Wow. Covid-19 sure lit the world on fire these past few weeks. I no longer subscribe to time as a construct and I have no idea what day of the week it is.

And yet everyone in the socially distant world seems to be working their creative asses off! Let’s break this down…

I can’t open Instagram right now without being bombarded with posts from people who i know mean so well, but are stressing me the fuck out. Write your screenplay! Film scenes every day! Make your art and share it! Get on camera! Do a face-mask and write a one act play! Oh and here is my corona fitness plan for you too!

I’m exhausted. Yes, this is the most downtime I have ever had in my adult life and if you live in one of the states that has recently enacted a “Safer At Home” or “Shelter At Home” policy, you may not be sure when this will end. It’s all super scary and up in the air. And if you’re like most of us reading this, your financial situation may also be completely unknown. Most actors I know do not have a “work from home” option. I, for one, filed for unemployment last week (apparently with 70,000 other people). This is a LOT at once and we have never experienced something like this in our lifetime.

I just want to be the person who tells you this: it is completely fucking ok if you don’t want to do anything right now. Yes. I said it. Some days, you just need to survive. I understand the need to be productive and also the want to prove to others we are doing as much (the concept IG is based on I think…). But if everywhere you turn, you are being told you’re not doing enough during a fucking pandemic, this is a problem for me.

I would bet money (if I had any right now lol) that you have organically found ways to fill your time. And as an artist, I would also bet that you have done creative things, perhaps without even knowing it. Journaling? Doodling? Posting to your social media? Cooking something just based on what was left on the shelves? This is creation. This is organic. And it fucking counts. For example, I did not intend to write this today. It was never on my to do list. And yet, here I am, writing an article for you. Boom. Creativity.

And listen, I get it. People are craving normalcy right now. Someone posting a listicle of things you can do to “maintain your work as an actor” or “be productive in quarantine” is done with the BEST intentions, hell I had planned to do something like that as well! But the mass productions of such posts are creating an epic amount of pressure to be doing doing doing. I mean you guys, Hollywood has actually shut down and yet we have still found a way to give ourselves actor-fomo.

Do what you need to do to get by. Make to-do lists to feel stable, write if it makes you happy, read lines with a friend if it gives you connection. But please. If you feel overwhelmed by the state of the world, the health of your family and friends, and whatever the fuck is going to happen in the next 2-3 months or even years…please take at least a little time to do nothing. I promise you won’t fall behind. I promise you’re not being lazy. And I also promise we will still be creative, amazing, and productive humans at the end of this.