I arrived at the airport in Coffs Harbor NSW Australia at 5:00 am on the morning of March 16, 2020, only to discover my flight to Sydney had been cancelled a couple hours prior. Rescheduled to an early afternoon flight, I would miss my international flight that day, first to LAX and then home to the Northern California area.
Nothing to do but go back and sleep for a couple more hours, and then back to the airport and to a hotel in Sydney to await the next day. Traveling home in a pandemic was probably one of the moments in my life that was simply terrifying. But, when faced with a situation in which I was both desperate to get home, and yet fearful of a 14 hour flight with coughing passengers— my need to get home prevailed. Actually, getting on the plane was about my only choice.
The next two weeks were agonizing as well. I took my temperature daily, and upon waking would first take stock of my body. Was I well? Did I feel like I was running a fever or had a cough? By nothing short of a miracle, I was well. I am fine. That has left me feeling so grateful to be alive, and feeling like I must continue to try and do good in the world where I can, and to continue to make art and teach. To thrive.
I lost all of my income this quarter of 2020 for the most part. The cruise to Alaska is cancelled, as well as the other teaching opportunities I count on. But I know I can survive that, and I just need to reconfigure my business model. The pandemic has reset my life.
I received many requests for online teaching this month. Students who were looking forward to their classes with me are feeling as disappointed as I am.
Thus online workshops are underway! I am planning the curriculum (always a teacher!), with thoughts of bringing you—the student—into my studio via video camera. It may be yet one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching I have done, just short of sitting down in a chair next to someone trying the technique for the first time, and offering gentle suggestions and lots of praise and encouragement. Online workshops will begin mid-May 2020. I’ll invite you to work with me, as the weeks progress. I’ll support you via email—in which you can send me a snapshot of your work to get feedback.
Together we can move forward, in the world that the pandemic has shaped for us. For those of us lucky enough to be able to stay home and stay well, this is an opportunity for personal growth. I hope you are as excited about that as I am.
The picture I have added to this post is a work in progress since arriving home. It kept me sane, and the peaceful scene of the rocks in the stream, their edges worn smooth by the tumult of the water reminds me that life does in fact stress us all, but by perseverance and strength we can become something beautiful.
Rocks in a Stream, in progress. Derived from a Ken Miracle photo.