I DID IT! 🌹 Today I presented my Thesis and Candidature Review Milestone, sharing the journey of I am Maria! From Voice to Vision and the transformation of a classically trained opera singer into a self-authored multi-faceted creative artist. Soooooo much work, discovery, courage and heart have brought me to this moment. Feeling enormously relieved, proud…next milestone I am Maria! Bloom September 25 🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🌹 #IAmMaria #FromVoiceToVision #CreativeResearch #PracticeBasedResearch #WomenInMusic

🌹 BLOOM 🌹 My Master of Philosophy is moving into its final stages, and I’d love to invite friends, colleagues and supporters to come and see what I’ve been working on over the past 18 months. I am Maria! BLOOM has evolved and transformed alongside my research and it has taken me places I never expected when I began. So… expect the unexpected. 🌹 Opera. Electronic sound. Spoken word. Audiovisuals. Live performance. And a few surprises. With the wonderful @artemii_music on piano. Friday 25 September | 12 noon Ian Hanger Recital Hall Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University ✨ FREE ENTRY — ALL WELCOME ✨ Come and see where the journey has taken me. ❤️ #iammaria #BLOOM #queenslandconservatorium #practicebasedresearch

I can’t believe it! The first I am Maria! Bloom 🎶done. 🌹 Thank you to @creativeartsresearchinstitute, @griffithuniversity and @qldcon, and to everyone who supported and facilitated the incredible events over the two days. This first performance was such a learning curve for me bringing together voice, sound, movement, looping, video, objects, memory, and all the unpredictable things that happen when an idea finally becomes live performance. There are things I want to change. Things I want to strip back. Things I want to deepen. And moments that surprised me completely. Now I will take everything I learned from this first I am Maria! Bloom and begin shaping it towards my final Master of Philosophy performative exegesis on Friday 25 September. You are all welcome. Details coming soon. 🌹🎶⭐️ Here are some action shots from the performance at UN/BOUND Festival today thanks @tammyz1010 📷 and thank you @artemii_music for your wonderful playing and support! 🙏🌹🎶 #IAmMaria #Bloom #ArtisticResearch #PracticeBasedResearch

📻Join me tonight on Ozone on 4ZZZ 102.1FM! I’ll be chatting about my creative journey, my research, and the upcoming performance of I am Maria! Bloom. If you’re free, I’d love for you to tune in and listen. Thank you to the Ozone team for the invitation, I can’t wait to share this conversation with you all. 🎙️ Tonight on @ozone4zzz 🌸 I am Maria! Bloom I hope you’ll join me! #iammaria #bloom #griffthuniversity

Happy Friday Everyone 🌿 I am Maria! Bloom is all about transformation and our human capacity for this. Here is a glimpse of Bloom, where I’ve used Valeria’s @valeria_pazosf incredible artistic contribution and incorporated it into the backdrop of the New Zealand bush. This work has reminded me that sometimes the most meaningful transformations happen quietly over time. So much of life is believing we have to strive, prove, and push. But perhaps growth also comes from allowing ourselves to simply unfold 🌹 I am Maria! Bloom premieres at the UN/BOUND Festival on 📅 Aug 14 🕚11.45 on the @griffithuniversitylogancampus presented by @creativeartsresearchinstitute @griffithuniversity @qldcon #Bloom #IAmMaria #CreativePractice

I just couldn’t resist, here’s new artwork for I am Maria! Bloom, featuring Valeria’s @valeria_pazosf beautiful image and the symbolic rose that has become part of the visual language of this performance. Please note the updated performance time of 11.45 am. I’m looking forward to sharing this journey with you all at UN/BOUND 🌹@creativeartsresearchinstitute @qldcon @griffithuniversity #electronica #voice #memory #transformatiom #performance

“They say she’s past her prime.” I’ve heard that message in different ways over the years. Sometimes spoken. More often implied and felt. This beat is dedicated to anyone who has ever wondered if it’s too late: perhaps this is exactly your beginning and you’re “just getting started” 🎶❤️⭐️ On @ozone4zzz 🕛 tonight! 🙏 #pastherprime #never #creativeagency #womenempowerment #electronicmusic

Deep in the creative process…💭 Here’s a short moment from I am Maria! Bloom as the visual world continues to evolve in preparation for UN/BOUND Festival. There’s still much to do, but it’s exciting to see the many elements beginning to come together. 🪷🪻🌼🌷🌺 #iammaria #Bloom #CreativeJourney #Voice

A small glimpse into I am Maria! Bloom. My days are spent creating this new work, and I’ve found myself returning again and again to the photographs of Otto Gilmore, which were taken at the El Shatt refugee camp in 1944 where thousands of Dalmatian refugees, including women and children, lived during the Second World War. Who were these little girls? Their hopeful spirits captured in a photo. I am Maria! Bloom will be a performative work where like the petals of the rose new revelations are revealed. A reminder that we have the power to transform ourselves and all whose hearts we touch. #unbound #festival #croatia #wwii #refugeestories 📷Otto Gilmore