This year has been surreal to say the least but I, personally, cannot complain. I was lucky enough to not get ill and, being a closet hermit, meant the quarantine did not affect me much.
While I can’t get my head around the number of people who have lost their lives in this pandemic, not to mention the even bigger number who are worse off physically, mentally and/or monetarily, I feel like I need to focus on the positive things that have come from an otherwise dreadful year.
A number of standard practices had to change due to lockdowns around the world, the biggest ones being working from home, and slamming the brakes on vehicular activity which, among other things, is a contributor to climate change. Now, if you don’t believe in climate change, that’s fine but this isn’t the forum to argue it. We can do that another time over a coffee or a meal when a proper discussion can ensue :)
On the WFH front, many industries that up to this point laughed in the face of anyone who suggested a remote work situation, have managed to pull out all the stops in short order and carry on (almost) as normal. This includes my industry (visual effects).
Now, I’m not going to sit here and say it was cake. It was not. There were challenges, obstacles, frustrations, and extra hours.
We work as teams, sometimes very big teams, and communication between departments is crucial for time sensitive deliveries to clients. I spent more time on video calls than I would normally spend talking to humans on the floor, and this was because in the office my team would be in proximity of each other so you can listen in on relevant conversations, holler out to someone, or look over the shoulders of the crew to see how they’re getting on with their images.
None of the above is happening in my apartment. I’m blind.
We had group catchups twice a day when we looked at images, but who knows what was happening in between! Some could steer off course for half a day or a day before you caught it. If you want to share information that is easier to explain than writing a dissertation on one of five messaging systems, you have to get on a call.
We spent a lot of time on calls.
But, we muddled through. We got a system that worked and, despite ongoing frustrations, we did deliver our show on time. What this proved was that it was possible for an industry obsessed with NDAs (non disclosure agreements), total confidentiality, and team work to work from home.
Studios and facilities getting on board with WFH opens up a world of possibilities, both for the facility who can now increase their crew capacity without having to pay expensive city prices for seats, and for individuals who can have a better work/life balance.
I love my job, I love working but even I couldn’t complain about the extra time I had in the morning to wake up, exercise (maybe), have some breakfast, and ease into my day. I loved making my own meals, being able to calibrate my day to suit how busy it was, and really loved not coming home late every, dang, night. My commute isn’t bad, roughly 45 min door-to-door but when finishing work at 7.30p or later, suddenly my evening is gone by the time I get home.
The combination of talking to people (many) times a day, and being a closet hermit meant that I did not feel the full effect of isolation. I’m only now, after 10 months, beginning to feel the edges of cabin fever creeping in.
Hopefully next year is 100% better than this year, whatever that looks like!
On the pollution front, I only have the information I’ve heard about dirty cities shutting down, cars off streets, planes out of the air, and the immediate effect that had on our skies. I’m hoping that, as with the WFH, industries that chose to put us on a 30-year (or more) plan to less pollution, can use this as a kick-starter to start the change sooner, and bring the timeline in.
I saw a very inspiring film called 2040 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7150512/).
I do understand that there are massive infrastructure issues that need consideration before we all just ‘go green’ but I also know big money industries will not take hits to their money lined pockets for the greater good. The film 2040 sets out how, if we start right now, we can change the world by 2040.
And here is one little way to start, use Ecosia (https://www.ecosia.org/) as your search engine. They plant a tree for each search. I’m in! Are you?
One thing I cannot forget about 2020 is seeing people coming together to support each other whether for the frontline workers, the supporters of Black Lives Matter, people helping their neighbors who were unable to mobilize, people taking the time to talk to friends, family and strangers about their mental health, and any number of other things that remind us of how beautiful we can be.
Finally, I have taken some time (many hours!) to revisit this past year and take account of the good, the bad, and the ugly. There was much more good than I anticipated. If you have the time to assess your year, what are the positives you can take into the next?
