The artist in the time of Coronavirus
Hello friends,
How are you doing? Right now we are in the middle of a global epidemic that is affecting everyone in the world. As we speak the Corona virus is still spreading, and in addition to the devastating cost of lives, there are economic consequences of this both immediately, and that we haven't seen yet. Many people have lost their income, and many have or will lose their businesses because of the quarantine. Not only that, but because of the social distancing measures we are asked to take, people are lonely right now—and frightened. As the situation grows more serious people are feeling more and more out of control.
We are living in a very unique time in history. My heart breaks for the world right now going through so much pain, uncertainty and upheaval. As I sat quietly in prayer and mediation this morning, I heard a question. What do you want to give the world during this time? How can your talents as an artist bring hope, bravery, meaning, courage, and beauty to the world? How can they tell a story that inspires hope? Artists have a powerful responsibility- a sacred duty- to inspire a frightened world right now. So I wanted to give a message of hope in the midst of all that we are going through. As we are in our homes for a long period of time, how can we use this time?
First, this pandemic I think is teaching us the value of human life and what really matters. Life and love are the most important thing—something people are realizing all over the globe. They matter more than profit, keeping a schedule, or self-interest. People's hearts are open right now and they understand that the most important thing is love. This is a beautiful consequence—the coming together of the world in this way. I want to read a poem that was written called “Lockdown” by someone named Brother Richard (I couldn't find any more information on the name), but I thought it captured something really beautiful about this time:
Yes there is fear.
Yes there is isolation.
Yes there is panic buying.
Yes there is sickness
Yes there is even death.
But, they say that in Wuhan after so many years of noise, you can hear the birds again. They say that after just a few weeks of quiet,
The sky is no longer thick with fumes.
But blue and grey and clear.
They say that in the streets of Assisi,
People are singing to each other
across the empty squares,
keeping their windows minded-so that those who are alone
may hear the sounds of family around them.
They say that a hotel in the West of Ireland
Is offering free meals and delivery to the housebound.
Today a young woman I know
is busy spreading fliers with her number
through the neighborhood
So that the elders may have someone to call on.
Today churches, synagogues, mosques and Temples are preparing to welcome
and shelter the homeless, the sick, the weary
All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting
All over the world people are looking at their neighbors in a new way
All over the world people are waking up to a new reality
To how big we really are
To how little control we really have
To what really matters
To love
So we pray and we remember that
Yes there is fear.
But there does not have to be hate.
Yes there is isolation.
But there does not have to be loneliness.
Yes there is panic buying.
But there does not have to be meanness.
Yes there is sickness
But there does not have to be disease of the soul.
Yes there is even death.
But there can always be a rebirth of love.
Wake to the choices you make as to how to live now.
Today, breathe.
Listen, behind the factory noises of your panic
The birds are singing again
The sky is clearing
Spring is coming,
We are always encompassed by Love
And though you may not be able to touch across the empty square, Sing.
So now I want to address you specifically as an artist, just to ask some questions about how you might use this time.
It's a time of “pause,” and to some of you, although you might not admit it, it feels like relief. If you've ever had the wish to stop the world and get off of it for a while, this it as close and you're going to get. Embrace that feeling and get the rest you need. Sleep for 14 hours a day if you want to and get all the rest that you've been craving. Take long walks in the woods or by the sea and remember the feeling you had as a child of being delighted to be alive, without any pressure to perform or get things done. Feel again the joy of just being, with no responsibilities and no sense of time.
And, as an artist, being homebound is a perfect chance to dream up new work. Allow yourself the freedom to doodle in your sketchbook for hours while listening to your favorite music, draw your family members, or nature. Imagine your greatest works and spend time creating them. Embrace the total immersion in your art and let this immersion propel you into a deeper relationship with it. Ask yourself, what do I want to give the world during this time? What do I want to look at? What ideas do I want to put forth?
Also, embrace the total focus that comes with an absolute lack of fear of missing out. There is absolutely NOTHING that you are missing out on! The most interesting thing going on is happening right inside your home. There are no exhibitions you are missing, no parties you've missed out on, no guilt that you “should be” going out more, networking more, or pushing yourself socially. This total focus means that you can catch up on whatever you need to catch up on. Imagine yourself as a chrysalis, protected and cocooned. This time can be a transformation if you let it. Imagine emerging in a few weeks or months totally transformed into a beautiful butterfly, ready to fly!
