guys.... oh. My. God....
ok. Ummmm. I am gonna get right down to business. No sugarcoating things. As of now, I feel the need to say something about how the hell 2020 has been so far...
2020 started off like any other normal year. With festivities and new changes to my life that began immediately. And I observed many of my fellow artists release new content or announce lineup changes.... but then, about the middle of February, things got a little bit nutty.... I am not talking like “that’s weird”... I am talking a major WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS GOING ON kind of change... about mid February, it was announced that COVID 19 was becoming hard to contain. Many in China have lost their lives over it and it was beginning to spread around the country... no biggie. One freaking week later, it is in Europe.... in Italy mostly, but it was affecting a lot of people.... Kay. No biggie. I was sure they’d find answers or at least make an effort to stop this. NOPE. Within 3 weeks, it reached America, killed many more people, and is now labeled a global pandemic.... after the end of February,it was merely an emergency.... even though it had apparently been around since December. Like wtf, people? Why did this agreement take so long? Where was the effort to stop people from dying? Or to contain it so it at least didn’t become this bad? Now, 3 months into our new year, the world is pretty much locking down temporarily. A lockdown doesn’t seem like a big deal right? Wrong. like the roaring 20’s, we now have a plague wiping people out... but now we also face another crisis in lockdown.... the economy,after a rough recovery from a previous recession, we are now facing another one. Many are being laid off due to the virus and lockdown. The medical system has been exposed as being pretty fucked up, and on top of all this, the entertainment industry is declining. It is affecting all forms... operas, plays, movie theaters, sports, Broadway, and also TOURING BANDS AND INDIE BANDS. Bands everywhere are canceling or postponing tours due to travel restrictions and to stop the spread of the virus... but this hurts them. Why? When a band goes on tour, they have to pay for a lot of stuff. Some of these things include hotels, food, booking venues, and other expenses along the way that come up. A lot of the band do this out of their pockets or are compensated temporarily by a record company that will pay off the bulk, but then the band sometimes has to reimburse the costs by making ticket sales/ album sales/ merch sales. So yes.... in the end, some bands are most likely going to go into debt from this shutdown of the world. And the travel industry will also fail, as many travel for tours and for work... And now, lockdowns are also preventing some bands from meeting in person for rehearsals and recording. EVERYTHING HAS GONE TO SHIT. Many bands I follow are all putting up Gofundme and Kickstarter campaigns to gain their funds back and plan for better tours... but in these tough times, it may be very difficult to recover. Especially the indie bands around the world.... mine included, as we were just about to start on album production to get things moving along for us. It is a real shame. Alot of my favorite artists are even saying their bands could disband from this.. My band already had to push back a lot. And I did too. But now ALL my solo music video shoot, Band shoots, and releases have to be postponed thanks to regulations in this time. So what now? What do we do?
I am going to go on a limb here. As the situation gets worse, more and more panic buying and fighting and even RACISM are popping up everywhere. During these trying times of seeing people freaking out, fight over insignificant things such as toilet paper, and seeing people be racist toward a group of people who are NOT to blame for any of this, some of us may be wondering how long our sanity will last. Mine personally left eons ago. Before any of this bullshit started happening. But during times like these, we have no choice but to turn to ARTISTS to keep us sane. Whom? ARTISTS. The very people who face turmoil right now from their tour cancellations, performance cancellations, and other forms of being screwed over financially. YEAH. Those People. Aart costs money. Art is crucial for humanity to keep themselves busy and sane during times like these. But what happens when they are unable to create? What will happen when new art cannot surface and we cannot find ways to entertain ourselves? Welp, for one thing, The frikin Purge may start happening and people may start attacking each other on the streets to get supplies.... Especially since TP is having a shortage right now and people keep bulk buying to sell it online for 10x the price. (Bunch of worthless shits making money off people's fear!)
