With events being cancelled or postponed left right and centre, the river of freelance work is running dry. Mass gatherings – including concerts, festivals and premieres – provide those working in the gig economy with an income. Reviews, interviews and features; empty pages are going to remain empty without the events to attend in the first place. Speakers are going to stay unbooked until this global pandemic blows over. At the heart of our own self-isolations, whether we are stuck at home, obliged to go to work or caught in limbo, we understand that we have to put the most vulnerable in our society first and prevent the virus from getting a true foothold in our population. What can be forgotten, however, are those who will be affected financially. 

 

There is no safety net for anyone self-employed. Musicians and speakers alike are left anxiously in the lurch as phrases like ‘Containment Phase’ ‘Social Distancing’ and ‘Community Transmission’ are repeated during what feels like 24 hour coverage. Freelance journalists are feeling the squeeze as office spaces become ghost towns. There are only going to be so many think pieces published, only so many times an editor working from home is going to say yes. The Pandora’s Box of cashing in on people’s panic will slowly start to trickle onto your timeline. A treasure trove of click-baity titles like ‘My time self-isolating’, ‘I thought I had Coronavirus during the Pandemic’, ‘How I kept sane during Covid-19’ will be found on websites, standing tall with the pre-virus content. 

 

Projects which have been in the works for months like the St Patrick’s Parade are left unfinished, artists never to complete their vision. Festival line-ups like Glastonbury are being tentatively released in the hope that they won’t be the next domino to fall. Galleries and museums have been shut. Arts and culture has been put on hold.

 

All of this is for the greater good and we can all survive a bit of disappointment. How we deal with calamity can be expressed through the art we make. The power of our creativity can help us all not get stuck in a rut of swirling anxious thoughts. From the ‘is0l8ion’ playlists we’re making to the virus memes which are spreading just as virally, we’re all using art to cope in some way, shape or form.

 

So, what can we do in the midst of isolating ourselves? What we need to remember during these bizarre times is that we can support one another. The technology that we’re relying on to keep everything going smoothly can also be used to help one another. Check your freelancer friend’s social media, see if they have a PayPal, throw some money their way. Buy some merch from musicians –  go onto their Bandcamp and buy a few of their songs! Request their music on the radio to get those royalties coming in. Buy art, tote bags, novels, t-shirts, CDs, vinyls. Support your local artists, writers and musicians as we ride out this strange wave together.