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Hello again!
We're back, we're still in lockdown and we're still finding ways to make it more appealing than sitting, worrying and constantly refreshing the news, so welcome to this edition of the Weave Team Lockdown Rundown!
With many of us are spending a bit more downtime than we might usually, we thought this was a good time to share our experiences so far, and maybe start a conversation about what we're all doing to seek Stability at home and Sanctuary from the worries in the headlines.
Read on below to find out how we're getting by:
Clare
Stability:
Tending to my many little green friends - plants, not aliens- has given me a great sense of calm and focus this week. Seeing new little buds and leaves appear, as I do my best to nurture them, offers a little bit of hope. Even at times when I have left it a bit too long to water them, they seem to fight to grow - resilient wee beautiful things!
Sanctuary:
I’ve been having my own one-man silent disco on my daily park walks over the last few days. Tunes blasting in my headphones, I can’t resist the urge to inject a bit of *pizzazz* into my walk! Channeling the wiggle of Prince and the strut of Beyonce, I’ve been bouncing through the snaking paths of Balgay. Next time you’re out for a (safely distanced) walk, give it a go. It feels brilliant.
Dan
Stability:
I may have said last time that I didn’t consider cooking to be a chore, nonetheless I’ve realised it deserves inclusion on the list here, not only because it needs done every day, but because it genuinely provides some of the clearest stability of any household task. The fact that Instagram is full of celebs and plebs alike sharing not just the results of but the recipes for their culinary exploits shows that none of us is alone in feeling this way. Whilst its many drawbacks are manifest, the free time that lockdown has gifted us to try new recipes, expand our gastronomic horizons or simply gorge on comfort food, is a boon to those of us who love to dine.
Sanctuary:
Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo Switch)
To anyone even passingly familiar with the Animal Crossing series, little needs to be said about the appeal of a game like this at a time like this. It would be fair to say that there are very few creative endeavours that have benefitted in any way from the pandemic sweeping the globe. The release of the new Animal Crossing may prove the exception to the rule; after all, who wouldn’t want to escape the current state of things and start a new life on a deserted island? With a small but loveable supporting cast of anthropomorphic animals and a raft of activities to participate in and create, this is a terrific way to pass the time / ignore the real world entirely.
Susie
Stability:
The process of turning my new flat into a place that feels like home has been my focus over the past two weeks. Each room went through the satisfying process of changing from a box and bag filled mess to being a (mostly) organised space where books are on shelfs and even the batteries and safety pins have their own little home! It isn’t perfect yet but it’s a work in progress that has been making me feel a lot more grounded when everything else seems so uncertain.
Sanctuary:
Micarah Tewers YouTube Channel
On the 10th March I watched a video on YouTube titled “I MADE ARIANA GRANDE’S GRAMMYS DRESS”. I remember clicking on it not because I was interested in Ariana Grande’s dress or recreating it for myself but because I was lying in my bed feeling sorry for myself and I had been aimlessly clicking on YouTube videos for the past few hours. Most of the videos I didn’t bother watching until the end however this one seemed different from the rest.
It opened with a woman, Micarah Tewers, sitting on the floor of a very tiny kitchen reciting multiple ‘why?’ questions that her viewers may be wanting to know, including “Why is there a ‘Y’ at the beginning of the name Yvonne?” then ends it with “Today I’m not going to answer any of those questions.” After that captivating opening she then explains she will be trying to make Ariana Grande’s “tulle monstrosity” that she wore to the Grammy’s and also explains that she lives in a 30ft RV.
This video, and all of Micarah’s other videos are MEANT to be sewing tutorials, and they are, I think, but they are also so much more. Her videos are fun and genuine yet also amazingly chaotic. They do show you how make fabulous outfits but also feature a tutorial for ‘wedding crashing 101’, an emotional funeral for her rat and a test to see if her 2008 Prius can float in water (SPOILER: It can’t).
Micarah’s videos are so incredibly charming and watchable because they don’t have that signature professional and polished feel that so many YouTube videos have nowadays. Micarah doesn’t take life too seriously and it reminds us that we shouldn’t either. Since the 10th March I have watched all 44 of Micarah’s YouTube videos and I highly recommend that you watch them too.
