back road academic
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
going somewhat Olympic and full-on academia
A PhD was never for me. I didn’t thirst for a higher higher education after graduation. Unintentional rhymes, but they speak to a poetic inclination in me that academia couldn’t satisfy. It just didn’t rhyme.
I left home in search of a home within, a carry-on place to belong—following a Marco-Polo-like calling that got louder the more I neared my purpose—becoming a self-taught traveler, writer, and photographer along the way.
Throughout my ongoing 14--year journey, I had the opportunity to teach and mentor students across Latin America, Asia, and Africa while working with NGOs—but no one learned more than I did.
I assembled my own curriculum of life lessons, and started sharing them as a blend of writing and photography, art and activism.
And now, they talk about my work in classrooms, write about it in scientific journals and dissertations, and I couldn't feel more fulfilled.
Read on to get your nerd on.
from social media feeds to university syllabi
Last year, I met a fascinating German artist during a group show in Berlin. Last week she told me that her son had been raving about "a mega-cool artist who pranked an AI competition with a real photo"—something he'd stumbled upon on YouTube. Made my day and then some. My little stunt is still making the rounds, from social media feeds to university syllabi, from academic papers to educational books, from the US to the UK, and Brazil to Slovenia. What an honor.
Accompanying FLAMINGONE into the academic realm, other pictures of mine are being featured in institutional reports and frameworks published by organizations like the UN, WMO, and Freedom House.
Most recently, my work was published in Global 50/50’s inaugural Law & Justice Report, which "systematically examines leadership, policies, and practices across the global legal and judicial systems to drive transparency, accountability, and structural change" and is "widely read by decision-makers, policymakers, advocates, researchers, and funders working across governments, international institutions, civil society, and the legal sector."
"Featuring your work in this report ensures it is seen not only as an artwork, but as a powerful contribution to conversations shaping policy, accountability, and change.
Imogen Bakelmun
Curator, This is Gender
going Olympic, in a way
A few days ago, they wrapped up the Image+Tech Expo & Photovision 2026 at the Olympic Stadium Exhibition Center in Athens. Fitting the venue, my award-winning picture like night and day was part of the show after receiving a distinction from the Photovision jury. For the story behind the image, stop by my iconic imagery section:
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So long,
Miles
