Stop the Madness

Like most people, I’ve had enough of this fucking pandemic. While we (myself and my family) have been spared of all of the negative physical effects of COVID-19, there is no question that - like many - we have experienced negative effects on our mental health.

When the pandemic broke, I had just started a fantastic new job. While I’ve been able to work from home, endless Zoom meetings and emails are hardly a replacement for face-to-face interaction with colleagues. Consequently, my productivity, like that of many, people, has fallen. Yes, I have good days and bad, but in the main, I’m nowhere near as engaged with my work as I usually am.

The pandemic has also taken away my creativity. Of course, the lack of travel is a huge part of it. But I’ve been utterly uninspired to do anything creative, and no doubt this has further exacerbated my poor mental state. On top of all this, we’re under a stay-at-home order, so my ability to actually go anywhere to be creative is severely curtailed.

On Monday Feb 15 *, I received some bad job related news. Nothing major; nothing that can’t be addressed. But not the news I wanted.

I needed to get out. So I grabbed my Fujifilm GFX50S and Pentax-A SMC 35/3.5 and headed out. No direction. Just not at home. After a couple of hours of aimless driving, I ended up at the McMichael Gallery in Kleinburg, Ontario (about 30 min north of Toronto). The gallery itself is, of course, closed. However the walking trails that encircle the actual gallery remain open.

I took some photographs. They’re ok. But that’s not really what this is about. I got out of the house and made something.

Small steps. The madness is nearly over. I hope.

* On Tuesday Feb 16, I received yet more bad job related news. This one a bit more major, though still not (yet) catastrophic. Might need another walk soon.