Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, I have been privileged to be able to work remotely. My department switched to working from home on the 12th of March and all of us have put a lot of effort to stay in touch and not loose sense of community. One thing that everyone was encouraged to do is to share a short video about how are they coping with quarantine. I’ve been asked to do that three times and three time is a charm, I eventually agreed. The reason why I was resisting was that I knew if I actually record a video, it would have to be done my way – probably turn into a short film, with a voiceover and some pretty shots. I simply CANNOT create something visual without at least trying to make it mine and make it pretty.
In the nutshell, creative distractions are my way to deal with anything. The text that I am reading in the video is a passage from my diary that I wrote during one of my frequent depressive episodes (duh) but still resonated with me today.
In times of doubt – turn to art.
This video is a bit of a self indulgence. I wanted to make something for a while and an excuse presented itself. Take it with a pinch of salt – I am not a screenwriter nor do I aspire to be one. I can capture pretty views and make videos about nothing… This is one and only experiment and it teased my appetite for creating more. Though, next time I put my time into it, I hope to actually have a story to tell. And creativity, good or bad, masterpiece or a cliche. This is how I deal with crisis.