The Heart of the Artist in a Covid World 

It's been just about a year now. 
A year of isolation.
A year of tension.
Confusion.
Political discord.
Social withdrawal.
Division.
Loss.
Apathy. 
And many other side effects and fallout that are unfortunately to be expected given a global-wide pandemic. 

This has not been an easy chapter for our generation, yet will surely prove to be a pivotal period of history for mankind. For this reason, as a mommy of two young ones also facing their own set of change and challenges, the cultural legacy we are building in our response to this difficult time is crucial in the way I want them to perceive the world as we take this journey together. 

This is not the Earth's first pandemic and unfortunately it won't be the last. The trials of mankind fill history books and religious texts from the dawn of time and are still counting... Yet the one thing that has always spoken a universal language and has prevailed, uniting every worldview, is art. 

Art, in any medium, is a gift that we have been blessed with. It's intimate, vulnerable, valuable. It can speak with or without words, and the story it tells is subjective, meaning it can reach an aspect of your soul entirely different than mine, The most beautiful work can be born out of the deepest tragedies. It's an emotional release for the artist, and can be redemptive in nature for the perceiver. It brings life-saving color to a black and white world, bridging the gaps between that which we may not understand. 
Art is persistent. It survives, emerging out of the rubble of lost civilizations to tell the story of its creator and their world, 

As this historic period of time unfolds, one of the beautiful aspects of it that I bear witness to every day (thanks to the connectivity of social media), is the steady stream of artists of all mediums, celebrities and unknown, who have spent this aspect of isolation pouring into their craft, delivering content direct from their hearts to yours. These artists, self included, are offering you their art as a gift of reprieve, but also as a gift to themselves. By design, it provides a means to release the emotions and complexities within us. 

Speaking on behalf of the musicians, singers, songwriters and musical adventurers, the live music industry has taken an undeniable hit this past year - from small clubs and bars to concert halls, large venues, and festivals. This doesn't only effect the artists we know and love, but also the myriad of production and support crews it takes to bring our music to life. 

I believe that we will get back to "the way it used to be," eventually. But I believe it's going to take time and patience. And that's ok. There is wisdom in cautiousness, but in the meantime, one of the most loving and important things you can do for the artists you know and love is to support the creative endeavors they are using this time to embark upon. They are doing what they were made to do, to bring color to a world that is ever so grey and muddy right now. We need the artists to tell our stories, to paint our emotions, to communicate the things we struggle to understand, and to provide a reprieve from the noise. Their work is forever important and will stand the test of time for centuries beyond us. 

How can you support your artist friends and strangers? Encourage them, buy their goods if you can, share their work with others, pay attention to the time, love, pain, details, thought, and personal investments they poured into their craft, and let it speak to you. 

We need the artists, and they need you. 

Be blessed and stay safe, 

Yours Truly, 
~SJ