On Thursday, 26 March 2020, when President Cyril Ramaphosa pronounced on the State of Disaster and the National Lock down, it catapulted me into an immediate state of anxiety and uncertainty.
As a Freelance Photographer / Videographer, my livelihood is dependent on agencies, production companies, corporates etc. to secure my services in order to sustain myself. The lock down impacted everyone and necessitated businesses to reorganise, including me, since everyone was postponing and canceling shoots due to the lock down, I had to think of options to bring some positivity to my dire situation.
Photography became my place of solace. It gave me an outlet in which to express my emotions and created a space for me to escape my reality. This space of redefinition instilled me with purpose and served as a compass during these dark times. It prompted me to turn the lens inwards; to ask the hard and uncomfortable questions that I’ve been avoiding and allowed me to pen my thoughts, like a daily journal entry.
I’m constantly amazed at how so many possibilities can be created from challenging times and experiences. In the words of Anton Chekhov “If you want to work on your art, work on your life”. This Lock down period has given me a moment to do curious, soul searching work on my life, to work on my art and to experience my art, which gave birth to this series.
I present to you my redefinition of Lock down through the selected journal entries below.
