Some thoughts and observances on isolation and time management; kind of. Note: I absolutely did not proofread this article very much.
A piece I made while isolated.
What is worth? Not self-worth that’s another article, but worth in the eyes of everyone else. Imagine a world where you weren’t judged by your value. Again not your self assessment but the value others hold you in. Imagine a world where people didn’t look at you and think, what can I get from this person? What can I inherit? How will my status grow by my association to this individual?
Most of you are saying this could never happen. This is a fairytale made up bullshit utopia which we will never or could never reach as a society. However I think the argument could be made that we live in it currently. Even if its during quarantine where friends barely interact and strangers try not to breath when a person walks within six feet of em’. In these moments alone, the people that come to mind and the ones we Facetime (or Zoom or Google Hangout or whatever the fuck) we value for their good company keeping skills!
My wife and I have been in quarantine now for 11 days. I’ve been on a single grocery mission since. I went with gloves, a mask, a hat and my wardrobe is a little wild so people generally stay away from me anyway. At self check out things did get a little hairy. A couple kids moving by quickly I barely dodged contact but overall, it was a successful mission. On the walk home stopped at a red light I overhear one side of a conversation, heavy Brooklyn accent.
“Oh well okay! If you ever wanna go on a walk or something let me know. I mean I’d go with anybody!”
I turn around and this is coming from a full grown middle aged Italian man. In Brooklyn 2020 I witnessed a man over 50 admit* that he was l o n e l y.
*Kind of. Anyway you get my point.
This time of isolation can bring someone to realize the things they took for granted in good old regular life and for many chief among them is community. For others the area they took for granted is their religion. And now away from distractions in a way, (not including children) their God is retaking the top seat of priorities in life. Speaking of children, for many it may be their families becoming the priority again. There are also some who haven’t had this much time to think because they’re working from home as well as being stuck there. I know it seems like I’m going on but I’m not in a rush. Are you?
Screengrab Twitter
For artists and freelancers its been an interesting few weeks. All of our income came to a halt pretty much immediately. Film project cancellations and “pauses” came in all at once. The day the NBA shut down I woke up with 6 gigs on the calendar in the coming two months and a Knicks game that evening. By the time my head hit the pillow I had two (which cancelled in the coming days) and the NBA season was over. I tweeted that my Baron Fig 2020 planner book was a bad purchase this year. Not because I don’t love it. I do. However I’m home so I don’t really plan my day. I barely do as it is, SO I THOUGHT!
Once you fill out the forms and applications for grants and money and bullshit and track down the last couple grand that’s in the wind with that one client that thinks its ok to write the check on the 30th day of a net30 contract. After you do all that, you find yourself with the one thing you thought you had none of; time. Will we ever have time like this again? Obviously for atrocious reasons and hopefully we won’t have time like this again anytime soon. But as we all do our part by staying in doors and/or away from others, let’s find value the time that has presented itself.
Suddenly the planner that I thought was a terrible waste of money was filling up with art projects and script ideas and podcast topics and painting time and all of these things I didn’t have time for before. Why? Because of their value. None of these things bring me monetary value, so I can’t afford to use my time this way. To return to my original thought, what if we valued things and people differently? Specifically, by different measure.
Just some quick thought as I wrap this up. Also an apology to Baron Fig. Your planner is awesome.
I began this article with the title “Freedom of Experimentation”. One of those stories that stayed in the draft folder for two months because I was unsure of my overall message.
“Another One” — DJ Khaled voice.
I know my intent was to talk about the fear of being a jack of all trades but fear not because fuck opinions, its about the process yada yada… I had trouble finishing it. I paced around the apartment, had a meal, smoked a little but kept coming to a blank mind and blank page. I think the reason why I found it difficult was because of the content. My original story was to speak to the fear of creating; something I was feeling a bit heavier at the time I suppose. However due to our current city conditions and our assignment of staying home, I feel incredibly inspired to create. My fear has moved on to much larger things. It no longer resides with potential critics. For the time being at least.
So get in there! Think of all the things that have been on your list. I realize not everyone feels free to create so I of course inspire you to try again. However for everyone, what are those things you’ve been meaning to get done that once its accomplished you’ll feel overwhelmingly good. Paint. Clean the garage. Accomplish something worth it with this time. It seems like we’ll have more of it than we anticipated and for one reason or another, don’t know when we’ll get it again.
My last article I left you with a song video. I think that’s my thing now. I received this in my email this afternoon from my friend, actor and filmmaker Fenton Lawless. Stay the fuck home everyone.