It’s certainly an interesting read going through the rest of the classes favourite observations, particularly looking at how each of us have adjusted to, embraced or circumvented the restrictions imposed on us by COVID. Without a doubt the situation we’ve found ourselves in makes the task of finding something new to write about twice weekly seem a little overbearing at times – so it’s somewhat refreshing and inspiring to see such a variety of writing from the rest of the studio members. Each of us seems to have found our own ways of working through the restrictions and in doing so there seems to be a great variety in tonality and voicing in everyone’s pieces. Some have opted as I have for observing the space around them, others their families and pets, and many the strangers they come across. I suspect once this class is complete, the body of work we’ve created could end up being a really interesting documentation of this abundantly strange time that we’re living through.
Despite all this though, I’ve personally really felt the weight of trying to work around the lock down restrictions. Going into this second batch of observations I definitely felt like I was running short on ideas for observations, but as of yet I’ve managed to scrape by I think. Although looking forward once again to the next batch, I’m once again uncertain of where I’ll find inspiration this time – though I’m sure it’ll come somehow. If anything these restrictions have forced me and likely everyone else to be more creative and more minimal in our approach to observational writing. I’d even argue that by removing the possibility for any kind of grand sweeping observations of society and human activity, it may be forcing us to get really to the core of what these observations are supposed to be about, or at least what I think this class is about – which is noticing, observing and appreciating our surroundings and the people that occupy them.