When Boredom Reigns....

The pandemic lockdown has certainly revealed an increase in online activity from people seeking some sort of distraction - or connection. Throughout history pandemics have radically disrupted life and nature to an extreme and that has and will always be interpreted by those who practice any of the Arts. Call it 'therapy' or proclaim them 'sages', the Arts and Artists who have entertained you these last two months did so for their own need for expression or release - and in some unique fashion, accelerated a wider burst of creativity in redefining new ways to remain 'connected'. From 'tiny desk' style concerts in artist's homes to 'virtual Public Art' to online Museum exhibits, those who create or those who administrate the Arts have risen to the challenge of a lockdown - the anithesis of how an artist makes their livelihood and more like the solitude seen as they create their Art. Yet they share it freely and might even humbly ask for a Venmo or PayPal donation like a food delivery driver holding out their hands to receive a tip. The need to emote balanced with the need for connection empowers them - and drives them. A new survey of 10,000 American artists conducted by Artist Relief found that 62% are now fully unemployed. These artists very much feel the way you or I might during these unique times; filled with skepticism or doubt or concern. But amidst this dire news there is still an inner need they feel - or perhaps they are really just 'listening' - and then they respond in ways that assuage the need for a fellow 'self-imprisoned cellmate' to find distraction amongst the chaos. Illness is often a singular experience. In a pandemic, the entire human 'family' gets it like parents of a toddler when school is in session. This is a time to remember our place in the human family . . . and as we redfine 'essential' it is most clear that when we return to 'normalcy' and social distancing is a thing of the past, we all remember who and what we sought out when Boredom Reigned. The Arts connect us. The Arts comfort us. The Arts stimulate our emotions so life is felt and is not just tolerated. Let us respect that 'reality-cum-fact' when our new 'normal' reignites and remember to pay artists handsomely for the value we found in the Arts when we were forced to look at life's challenges to find life's true joys. ~JRA