2017 was a big year for me. I turned 40, finished my Doctorate, settled into a new life in Melbourne, and began my first permanent lecturing position at Swinburne University. I taught 10 courses at JMC Academy, who were gracious enough to give me a go when I arrived in Melbourne, hat in hand and jobless. I became a member of Squishface Comics, a fantastic open comic studio space in Brunswick and have spent many afternoons and a couple of all-nighters making comics with some local heroes and all round talented people. I took up circus training at The Circus Spot, gaining some small proficiency on trapeze and silks, and achieving one of my weird bucket-list items of doing a gymnast’s backflip/sault from the ground, as well as a semi decent cartwheel and roundoff. I tried Brazilian Ju-jitsu with the good folks at 10th Planet Jujitsu and trained in Russian Systema for a few months, which was brilliant, but made me quite painfully aware of my slowly aging body. And most amazingly of all, I managed to stay married despite being busy and occasionally grumpy.

2017 was a good year, on top of a run of good years, but somehow I feel as if the hard work is only just beginning. For 2018- I’ve got three comic projects I’m juggling; a collaboration with my biologist wife about inter-group communication, a superhero/science/psychedelic romance comic with Dr Mike, and my ongoing Autofictographic novel. From March I’ll be teaching again; new uni, new courses, new information and new ways of doing things. I need to publish the good bits from my exegesis and make my mark upon the world of academia. And comics. Cats too.

Great things ahead.

squishfacestudio.com

benhutchings.tumblr.com

nakedfella.com

thecircusspot.com.au

10thplanetjjmelbourne.com

melbournesystema.com.au

jmcacademy.edu.au

swinburne.edu.au