cameron charlote

To quote the protagonist from my favourite film: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” I started writing for Palatinate as a fresher. Stuck in college accommodation in October 2020 I honestly didn’t have much else to do. After a solid number of articles under my belt I applied for Film & TV Editor on a whim over the Easter holidays. To my surprise, I got the role.

Editing the Film & TV section was one of the best experiences I could have asked for. I got the opportunity to work with incredible editors and writers. On top of that, my job was quite literally to read and write about the thing that interested me most. The role of a reviewer is to be critical but fair. To maintain an opinion, substantiated by evidence, that informs and potentially even entertains. I’ve read many questionable reviews from a range of di erent outlets in my time. Some intentionally and unnecessarily brutal. Others overly generous. Some of the best reviews I’ve read I’ve found scrolling on Letterboxd. Anyone can be a critic, in theory.

Since becoming Indigo Editor this January, I’ve had the pleasure of engaging with critical conversations across the artistic spectrum and I know that Indigo will maintain this over the next 75 years.

Since joining Indigo as Visual Arts

Editor back in January last year, I have learnt to absolutely lean into and to embrace my artistic side. I’ve had the opportunity to write articles on subjects such as how artificial intelligence is being used to bring colour back to the statues of Ancient Greece, the beauty found within the art of the grotesque, and the portrayal of love in Botticelli’s Primavera

I remember the first ever article I edited was on ‘Britain’s most insightful royal portraits’, the first ever illustration I commissioned was for an article on the digitalisation of history’s most renowned artworks. The first ever print edition I helped edit was a piece on love’s meaning throughout the ages as depicted in art. I was learning how to use WordPress, attempting to navigate the technicalities of Adobe InDesign and endeavouring to figure out how on earth to photoshop an image. Just a little over a year ago, I was experiencing all of my journalistic ‘firsts’ and now I am one of two editors overseeing Palatinate’s arts and lifestyle magazine, which is still utterly surreal to write. Despite still being in its infancy, Indigo, which turns fifteen this October, has already undergone many artistic evolutions, and I greatly appreciate the fact I get to be a part of this new landmark chapter.