This weekend marked a quiet but important shift in my doctoral work. The Project Approval Form is now submitted to the university Moodle, and the final version has been formally approved. My supervisors confirmation landed with a sense of relief. The framework is now in place. There is no more circling around the project. It has started. Alongside that, I decided to begin a research journal. Not a progress log and not a polished blog series, but a working journal. A place to note moods, energy, doubts, confidence, and the less visible parts of writing a thesis. I am increasingly convinced that how the work feels matters, not just what gets produced. Especially in a practice led PhD, where decisions are shaped by experience, judgement, and sometimes friction. I spent time this weekend setting up tools and routines. I watched the university library instruction video and immediately found new and relevant literature. That moment reminded me how much structure and support exists once you a...