The Slow Return to Normal-ish
The headlines this year have not been tough to follow. I don't need to recap them for you. I try to limit my news consumption to the evenings, right before I sleep, you know, for maximum depression. It's easy to look around at the news of the day and lose faith. But when I step back and look at the people I'm fortunate enough to know in my life, it brings balance.
Gathered outside of one of the sites with the team from Flint Collective NYC as we prepared to install one of their several sites across the East Village.
I think about how we've all struggled and adapted to the new circumstances 2020 has brought our way. The photos we snapped of our new home office setups, the zoom calls interrupted by our kids, the way we all watched Tiger King (why did we watch that?) We baked bread and worried about toilet paper and sterilized things. We emailed and called and zoomed and zoomed and zoomed to try and keep up with each other. We've had virtual product presentations, virtual lunch-and-learns, and virtual meetings.
But as summer gives way to fall, we're figuring out the next phase. While there are promising reports on vaccine development, we'll be muddling through this phase of our recovery into next year, it seems. What I see around me are a lot of resilient people doing their best. I see great teachers working to make online learning engaging. I see kids doing their best with hybrid learning from home. I see businesses on the streets of Manhattan and in the suburbs fighting to stay open. I see mask-clad New Yorkers, grabbing lunch on the sidewalk and heading into meetings.
There are real struggles, and it hasn't been easy. But as we adapt and keep working, we keep finding new ways to push forward. We're making art in the neighborhoods we love. We're doing mockups, we're showing up.
There's a word that keeps popping up in the vernacular - hybrid.
Hybrid school
Hybrid work
Hybrid learning
It's meant, of course, to describe the new way we're working. Kids are going to school 2-3 days a week and learning remotely for the balance. Workers are heading into the office part-time to catch up and collaborate, then working from home the rest of the time. For what we do, it's imperative to see the light in person, with our eyes, cameras just won't do.
While we might not be ready to get back to work as normal. We can return normal-ish. With LEDucation going virtual, and no other trade events happening in the area through the end of the year, it's time to think about how we can keep your designs fresh with new products and options. Whether that means booking a hybrid presentation, home delivery of a sample, or a zoom call, I'm here to keep you going.