Wanna know how the hell you can help keep art in our world? Wanna knmow how you can prevent the Artpocalypse? Support your artists. Support them. Whether it is sacrificing a little money to back their Gofundme/ Kickstarter campaigns, to buy a shirt or other merch piece, or just frikin watching their youtube/ Spotify content and sharing the shit out of it. Every little bit will help. Support their patreons. Support theiur endeavors to recover. Reassure them. Write to them. Love them, guys. Love your artists. Because someday they may not be here anymore and it will be because they were forced to quit doing the thing they loved. Artists create shit to make YOU happy. They create to spread THEIR message and love to you all. And you can help without having to spend a lot of money. Just streaming them and sharing them on any streaming platform will help them out of this hole. (Me included). Please, everyone. Support us artists in our time of need. My band was about to start producing our album when this crisis hit. Now we are on lockdown and most likely unable to meet often. We want to give you the best content we can. So I reopened my Patreon account to include exclusive content (including unpublished videos and music), livestreams, behind the scenes for Sun Lay Silent, early acces to our content, and the ability to provide feedback and vote on what we should do. More details are explained on my page. If you want to help my guys and I make you an AMAZING first album, this is the best way to help. I promise it won't pout a dent in your finances either, as we get it. We know money is really hard to come by right now for everyone. Streaming our content and mine on Youtube and streaming my Spotify content also really helps. Sharing too. If you choose to support our endeavor, we will be endebted to you always! Every bit will be helping SLS!
Stay strong everyone... And remember, We are in this together! We love you!
Now What can we do about this lockdown thing?
I will personally be hosting livestreams (both hangouts and gaming), hangouts, karaoke, and watch parties so that we can all hang out and entertain each other. I am hoping to get Netflix party installed so that We can watch some good movies together! I also want to mention a few ways you can entertain yourself as well besides hanging with me.
Things to do during lockdown:
1. Bake/ Cook
Comfort food is essential during this time. so make something good.... but if your food supply is low, be careful not to overdo it. Cookies and cake are not too hard to make from scratch. If you have veggies, brew a stew. They can hold up a long time. Food is essential! Eat!
2. Draw/ Paint/ Create
It doesn't hurt to learn something new. The internet has all sorts of tutorials that you can use to learn something new. doesn't hurt to try to learn something creative to keep you occupied. who knows? It may even turn into a hobby! This is actually how i became a musician. Being an introvert has its advantages!
3. Binge watch shows/ Watch Parties
This is the time every introvert has been waiting for. A chance to binge watch all their favorites without worry about time. You have all the time in the world in this time, so why not get into a new tv show!? Netflix has a new thing where you can watch movies with friends in real time and chat! it is called Netflix Party.Get it! you won't regret it! You'll stay connected to your friends and loved ones while watching a movie together!
4. Clean your house.
Chores fucking suck. But this is the time to clean up your place a bit. Maybe make rearrangements that you have been wanting to make or see what you can do to reorganize some stuff. I recently just did some spring cleaning and managed to clear out 2 bags full of clothes i don't use anymore. Now is the time to get this overwith! Ya know?
5. Skype loved ones.
For fucks sake, guys. I cannot emphasize this more. Check in on your family and friends. Especially those at risk right now and cannot leave. They are probably bored out of their fucking minds right now and want company. Skype is a great way to talk to your loved ones. So do it once in a while at least to see how they're holding up!
6. Collaborate with other creators
Chances are, they are just as bored as you are right now. Reach out to your fellow creators. See what they have planned.
7. Play some video games you haven't in awhile
Chances ar that you have some old games laying around somewhere in your home that you have not touched. Or new ones you have not had much time for. Well guess what, the time is NOW. Get to it. Beat Ocarina of Time or Kingdom Hearts again. Catch Pokemon! Become the High King of Skyrim! Die a billion times in Dark Souls or Bloodbourne and rage quit. Do something! Play some WOW or LoL.Chances are this can last awhile, so now is the time! And beating the shit out of bad guys feels good!
8. Write letters to your friends.
Writing letters is wonderful. It is an alternative to Facebook Messaging. But there is always some part of my that loves the handwritten letter. It feels like there is a lot more love and thought in them. So send a letter to a pen pal or loved one. Chances are they'll appreciate the effort.
9. Read
Self explanatory. Reading is a great way to pass time. read comics, articles, books, novels. HECK write your own! It is a great way to kill time!
There is so much more you can do besides these things
During the lockdown, there is a lot you can do. But these are the best choices in my opinion. What else can you do in these times? Let me know in the comments! That's all I have to say for now, though! Stay safe, Wash Your Hands, and Stay the fuck home. Love you all! Hopefully everything goes back to normal soon!
- ArwenStarsong
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AuthorArwenStarsong is a singer, songwriter, lyricist, Youtuber, and multi- instrumentalist from Fresno, California. She is an enthusiast of the metal genre, and a lover of poetry, art, and writing. She also livestreams video games for fun sometimes. She is an artist of the Symphonic/ Power metal genre that is beginning to bud in the community. She recently helped found a new Symphonic Power Metal band called Sun Lay Silent. Archives
September 2020
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