Looking Up: The Faces of Oxford

Taking the time to pause, and look up

I’ve now spent a decade at Oxford. A lot of that has been in a general fog of self-pity. Rushing between supervisions that heavily suggest you that you aren’t as clever as you thought, and seminars that prove it, you quickly become blind to the incredible beauty that surrounds you. Tourists still see it, of course, but instead of reminding you of what you’re missing, they become impassable road-blocks that further sour your mood.

Lately I have been trying to stop and appreciate how lucky I am to call this city home. The key, I think, is to look up. So much of Oxford’s beauty is hidden up away from the usual tourist lenses, in a kind of peaceful aerial existence. Looking down at you are thousands of faces, peaking out from around Oxford. Below you can find a selection of my favourites that I’ve compiled over the years, looming down at me - disapprovingly - as I muck about of twitter.

In the future, I hope to put more time into this newsletter, sharing some of the work from my now-completed PhD, and some of the things I’ve learned along the way. If you’d like to support me in my research as I continue the desperate search for jobs in this increasingly sparse market, you can donate here, or sign up to the newsletter below.