Opus
Noun
An artistic work, especially one on a large scale.
I am so happy to be back for the year writing for Opus again.
I still remember very clearly the day I decided to take the plunge and contact Opus about contributing pieces to their magazines and zines. It was 2021, and I was at Ourimbah campus to teach. Upon walking past Shop101, I noticed the Opus magazines out on their stand and the ‘Music edition’ really piqued my interest. So, I picked it up and had a flick-through.
Towards the end of the spread, I paused abruptly at a brief article that really tickled my fancy: titled ‘Taylor Swift: A Visionary Taking Back Creative Control & Changing Industry Norms’ by Keighley Bradford. As a huge Swiftie, I was a little shocked but immensely enthused to see this piece. This was a pivotal moment for me in realising that Opus provides a really open and welcoming space to share your thoughts, interests, passions, art and whatever else you may desire.
To most, this may not seem like a world-bending, life-changing realisation but for me, it really was in the most beautiful and subtle way.
As a PhD student, a lot of my time is already taken up by writing; however, this writing is very rigid, strict, and scientific. There is a lot of second-guessing, editing, rewriting, reviewing and the like. As much as I love my research and do find enjoyment in the scientific writing process, it is restrictive. At times, it feels as if your unique voice, your autonomy to write is stifled.
Opus has provided me with a space to write freely again, to just let words spill out on the page without worry for ‘correctness’ and with no expectations. It has also allowed me to dive back into myself and explore who I am and what I care about and enjoy. It truly has become a reprieve from the grind of everyday life, and reminds me that writing is still something I enjoy and cherish.
Looking back at my time thus far with Opus, I have had the opportunity to write numerous pieces on various topics. I have authored some online pieces but hope to focus on these a little more going forward. Primarily, I have contributed to print magazines and zines; with this magazine included I have contributed 25 articles across 15 magazines/zines. Just realising that really feels like such an achievement. My favourite piece of which was in the 2022 Halloween edition, about Cold Case Playing Cards.
Further, I was incredibly fortunate to win the Opus award in 2022 for Print Contributor of the Year; the writing itself is a reward of its own.
Understandably, there is a lot that goes into keeping Opus afloat and flourishing. The reason I wanted to write this piece was to acknowledge and thank the incredible team that is Opus, not just presently (Mel and Tiana – you are both doing an absolutely incredible job) but those that came before and those yet to come too. I love seeing Opus continuously evolve, with the new website for example an absolute testament to the hard work that goes into this space.
So, without further ado, thank you to the Opus team for all your efforts and continuing to inspire passion and joy in writing and creativity.
Hello! My name is Tegan and I joined the Opus team in 2021 as an outlet to escape my PhD writing. I am yet to find my niche category, but you can probably expect pieces about postgraduate life, creativity, psychology, literature and all things cute and fuzzy. Outside of Opus and my PhD, I am also a peer mentor, team leader, tutor, and sessional academic (so you might just see me in class sometime!).
