COVID-19 Effects and Other News
This year started off strong, and then came to a screeching halt this March. I've watched businesses around me take on this "social distancing" thing in many creative, sometimes struggling ways. We are all trying to find our way through this, but the truth is, we won't be the same when this is over. Whether you are touched by the virus physically or not, it has defined us emotionally ethically. It has brought up the hard questions of living in modern America, like working at home full-time, balancing home-life on turbo mode with the kids all home and stuck right in the middle of a school year. Like knowing how to rebuild working networks and connecting to your customers all over again in a completely hands off, digital style.
It's easy to get bent out of shape as the world is being turned upside down. It's incredible how many people have responded to this situation in so many different ways. Some are positive, staying safe and isolated at home, while boosting their online presence and offering ways to help others through digital means. I love that Mo Willems and others have stepped up to help parents and children alike while we're stuck at home. Check out his Lunchtime Doodles videos here:
Heck, who cares how old you are! Art is an incredible stress relief for just about anyone, and doing it with a fun, friendly artist can only make it more of an anti-depressant. If you are feeling like me, trapped at home with a whirlwind of “what am I supposed to do with this?” in each day, you're not alone! It can feel very lonely to some as we are cut off from social, “face-to-face” interactions for so long.
So with news about people dressing up in dinosaur costumes saying thank you to hospital staff, and other amazing acts of kindness popping up, I thought what can I do with my skills? It didn't take more than a minute on my Facebook news-feed to realize the perfect answer.
Many of my friends are in the medical field, risking their lives and well-being to keep others from dying. Some have incredibly stressful situations at hospitals as they are directly helping with the COVID-19 emergencies. And I have seen so many of them posting about how their furry loved ones keep them sane throughout the week. So I'm taking time every week while we are struggling through this pandemic to pick out a furry friend and making a fun portrait illustration as a free gift to the nurses and doctors out there that I know.
Have someone you're thinking about who's struggling through this? Feel free to reach out to me and I would be happy to discuss making some artwork for those who are taking risks in this crisis to keep the rest of us safe. Whether they are in postal work, the medical field, deliveries, grocery or other “essential” places that puts them on the line, I'm looking to spread some “thank yous” to as many as I can during this incredibly trying time.
www.laurenelisereeves.com/submissions to contact me directly for questions or requests.