My advice on how to cope with Coronavirus?
(self-interested, from the point of view of a handmade furniture designer, of course)
Advice in a moment.
FIRST, Let's listen to...
The Predictions of Swami Semi-Seriousa Obviousa, Mystical Master of What is Right-Before-Our-Eyes (WIRBOE)!
...Today's Predictions for the Future and our New Normal....
...and then decide how to react...
Ahem
Things will Change
Predictions will Change
Predictors will Predict their Predictions will Change
Then the New Normal will be Obvious in Retrospect
Celebrities will crowd rehab clinics suffering from Public Attention Deprivation Syndrome
TikTok will be prescribed as an antidepressant
Justin Bieber will grow, and look, old
After a patch of social and political unrest over this Summer and Fall, the global economy will collapse, producing shortages, maybe a war or two, and a metric shit-ton of bewilderment, uncertainty, hoarding and crime, and lots of clinging to what no longer exists: "I can't believe" will begin every sentence, as it nearly already does.
N95 face mask designs will evolve options: they will come in colors, patterns. They will feature holes or access ports for smiling, talking, yelling, smoking, and breathing
With no companies hiring, millions of new single-owner businesses will pop up. Local (and cashless) economies will flourish
Public arts, concerts, fairs, spectator sports, large restaurants, malls, cities, subways, planes, brothels, elevators, health, and any other public-oriented economy of scale will grow unfashionable, and shrink
All that is public will fall, all that is private will rise
Our hunger to connect will push digital innovation like a tsunami. Virtual reality and online gaming worlds will become the model for retail sales, for the few of us who still have income
Our homes will evolve from simple sanctuaries into complex socially-satisfying environments
Goodbye living room and dining room (they have been yawns since the 1950's anyway)
Hello home offices, workshops, exterior dining areas, stages for video conference socializing
Hello communal living
We will spend more time at home with friends and family. Because they matter the most
But the greatest transformation of all will be Marie Kondo: she will start to recommend buying and collecting a shit-tons of objects to give you more joy at home, because we can't find it in public much any more.
...
My advice on how to respond to the Global Coronavrius Pandemic:
Give away your mass-manufactured household goods. Cleanse your house of meaninglessness. Stop living with it. Acquire objects that have soul. Fill your living space with lots of things that produce and lead to joy through meaningful connections. In short,
Feather your nest thoughtfully
Your walls, your floors, your furnishings, your tools, your art make up your constant inanimate company, and the company we keep has an influence on who we are.
Consider well-designed objects, not made for maximized profit, but for beauty and usefulness.
Consider handmade objects, unique and personal, made with care and thought.
These objects have life and presence. They last longer and work better, justifying their initial expense. They add to your life, rather than burden it.
They have a personal origin--someone designed it. Someone made it. You can know that person.
Thriving in life comes from our personal connections--this global lockdown is reminding us of this in a major way. The objects we live with don't have to all be dead ends in this regard. They can all have a bit of life and soul.
Even the simplest things can have soul. Your kitchen knives are likely manufactured, impersonal. Maybe the brand is fashionable. How about a kitchen knife made by hand by an artist, such as my good friend Adam Simha? I've known him since high school, admire his furniture design, and cherish the paring knife he made for me (it's a beautiful kitchen tool, works beautifully, and reminds me of him). Ask about his musical skills and knowledge, and you might be surprised. Here's a moment of personal connection and working joy each time you make a meal.
Even your T-shirts can be handmade works of art. Wake up and put on something that was made by my good friend Richard Pike. He is a South African artist and teacher who lives in Southern India. Richard has one heck of a great sense of humor, and cooks the best barbecued chicken I have ever tasted. Ask him, and he will tell you about each piece he designs and turns into a T-shirt or tote bag.
My excellent friend Peter Kahane, through his company AMEICO curates thoughtful design in everything from lamps and carpets to clocks, toys, sunglasses, historical reproductions, even designer face masks. Read about how he finds these items, what he looks for, and how he brings them together in his collection. You might not reach him on the phone, but you're surely talk to one of the wonderful team members in the photo at the bottom of their home page. They all have names and personalities!
If you live in Bridgewater, CT, consider the delicious home-grown fruits, vegetables and home-raised chickens from my good friend Jonathan Lindblom at Sunny Meadow Farm. If you come across Jon, ask him about his painting work and old tractors. If no one is around, shop in a store that trusts you to leave money for what you take.
These are just a few of the artists, artisans and thoughtful-object-curators that I know. In your neighborhood, and online, there are likely many more, found if you take a moment to look.
Consider the personal connections you have with objects that belonged to your parents or grandparents.These memories and relationships reside in the object, and the object reminds you of them.
When you know the person who made your dining table, and made it to specifically fit your style and the space it lives in; when you know who grew your food, where they grew it, and how they did it; when the tools you use to prepare your meals, the plates you eat from; when all your objects have a story and a person behind them that you know -- this is a better kind of private world and living, and it's worth the extra effort and expense.
The barriers have long been cost, availability, and time. Now that our discretionary expenses are no longer taxed by restaurants and concerts, and we suddenly have much more time on our hands, my advice is to seek out artists, makers and designers who can give the objects in your life more soul.
The Coronavirus is taking a horrible toll on us all -- especially those of us losing loved ones to the disease; those losing work with no easy prospects of another job; those in jobs that expose us to infection; and so much more. As we can, we need to reach out and help our neighbors. The pandemic is, of course, taking its toll on artisans and craftsmen. But going forward, into the New Normal, I hope we all can benefit from the thoughtful feathering of our nests, both makers and patrons.
And sure, I'd love to make you a dining table. Just drop me a line.
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