Well, now. life has certainly taken a strange turn for just about all of us, hasn’t it? It’s hard to know exactly what to do, how to adapt and what to expect in coming days, weeks, even months. But what’s really an inspiration is seeing how people step up and pull together even in a climate of “Social Distancing”.
Some in our immediate Maker community have tried to respond to some of the more pressing needs and shortages by trying to figure out how to make things like masks and hand sanitizer. We’re working on that – it wasn’t easy finding the supplies, but through our connections and sources in the industrial supply area we were able to locate isopropyl alcohol and aloe vera, the two main ingredients, and they’re on order and due to arrive shortly. We got some bottles ordered, and have our Letterpress Studio setting type for labels. We’re putting a plan together to work collaboratively, but separately, to make a few gallons of the mix and bottle it, then get it into the hands of those who need it most. That should happen this weekend, with any luck.
A larger worldwide group has stepped up to try to address the needs of the medical community by forming, first, a Facebook group called Open Source COVID19 Medical Supplies, and then putting together resources on Google. They just posted a pretty impressive guide for anyone who would like to help, here. They even got written up in Newsweek: The Futuristic Solutions the Internet Is Crowdsourcing to Cure Coronavirus.
Closer to home, Tia Cole and her friends started up a Facebook Group called Lynn MA Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, providing a central clearing house for information and resources for Lynn and surrounding communities. Just so you know, Tia is a maker, a force of nature in the Lynn arts and cultural community here in Lynn, as well as on our Board of Directors.
We’ve seen a huge explosion of work building community and simple, basic expression and creativity. From free online concerts and performances to group networking, to photo, painting and “making” projects. While it’s hard to really understand the impact, our community’s answer to “What can I do?” is simply, “What we’ve always done!” Create, communicate, build community and tell our stories!
We’ve enjoyed everything from Scarlett, sharing her Banana Smoothie recipe, right up there in the tradition of Julia Child:
…to poet Carolyn Harvey reading her powerful piece about creating, the work of artists and poets, and the people who support what we all do:
As far as our activities at The Brickyard Collaborative, in many ways it’s business as usual – we’re open 24/7, but only to members and rarely have more than a handful of folks in at any time. We’ll cancel our usual Saturday “Open Hours” where the public can get a tour for the time being. We’ve cancelled our classes and our Repair Café for the time being, and will keep updates coming.
We’re trying to get stuff made and distributed that can help our local community to deal with these times and their stresses, so we’re just doing what we do best… finding and making solutions!
Please reach out if you’d like to help, and take a good look at the resources linked above. Use common sense, stay safe and healthy and keep on keepin’ on!