It has been a strange last couple of weeks/months, having to stay at home during work and on weekends, and leaving the house only for necessary purchases. It’s been challenging having to plan my shopping trips to be once every two weeks, and to mainly get delivery for meals and other necessities. What has probably crossed each of our minds are: am I being productive enough? Am I staying healthy?
I guess we need to figure out our balance and the reason or motivation behind why we are doing what we are doing. Are we doing this because of the pressure to prove ourselves during quarantine? Because we are ashamed that we haven’t completed a big project or mastered a new skill by now? Or are we doing this simply because we truly enjoy learning this new skill? Have we been wanting to try out this new hobby anyway, now that we are spending more time at home?
At the beginning of the quarantine, my main focus was mainly to pursue a career change, and I felt frustrated that there haven’t been many opportunities available due to the coronavirus. However, with lots of different types of classes available online, I have found it exciting to be able to learn new skills, some of which have been very therapeutic, fulfilling, and potentially helpful in my career goals. So far, I have taken classes in things I would not have made time for prior to the quarantine; I have taken classes in productivity/goal setting, meditation/yoga, calligraphy, digital illustration, and watercolor. In addition, I have been writing more and watching TED Talks, and actively setting intentions for the day and adjusting my goals as I go, and making sure to not judge myself if I didn’t accomplish everything for the day. While I still struggle every day to stay motivated and to reframe my thinking to be more positive, I know I need to be patient and to not expect too much too soon in my journey of self discovery. Anything I’m doing right now is for personal development, and not for anyone else.
I will leave you with this. You are not alone in what you are feeling. You don’t have to be productive. You don’t have to do anything at all. You have the right to pursue whatever project you set your mind to, as long as it aligns with your personal goals. You also have the right to take breaks and come back and reassess, or just do nothing. With so much uncertainty in the world, what matters is that you stay safe, stop the self-judgment, practice mindfulness and self-compassion, ask for help, and stay connected with others.
Anyway, enough of my spiel. I wanted to end with a quick recap for March 2020 before the quarantine! Here are a few shoutouts!
1) Pepper Lunch (Alhambra, CA)
My only media tasting for March before the quarantine was my visit to Pepper Lunch! I love their menu and options, from their steak items to their curry items! I am grateful that they invited us to help promote their menu. We got the Ribeye Steak, Seafood Pepper Rice, Onion Rings, and Sweet Potato Wedges. What I’m grateful for is that restaurants like Pepper Lunch and others are still open for takeout or delivery, so be sure to support local businesses!
Other Spring 2020 collaborations:
Just before the pandemic began, I had the opportunity to photograph the offerings at Kitchen United Mix. The businesses whose food I got to photograph were: Mama Musubi, Equelecua Cuban Vegan Cafe, Bad Mutha Clucka, Freiburger, TokyoRiso, and Roris' Artisanal Creamery.
I was able to do some product photography for Phoros Nutrition, so they can promote their new Keto Pancake Mix. I created three different versions of the pancakes for the product shots!
Suncore Foods sent me a box full of fan favorites. I have admired their Instagram page for a while, and their recipes were so inspiring! In the box I got Goji Berries (dried wolfberries), Cacao Nibs (pure cacao beans), White Pitaya Dragon Fruit Chips, Quinoa Snow Flakes, and Pink Pitaya (supercolor powder). I decided to utilize all five ingredients and incorporate them into a smoothie. Check out the recipe and more photos here!