lists and resources for artists, freelancers, and workers during the covid-19 crisis
staying connected while staying at home
I have no idea what to write today.
Actually, that’s not true. I have a ton of ideas but every time I start down one avenue, I have another idea which seems so much more IMPORTANT and so I start down that avenue…
Repeat.
I feel torn between doing nothing and doing everything.
No middle ground.
There is one thing I’d like to do today (besides binge-watch prestige television) and that’s write fiction.
Actually, that’s not true. I don’t want to write fiction so much as I want the book which is currently taking up residence in my brain outta there. But the problem is that it’s coming to me in images and not words.
In other words, this story seems to be speaking to me in a language I don’t fully understand yet, and I’m trying to figure out how to get it down before it floats away.
I suspect that you have your own version of that.
Can you dedicate 20 minutes a day to that project that scares you—the one that feels too big and daunting—and trust that you don’t need to figure it out just yet?
My follow-up questions is, “Um, you just suggested that all these nice people do something you’re not even sure you can do!”
But I’m going to try. After I send out this newsletter, I’m going to sit down and write a 5-page letter to my friend, writing coach, and “plot whisperer” Scott Reynolds about the shape of the book. While Scott’s area of specialty is screenwriting and sitcom writing, this is a man who gets story in a way that transcends medium and genre. He’s helped this dreamy novelist a great deal when it comes to making my stories more active and dynamic.
Now! While you’re chipping away at that big monster project and trying not to OD on Twitter and cable, you may be yearning for creative projects that aren’t so solitary. Your industry may have been hard hit and you’re looking for resources and opportunities. Or you might just be looking to connect, period.
Here’s what’s on my radar right now:
Playwright and actor Tanya Everett has put together a terrific list of resources for artists and freelancers.
Another comprehensive list of freelance artist resources, as well as a free upcoming webinar on March 16th, from COVID-19 & Freelance Artists. Thanks, Sarah Davis, for sharing!
One more great list of links and tips for freelancers or for anyone whose job or financial status has been affected by the virus outbreak (AKA all of us). Thanks to Elizabeth Starkey for the tip!
A blogging renaissance! Indoor Voices, founded by Kyle Chayka, Kevin Nguyen, and Bijan Stephen is full of “stuff to read while you’re trying not to go viral.”
Since the UCB shut down theaters as a precautionary measure, UCB’s Dominique Nisperos stepped up with a #dailysketchoffchallenge on Instagram.
Poet Becca Klaver has launched a poetry site called Across the Social Distances. (Thanks to Lauren Besser for the recommendation!)
Improviser and improv teacher Amey Goerlich has been teaching and performing improv virtually for years now. Last night she hosted virtual live improv, and I bet she has a lot more wisdom to offer about how improvisers can stay connected across the wires.
And, of course, for all of us who also work in service and whose work and lives are made possible because of service workers, check out the mutual aid network, the service worker’s coalition. (Thanks to Tessa Claire Hersh for the link!)
xoxo,
Sarah
As always, please feel free to send recommendations, suggestions, or info about what creative projects you’re up to. If I can weave em in to whatever I’m writing about each week, I will!