Surviving a pandemic has been the thing that we all have been navigating through since March of 2020. My last journal entry was in November of 2019 right before I went in for a major surgery and only five months before the pandemic hit. After my surgery, I hit a wall emotionally. I probably should have been journaling through all of it, but I honestly didn’t have the bandwidth to write what I was feeling at the time. The surgery landed me in a three-month period of rest for which I was not prepared. I had been working non-stop for as long as I could remember. I come from a hard-working family, and I grew up in the 'hustle culture” where your value is based on how hard you work. How does one who is rooted in work, prepare to rest? I was unknowingly being prepared for what was to come.
By January of 2020, I slowly started to pick up gigs and contracts and recoup my funds. By early March, I was back in full swing, and I was physically feeling the effects. My body was still healing, and I catapulted myself back into work mode as if nothing had happened. March 11, 2020, was my last day of physical work before the world shut down. I taught a paint class to a group of seniors in the east end of Bridgeport, CT. I began receiving email after email with cancelled gigs and contracts, indefinitely. I was devastated by the loss of work, but I did not panic. I have always managed to survive difficult times; this would be no different. I decided I would create through the chaos which has always been a healing modality for me. I very quickly realized that it might help others to create through it as well. I started teaching free virtual art lessons on my facebook page which led to a grant, then a sponsorship and eventually a new stream of income.
Teaching art virtually became my niche during the pandemic. I was hired by multiple organizations to facilitate virtual lessons and workshops. I was not traveling for work since I could do everything from the comfort of my home. I rested when I was not teaching, connected with my family, practiced self-care, allowed my body to heal, learned to meditate, spent time with myself, spent time with nature, and made my health a priority. I started to create with others and for myself again. I dropped weight literally and physically during this pandemic. I have also gained some of it back…LOL. The most valuable lesson I have learned during this time is what is most important to me and how I contribute to the world around me.
