Show Your Work (From Home)

According to my calculations, it’s day 3,359,094 into the Pandemic. Yet when possible, we push forward and create art, music, prose, sculpture, poetry, and so forth. Colder months are ahead, so I’ve been rethinking how I can show my work from the safety and comfort of my home.

Fortunately, the digital age offers limitless tools to display our creative output. From social media platforms to streaming services, here are a few ideas to share your work (from home).

Literary Artists: Virtual Readings

Writers have shifted digitally by hosting readings on Zoom or YouTube Live. And you can do the same!

Visual Artists: Exhibitions

While some museums are hosting “soft-reopenings,” it’s unclear how long art spaces will remain open during the colder months. Instead, artists have taken advantage of social media, most notably on Instagram. Indigenous artist Steven Paul Judd gives us a behind-the-scenes look.

Singers, Musicians, Dancers, & Thespians: The Stage

Alas, Instagram is a treasure chest full of talented performers. Here are a few examples of virtual performances.

THEATRE

DANCE

MUSIC

^Filmed at an empty bar, so not really from home.

Hot Tips for Hot Messes

• Plan how you will show your work virtually, especially during winter, as the Pandemic might resurge. Whether it's hosting a reading or filming a performance, just make sure your plan has a beginning, middle, and end.

• Start small. Post to one social media platform or by filming one performance. Once you understand the scope of the production, then you can decide next steps. But just remember your virtual plan needs to have a beginning, middle, and end.

• Go cheap. You don’t need to produce a big budget performance. Do a behind-the-scenes look into your work. Or just film yourself practicing your craft.

Learn More

Read my post Creating Successful Streaming Content and read similar posts in the ‘Show Your Work’ category of Wellness-ish-ness.

Lastly, here's a final tip about camera switching from Austin Kleon (who inspired Wellness-ish-ness).

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Wellness-ish-ness is a blog for creative hot messes by D.A. Navoti. Read his bio and find him on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.