How are you feeling? What are you thinking? What’s happening? Bored, stressed, inspired, uninspired, calm, restless, frustrated, anxious? There’s no “right” way to cope with a pandemic. Reading through these submissions, despite the practical differences of each situation, we felt a reassuring sense of familiarity and gratitude. Maybe you can too.
Terrence Zhou, BA Fashion Design student, Parsons School of Design, New York:
In recent months I faced two painful realities. My home in Wuhan was awash with tragedy and fear. My close family was damaged and lost in unforgiving darkness. That was in early February when I was busy preparing for my final collection. It was hard to ignore what was happening to my city and to my family during that time. I’m glad that Wuhan has relaxed the lockdown and people are back to their normal lives. NYC is ravaged by the coronavirus crisis. Designers and students are suffering. I remember waking up one day and couldn’t help but have a feeling of despair. The number of patients in NY had soared to 200k. Now, more than ever, the physical aspects of my work that link to connection and isolation began to reflect the separation I was facing from my loved ones. My work gives me faith and passion. Being aware of obstacles doesn’t panic me anymore. The importance of understanding and making contact when facing unknown situations is achingly natural. I hope we feel compelled to consider one another, start dropping our barriers and remind ourselves of the importance of being human.
