porno. They’re better.

Dating in NYC is a minefield. You will match 20 people for every one that says hello, and chat to ten of them before you decide to meet up with even just one. From there though, the chances you are going to find someone interesting, attractive, smart, and kind after matching with their carefully curated profile, and are going to want to keep hanging out with the person are pretty slim. So you’ll need a way to get out of seeing them again.

By many accounts I’ve lived a pretty sheltered life. Small town. Nuclear family. I’ve made out with a couple of other girls. I have a few LGBTQIA friends. I’ve done some low-key drugs and some low-key travel. Pretty standard stuff for a lot of 30 something Australians. Based on this kind of upbringing, and the assumptions I made with it, the idea of a monogamous relationship and two people working it out together over a lifetime was never challenged in my mind. Monogamy was what I saw all around me, I assumed it for my future, I didn’t know any non-monogamous people and, more than anything, the idea more than a little confused me. Like how did it work?

We’ve seen it bandied about more and more often in relation to white people becoming better allies to people of colour. But what does that actually mean? Being an ally is about much more than knowing your history, learning from it (or wanting to learn from it) and supporting movements that help dismantle racism. Mous. speaks with three women about the concept of allyship, what it means to them  and advice for anyone who wants to genuinely call themselves an ally.

Recently my whole family came to visit me in New York. Like only arrived back in Aus in the last 24 hours type of recently. It was the first time to the U.S. for three of them, first time to New York for all four, the first time overseas ever for one, and the first time overseas in 35 years for another. Being the organized person I am, I had planned to develop a short list of basics to help orient them all. You know, a few do’s and don’ts to help them on their New York “journey”. Instead I spent ages on a matrix which mapped all their desired activities to the location in New York, cross referenced with if it was a good day or night time activity, double cross referenced with the activities I wanted to join them on. Which of course we didn’t use once. But in the interest of helping other people out, even if not my own family, I finished the list and here it is: a short list of low key helpful hints if your fam come to visit.

Woohoo, you’ve moved to NYC! You may have a job, you may not. You may have friends, you may be completely alone and crying into your food as you eat solo every night. You may be having the time of your life, not even remembering who your old friends and family are, or you may be skyping home every few hours. But regardless of any of these things, you WILL need a place to live.

“Recruiters over here want to see a really simple design [that can] pinpoint the most important parts of your career.”

Miss Collins went so far as to pay a friend to design an “Americanised” one-page resume.

“The recruiter told me she stopped when she saw mine based on the design of it,” she said.

Aboriginal history plays a key role in Australian culture; past and present.

It has shaped large chunks of our political climate; Aboriginal languages and culture are now taught in many schools across the country; and the complex and beautiful stories stemming from Aboriginal history have given us unique aspects to our lives, such as place names and connection to the land. 

My car started to shake and growl in peak hour traffic for the third time that week. Rhythmically it would crescendo until I was sure it could take no more, and then, thwomp, it would visibly give a little jump and then start its pathetic little process all over again. Growl, crescendo, thwomp. Growl, crescendo, thwomp. Growl, crescendo, thwomp.

Which is how I was feeling about myself.

I had been on the verge of exploding for days now.

Are you thinking of cutting a short fringe (or bangs, if you will), but not sure if you are ready for that mid-forehead skimming life? Here are some handy pros and cons to help you make up your mind. You can thank me later. With wine. At the hairdressers. While we get our fringes trimmed.

According to my friends I have wanted to move to New York my whole life. Turns out Sex and the City, Seinfeld, Friends and GIRLS had been infiltrating their way into my brain for three decades (OK maybe only two decades, let’s face it, I probably had no idea what or where New York was before I was ten).  But to be honest I had never put much stock into it; moving to New York was a pipe dream, something impossible to negotiate, plan and execute – unless you are one of those #blessed people whose office is international and are offered the chance to move to the US. Yeah, great, good on you, really happy for you. No, seriously, more power to you – if you get such an offer, take that thing with both hands and run fast.

In less than a month I turn 30. You might say I have spent the better part of this last year kinda, maybe, definitely stressing out over this. But the stress has not been without its positives – mainly what I have learnt this year. This is what I learnt while I was 29 worrying about turning 30.  

Don’t you hate it when you love and appreciate art and want to share it with the people you love but you can’t afford to buy it because you only work part time while you complete your degree and you have to spend all your money on necessities like rent, electricity, sushi, Netflix and culottes?

Me too. 

Contemporaries. Even the name sounds exclusive and mysterious, sort of like a secret club. Well it is a club of sorts, but it won’t be a secret for long. Contemporaries is a new Sydney based membership group offering exclusive art experiences and money-can’t-buy access to intimate art world events and launches. Sounds neat huh? We think so.