This animation was created in May during the COVID-19 Stay Home Stay Safe order as a way to make visual the reality that we are each having our own pandemic experience. It evolved from a graphic I created to try and make sense of the many different contributing factors, posted below and written about here.

A month later, the dynamics that are influencing our lives have become even more complex and diverse. I guarantee that each person reading this has different elements influencing your day to day reality than I do. Could a similar lens apply for the virus of racism and White Supremacy Culture that is also threatening lives (for over 400 years and still now)? What would the map look like if in the center it said, “We are each having our own racialized experience?“

We are living with so much right now, a global pandemic, economic collapse, an uprising/revolution, and authoritarian/fascism trying to take over (and more).

We must be clear that people are living very different realities right now. Let’s allow expectations to shift. Let’s be mindful of when time for rest, reflection, and restoration is necessary… When someone’s brain just isn’t going to to be able to do “business as usual”, no matter how much they or you would like it to. Let’s be mindful that what seems clear and obvious from one perspective can be wildly different from someone living a very different reality right now.

Reflect on what’s influencing your experience

Here’s an activity:

• Save this image or print it out (at the bottom of the page too).
• Color it in with 3 different colors
  • 1 color for areas where you feel secure, nourished, grateful
  • 1 color for areas that are challenging, potentially stressful, but not overwhelming
  • 1 color for very stressful areas or areas where you feel a lot of grief
• Add additional influences that are affecting your life but missing on this visual
• Share aspects of your image with family, colleagues, people who care about you and are part of your daily life.

“Getting specific about where my pain and anxiety are has been a helpful first step in relieving some of that pain. Seeing it all laid out this way makes it easier to understand why I’m so overwhelmed and teary all the time.

I recommend you try “mapping out your own pandemic.” It’s helping me to experience gratitude for the green spaces and have more compassion for myself in the yellow spaces.” ~ Marsha Davis

Here are 2 more personalized images from Tuesday Feral and KJ Schroer.

Thank you for bringing this project to life.

Gratitude to Timothy Corey from Colibri Facilitation for the idea and artistry to animate these thoughts. Thank you Dave Hamilton from Hamilton Media Designs for the original music.

Thank you to Heather Laine Talley, Beth Trigg, and Dwight Mullen for contributing ideas to the visual map and thanks to Cole Parke and Marsha Davis for suggestions on how to engage it. I hope it’s a useful tool for you and those in your circles.