I wanted to share something nice that happened. I decided to partake in a creative exercise that was organized by a coworker. Since I work at Adobe, it’s to be expected that the exercise would involve using apps, drawing, and color.
The prompt was: Take a walk in your neighborhood and use Adobe Capture to snapshot some colors to use later. Then draw a postcard.
This is what I ended up with:
and the timelapse video:
I decided to share it with my local community on Nextdoor (a social network for neighborhoods). In my mind, I figured the people who lived on my street would be happy to see such recognizable fixtures showcased. I could not have imagined the positive reception that this post would garner.
Over 200 hundred people interacted with my post and it accumulated more than 80 kind, heart-warming, encouraging, and loving comments.
My favorite responses were requests for their houses to be drawn, a neighborhood child’s drawing, and just so many kind messages from neighbors I never met before the COVID-19 outbreak.
It’s mind-blowing how a small gesture of solidarity was met with an astounding show of affection and love. But I think a part of me keeps forgetting that we’re living through an unprecedented global event. A pandemic is not something that just touches any single life, but every person on the planet (except those remote and distanced from modern society -hopefully-). For once in our current history, we have an event that will become a cultural link to every other human on Earth. Not a pseudo-exercise in empathy, but a test. To not only love ourselves and our circumstances but see ourselves through others.
To share, to give, to listen, to respect and to dream of a world that has more to offer than debt, fear, prejudice, or violence.
I don’t know many of you who visit my blog, not intimately, but my heart goes to you, your families. and your friends. I hope that in this scary time you find a way to shower yourself with love. Nobody expects you to use this “quarantine” as some kind of vacation, self-improvement bootcamp, or startup incubator and neither should you. I don’t have children, I have the fortune to be employed, and I am not in jeopardy of losing my home or health. So I am here to listen and to give as much love as I can because I know it’s hard to feel it when it feels like the world is crumbling.
It is the honor of those that have more, to give and give and give and give.
And if you want, and are so inclined, send me a picture of your house or your street or your pet or your wall or anything and I will draw a postcard for you to e-mail to your friends. Or at the very least, I hope to hear/read your stories too! ❤
XOXO,
Meli
P.S.: There is really no right or wrong way of “being” in this unique and crazy time. However, you’re wrong if you’re hoarding/price gouging, not practicing social distancing, or attacking people 😬
Illustrated by Meli 