2020, thank u, next

After a little break from writing on this blog, not least because I was completing my Masters during the global pandemic (ever the wise decision maker), I’ve got some inspiration again! When you’re a creative, there are certain points that you stumble upon creative blocks. And it’s important to take this time out, some of my best ideas have come in the form of distractions. For some, the pandemic has been full of productivity, for me, a break from this space is what I needed. It’s led me to question a lot, especially the society that we live in.

Essentially, when the inspiration arises, creative people will create whether we are paid for it or not, because it is a part of who we are as people. This is one reason why the arts are so undervalued and taken for-granted, because we’d continue to create regardless.

We’ve seen the way that the Government has all but forgotten about the arts industries during this pandemic, and it’s hard not to feel forgotten about as individual creatives. How would any of us have survived the pandemic without the arts? Music to listen to, films to watch, books to read, the list is endless. It’s no wonder many creatives feel burnt out and less motivated than ever.

As we begin to enter into a different time, given an end date for restrictions and an end to this Covid-era, I really hope we can value the arts and give space for them to grow. I will strive to support individual artists and events and do my bit to make sure that they can survive this desperate time. (I’ll leave some links at the end of this post if you’re interested in learning more about supporting the arts).

The pandemic has been a different experience for all of us. Instead of spending a whole year and a half of my life living in London with my friends for the first time, I ended up back home in Wales, living with my mum and completing a Masters from my childhood bedroom.

I’m not going to dive into the effects of Covid, and I’m certainly not diminishing how this disease has ripped through society and even ruined people’s lives. Many people have lost loved ones, myself and my family have been lucky. But that doesn’t mean the past year has been easy. My anxiety has hit an all time high, I had my first panic attack, and I’ve felt lost and low in extremes. Being social creatures, being forced to stay away from the ones that we love has been difficult. And not something any of us will forget in a hurry.

But spring is on the way, and there is hope for a better future than the one we are leaving behind. Governments and businesses are making plans to Build Back Greener and people across the world have a new sense of responsibility and value for the natural world. I am happy that we are on route to some more normality, but I am also anxious that this new normal will lead us back to the same old toxic behaviours.

If this post does anything, I hope it makes you stop and think about what you want this new world to look like. Are there changes you could be making to get you there?

“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”