The Same But Different…
I t’s such a weird time. Big things happen and I’ve seen them on TV or read about them in the news but they rarely ever make a discernable difference to every day life. Brexit has been constantly in the news but it hasn’t really made any impact on me. Mass shootings, Donald Trump becoming president, even climate change has no immediate ramifications on the way I live. They’re terrible, but these events always feel very distant and disconnected. Enter COVID-19.
It hasn’t actually changed my day to day routine that much. I still get up at 6am, wander downstairs and pour some coffee and then sit to my desk in my home office and answer emails and set up my day on Google calendar. I still spend the working hours populating storyboards and animating explainer videos. My children are home educated so I’m used to them being around and my wife helps out with the business so really, everything is almost as it was. Although, I will say that going out for a walk or venturing out for food and essentials has an eerie feeling to it similar to Rick Grimes waking up from a coma and wandering around the hospital.
Sure, it’s hard to find toilet paper and bread flour, but, there are some other very notable changes. One is that there’s a feeling of camaraderie with clients. We’re all in this together. Emails now include a lot more chat about working from home and the struggle to find toilet paper. Client calls include the sound of children in the background and are less formal. Because we’re isolated and we’re encouraged to limit our outings and since almost everyone is working from home, there’s less distractions and a lot more focus on video projects so things are more streamlined and faster moving.
We’re stuck with COVID-19 for the time being. So, the best thing we can do is try to make good use of any additional time we have. My advice is to make a list of things you wouldn’t normally have the time for and work through it.
Thus far, my to-do list:
- Write and illustrate a picture book
- Grow my beard ‘stupid long‘
- Make the house even more ‘Victorian/Gothic‘
- Paint a Vanitas
- Spend more time with the kids
- Finish up old side projects
Unless things suddenly go very wrong and get much worse, I can’t imagine a scenario where we won’t operate as usual. Right now, we’re open for business and we’re actually busier than normal and regulalry booking in new projects.
Be safe and focus on the positives.
