Four stories of positivity and resilience
Photography Maddalena Vatti
Lockdown anniversary: four creatives looking ahead to the future with lessons learned and resolutions forged
After a year of lockdown a lot of things have changed. Some say our brains have been rewired, and not necessarily for the worst. Four creatives strike a balance of their 2020, determined to take a few wisdom pills forward into 2021.
Some names have been changed to preserve anonymity.
‘I will finally write the childrens’ book I’ve been planning for years’
2021 has arrived in the form of 2020’s younger, slightly prettier and quite possibly more menacing little sister. However, despite her unpredictable nature, I have decided to grab her by her devil horns and jump right up.
During most of 2020 I was out of work, tending to a jungle of overpriced house plants, walking my traumatised, vaguely violent rescue dog and feeling sorry for myself; I am manifestly more brain dead and spherical as a result.
2021 signals the beginning of new beginnings: same old me, but perhaps a slightly happier and less stationary one.
First of all, until my employment status changes, I will apply for at least 5 jobs a day. This includes the harassment of any creative director who is unlucky enough for me to find their personal details online.
I will stop binging on sticky toffee pudding at 2am in my bed in front of my 48th episode of NCIS that day.
I will do at least one creative brief a day. (finding @OneMinuteBriefs has made this one quite easy).
I will finally write the children’s book I’ve been planning for 16 years of my life.
I have also decided to stop finding people so annoying, whether it be the slow-ass shopper lingering in front of the tinned tomatoes for much longer than necessary, for god knows what reason, or the family member beating me at backgammon….
Actually, I might save that last one for 2022.
- Flo, 27, Art Director / Copywriter
@flo_zemanova
‘only doing one thing a day is actually fine’
2020 was eventful. Overnight, life adapted from the rhythm of a supersonic jet to that of a snail on weed. Used to whizzing from work, to drinks, to a rehearsal, to dinner, to another drink, to some random life drawing class I’d committed to – that, for some reason, only known to the New Yorker who organised it, started at 11pm – to an infuriating wait for a delayed filthy subway, to some late night Chinatown snack, to sleep, to repeat, to work, to drinks…Suddenly everything stopped, and I found myself lying on a patch of grass, in the suburbs of London, staring at the sky wondering whether I had died, and trying to figure out whether I was in heaven or hell.
Well, I am still here, and it’s purgatory. As we take a blind turn into this new version of 2020 called 2021, it’s about time I decided where I am. Quite a lot of signposts here in purgatory. It turns out that slowing down does not lead Manhattan to crumple up and disappear into a deep black hole-world governed by rats, lurking beneath the subway. The skies have been bluer than ever before; I’ve felt rested, being tucked up in bed with cocoa at 9:30pm every evening; and I’ve discovered wonderful things, people and places that, it turns out, were right in front of me the whole time. So, my goal now is to push myself around the corner, from purgatory into 2021, taking with me this new found superpower to notice and appreciate the small things right in front of me – like the snail on weed in the garden, and not just the supersonic jet flying overhead – and to accept that only doing one thing in a day is actually fine, and hey, the extra beauty sleep is worth it!
- Natalya Zeman, 31, producer / violinist
@natalya.zeman
“Drink water. Coffee in the AM, beer in the PM”
2020 was a weird one. I lost my job, went back to school online, collaborated with people I’ve never met in person before, dipped into freelance work, and binge-watched so much Below Deck I think I could be a Chief Stew.
Lockdown forced me to overcome a lot of my anxieties head on, like promoting myself online, making new work that would be judged by others, and making my own schedule.
I used to worry about what others would think of my work before I even started. I would overthink and not give myself a chance to just try new things and see what would happen.
I’ve learned that everyone’s busy worrying about their own lives, so chances are they’re not obsessing about your tweet as much as you are. And if they are, they’re not someone you want in your life.
I hate to admit it but if I hadn’t been forced to slow down, I don’t think I would have tackled my anxieties and habits in the same way. I probably would have just continued living day to day instead of confronting my problems head on.
So with that in mind, here are my 2021 resolutions:
Get the ideas in my portfolio made. I want to contact some of the companies I’ve made spec ideas for in my portfolio and make it live.
Start a business. I love coming up with entrepreneurial ideas. It would be cool to see an idea through to the end and enjoyed by others.
Learn to code. I’ve started learning Python. It’s not as scary as I thought.
Exercise. My spine has moulded to the shape of my couch! Now I’m doing one video every morning before I start the day.
Drink water. Coffee in the AM, beer in the PM with two glasses of water before I go to bed has been my routine if I’m honest with myself. I’m forcing myself to drink more H20…even though I get bored of it.
- Alex Bottner, 28, Advertising
@alexandrabottner
‘For the new year, I’m learning to be okay with leaning into the relationships I have around me.’
I used to think being independent was my strongest quality. As a 27 year old living in my third continent, being in survival mode and figuring things out for myself is what I know best: a default. Last year, being physically separated from my family and friends and having work on hold meant that my sense of belonging in New York became more and more distant from me.
Having no purpose in a city which I worked hard to build my life around was isolating and confusing. Naturally, it led me to try and understand what is actually important to me and what I want for myself.
Luckily, falling in love with someone over the internet was the one thing that I was sure of in all of the mess. Even though it was hard not knowing when I would be able to see him, I knew I wanted it; I felt relieved not taking care of everything myself (including feelings); I felt supported.
For the new year, I’m learning to be okay with leaning into the relationships I have around me. I want to invest my time in where I feel most grounded, and even if that means I have to leave my ‘home’ again to be physically closer to my loved ones, knowing that I don't have to do it on my own is my biggest achievement so far.
- Anna, 27, Model / Set Designer
@annatherouxling
