No one saw it coming. Before we knew it, the pandemic has taken over our lives. Who would have thought that a time when almost every establishment, even the ones that stayed functional during the busiest holidays, would close down? Who would have thought that schools would cease operating? Who would have thought that things that seemed to only happen in the movies would eventually find their way into our lives? And now, despite it being the case for more than a year, we are still barely getting used to this ‘new normal’.
The pandemic was and still is a huge blow to everyone, especially for the creatives. The creative industry that mostly thrives on events, productions, and gatherings suddenly found too much time in its hands. The usual fast-paced environment that allowed little to no time to rest stood still, catching everyone in surprise. There was even a time when people thought the industry was dying and it could have. However, as creatives, we are bound to challenge the norms and this ‘new normal’ is not an exception.
Slowly, we began to adapt. Office workers have slowly transitioned to work from home setups. Meetings that usually happened in conference rooms and cafés were now done over apps we never even considered using before all of this happened. Events, concerts, and even conferences have now utilized online platforms as their medium. Everything as know it, things that we have been doing for years, has now changed. It was difficult, yes. We needed to find new ways and we needed to do it fast. Some succeeded and there were those who needed more time.
It was tough and it will still be tough for the years to come. However, now that we have broken through the first stages, there is no other way but forward, and forward we will go.
Photos from our video production in Batangas for UNFPA Philippines