Also, take a moment to realize that we are all human beings alive on this planet, and that status is an illusion. We are all the same when you get down to it. Movie stars are getting the virus—and the Met Gala has been cancelled! Even the most famous, most successful people in the world are still just people like you and I. It's a good reminder that we are all equally valuable on this earth, and that your voice as an artist is important in this time. Your vision can shine in this dark time and be a light for people.
It might also be fun to make a list of things you want to do once we are out of quarantine. In our society up until this happened the main thing we complained about was not having enough time in the day. Well, now we have all the hours! So, use this time to catch up on everything you've been wanting to do that requires you to focus in isolation—like painting, writing a book, decluttering your house, getting all your art inventory up online, organizing your inventory, or any other creative project. Think of something you have been wanting to do for a while but put it off because “you don't have time.” Well, you have it now!
You could also think of this as a home residency. Pretend that you are in a residency and have a month to make 10 pieces (or however many feels good to you). Then you can take long hours of uninterrupted time to create this suite of works, so you're able to hit the ground running once we are out of quarantine! How amazing would it be to have a group of pieces you feel really proud of once we emerge into society again? This is actually something I've decided to work on... since so much emphasis is on isolation right now, I got interested in the idea of selfies, and how they are records people make recording their own existence, and creating beauty within their own small world. So I'm going to be creating a bunch of “Selfie” drawings of different women... we will see how many I can get done before being let out of the house!
So yes, while you are doing your thing in the house, you can also make a list of all the things you want to do once we are out of it! This can be a time to redesign your life outside of the house. Brainstorm things you've always dreamed of doing and write it down! It can help you to look forward to life once this is over. A few of mine are, horseback-riding on the beach, swimming in the California beaches, having an art show in New York, getting involved in the acting world again, taking a weekend to visit the Salt Flats in Utah, which if you don't know what that is just look it up... it's what looks like an extremely reflective ocean meeting the sky, so it seems like you're walking in the clouds! It's totally magical.
You can also use this time to up-level your environment. Like think of your house as a reflection of your inner world, and start by getting rid of anything that doesn't serve you any more. You can rearrange, put things in bags to donate, gather wildflowers and make beautiful little corners of your rooms with beautiful objects that you love. If you do it with delight and creativity instead of self punishment, it can really be a fun thing to do!
So, I would love to know what you are working on right now during this time of quarantine! Share it in the Facebook group. We are all in this together!
If you are an artist I also have a gift for you, and that is my Visioncasting mini-course and worksheet I've created. So the purpose of this gift is a way for you to get clarity on where you see your work headed this year, planning it all out, and overcoming barriers that have stopped you in the past. It's really about clarity. In the free Visioncasting mini course I cover making money from your art, how to take inspiration from your artistic heroes and heroines, thinking of the big picture, shifting the way you think of yourself, how to set yourself up for good studio habits, and how to plan out your year as an artist—as much as we can in this time! This is TOTALLY FREE and is available by clicking here. If you're stuck at home this is definitely the time to do some introspection about the direction you'd like your work to go in, and creating some good studio habits.
If you're looking for something a little more, I have created an online video course called Discovering Your Artistic Voice, which is an immersive, more comprehensive course that really is meant to help you shape your strongest style and body of work. This can all be done from home, as the worksheets and videos can all be done from your laptop, and the artistic exercises and assignments can be done at your own pace, in the comfort of your home—in quarantine! It's a deeply immersive and introspective video course, really mean to pull out of you the essence of what you're trying to say artistically in your work, and helping you shape that. I created it to help you discover and strengthen your unique style as an artist and create your best and most authentic body of work yet. If you're interested in this course, I am doing a special pricing right now, so go ahead over and check it out by clicking here.
Lastly, if you’re really ready to overturn your mindset and transform your art career from the inside out, you might consider my 3 month private one on one coaching course, The Artist Soul Mastery Academy. If you think this could be right for you, shoot my an email at jlibor@jessicalibor.com and we’ll get you set up for a 30 minute free explore call!
So those are some of the things you might consider doing as you move forward in this quarantine time, to look at things in a positive way and really use this time to create something new within yourself and for the rest of the world to see.
In the meantime, imagine this time as a precious gift. Stay healthy and radiant, visionaries!
With light, love and creativity,