An Artist’s Role In The Pandemic

The moment Coronavirus made landfall, life as we knew it changed for everyone. Days shortly turned to weeks, and slowly curfews and social-distancing became the norm. Now, as we arrive at the point where many of us have been quarantined for months, the end of the pandemic feels nowhere in sight. However, as our deep thoughts and emotions began to take over our, a peculiar sound verberated throughout our isolation. 

A call for creativity. 

In an attempt to self-medicate and treat the emotional stress and anxiety we were all experiencing, it became a natural response and a mutual understanding that NOW was the time to create.

Today’s notoriously fast-paced society has us constantly begging for the one amenity we can’t seem to buy more of: time. We fantasize about having more time to work on our passion projects and the things that make us happy, but more often than not, we place our creations on the back-burner, even when we know it’s the one thing that keeps us sane. For some of us, even just the thought (or the illusion) of someday tackling our creative projects, is what keeps us going through the daily grind.

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So what happens when our wish is suddenly granted? What happens when we receive that precious gift of time? Now there’s nothing standing between you and your creative endeavors, except, of course, yourself. This can be a scary realization. Another day, another week and another month go by and you continue to prolong the project that was once your beacon of hope. Slowly a swirl of guilt begins to seep towards the back of your mind. You are neglecting a promise you made to yourself and you start to realize that time was never the issue. 

But this is not a lesson on how to motivate yourself during quarantine or how to set daily goals to accomplish your visions. It is, instead, a solid piece of truth that could possibly lead to the latter. 

Those who choose to create during times of uncertainty define the era. Those who dive headfirst into unpredictably will be the lens that allows us to look back at a meaningful place and time. As artists, we have no choice, but to absorb our circumstances, process them, and try to reproduce the feelings and emotions that they stir up.

It is our responsibility. 

Edgar Allen Poe absorbed the darkness and grim events that followed him throughout his life and allowed that grief and sorrow to be released throughout every word he wrote. It was how he cleansed himself, and in a way, it’s what helped cleanse the world of the plague that had taken over during that time. It helped the world document and remember that we are strong enough to overcome anything. 

Throughout the next few days, allow yourself to feel sad, allow yourself to feel anxious and (here is something you don’t hear very often) allow yourself to be consumed by it. Why? Because once we are in-tune with ourselves and our circumstances, we can become the light at the end of the tunnel. Our art becomes the depiction of a dark time and place we had to overcome in order to learn and grow from it; so that we may never repeat it. Don’t let the world forget.

Whether you are a musician, a photographer, a writer, an artist, a digital content creator or an all-around creative, allow yourself to make your own unique statement; a beautiful depiction of your personal experience inside a pandemic. 

We look forward to listening, reading and viewing your experiences.

Photo Series by: Roberto Gatica // Art Direction: Francesca Roger & Andy Beheit // Model: Eric Taveras