Arts Intranet

This is an unprecedented time in our history—one I’m still processing and reacting to as things change every day. I’m reminded how grateful I am to still have a job I love and basic necessities such as food, electricity, and technology (especially to connect with loved ones). This experience also has taught me several important lessons and reminded me why I chose a career in the arts to begin with: creating is essential to mental health and provides an opportunity for human connection.

It’s incredible to note how the arts sector is mobilizing around the issues we’re facing as a result of this pandemic. In Indianapolis where I live, our local arts agencies have been transparent and communicative about gathering funding, resources, and support for our arts economy. There are weekly meetings to stay in touch with arts leaders and the arts community. Artists and organizations are collaborating on virtual experiences. There’s even a hashtag that documents how much the arts are still moving forward in our community (#IndyKeepsCreating). People are rallying around the arts, donating money, collecting data, creating artwork, hosting live performances, and even collecting shared stories and histories around this experience to add to museum collections. It’s no coincidence that people are using the arts to stay connected to each other. The arts have always had a way of bringing people together, and this has been true even before we hit a global pandemic.

As someone who works in the arts sector, it’s been invigorating to observe how strong our arts community truly is, but I still find myself struggling to be creative (an issue I was already dealing with before the pandemic hit). I started putting a lot of pressure on myself when this all started that I should be creating and documenting this rare time in our lives. Nina Simone’s words have been ringing through my mind: “An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times.” I really had to take a step back and ask myself why I felt like creating was such a burden.

Being stuck at home has really forced me to use this time to slow down, and I’ve had no choice but to embrace it. I found myself being much more self-reflective and, as a result, creating in other ways—using random ingredients in my kitchen to cook a new recipe and spending time in my backyard closely observing and listening to nature (thank you, spring!). These experiences have been extremely beneficial for my self-care and helped me come to the realization that I am still creating, even if it doesn’t look the same. Simply existing and reconnecting to my environment can still help me grow creatively and as an arts leader. By slowing down, I’m learning to relinquish control, work on my mental health, really listen and connect with others, and lead with empathy, compassion, and understanding. I make sure I talk to my team several times a day and truly ask how they’re doing and what they’ve been up to. We take time to share our victories and frustrations with how this crisis has impacted our arts organization, but also take time to discuss what we’re creating/reading/watching. It’s never been more evident how important it is to take care of ourselves in order to grow in our practice. My current COVID mood is embracing that I don’t have to be creative to create right now.

This blog is part of a series of reflections on the COVID-19 health crisis by Americans for the Arts’ Arts and Culture Leaders of Color Fellowship 2019 cohort.