We have become increasingly vocal about the predicaments and complications that social distancing and self-isolation (especially in the midst of a government lockdown) present to our livelihoods.
But amidst the uncertainty and the increasing self-preservation mentality sweeping the capital, our emotional transparency has bred collective support from the creative community, increasingly revealed online. We’ve curated several mass support efforts for freelancers and individuals on zero-hour contracts that are circulating via Instagram:
#ArtistSupportPledge
https://www.instagram.com/p/B91GFFYlYWy/
Founded by UK artist Matthew Burrows (@matthewburrowsstudio) in an attempt to alleviate some of the burden on artists that have found themselves without work, teaching, technical support, gallery work, exhibitions and sales. The idea is to post images of your work to sell for no more than £200, not including shipping. Anyone can then buy the work. Once £1000 of worth sales is reached, you pledge to buy another artist’s work for £200. This initiative has been promoted by the likes of London queer photography duo Heather Glazzard (@heather_glazard) and Nora Nord (@noranordfromnorway).
Tori West Happy Hour at 5 pm
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9_5PU0gKVz/
BRICKS Magazine editor, queer and Welsh advocate and part-time cleaner Tori West is doing Instagram live talks inviting talent on to chat and beat the isolation. She has featured anonymous creatives in Paris who spoke about the lockdown there, and a few days ago hosted Joshua James Small (@joshuajsmall), who spoke about life under lockdown as a fashion designer and sitting at home in isolation with his mum. Organised vis-a-vis chats via social media can massively combat feelings of anxiety and depression associated with loneliness, especially when listeners are able to contribute to the wider conversation and get a sense of how others are coping with similar situations, and obtain advice as to how to cope with their own.
Temporary Income Protection Fund for Freelancers
Dear Prime Minister, we are writing to you as a collective group of organisations representing the UK’s five million self-employed and freelance workers, regarding the support available to them during the coronavirus crisis.
An open letter (instigated by Creative Industries Federation and IPSE) direct to the Prime Minister requesting the implementation of an employment support package specifically for the self-employed as a part of the government’s upcoming economic package. This initiative is a direct appeal to the masses to help influence government policy, and has been signed by Arts Council Wales, Association of British Orchestras, British Fashion Council, Independent Publishers Guild, and York UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts, amongst others, and is under heavy promotion by fashion designer and illustrator Charles Jeffrey (@charlesjeffrey). Individual signatures can be added and are encouraged.
Boiler Room Live Series
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-J8xOqhHr5/
Amid the pandemic, underground and independent musicians have confronted the precariousness of their craft. Boiler Room (@boilerroomtv) has started a new live series under lockdown and isolation, which will broadcast from artists’ homes and private spaces. Each show gives the opportunity to donate with funds going to a different cause each week, and those who are able are encouraged to give what they can to the vulnerable — for example, what might be spent on a night out. Boiler Room is taking suggestions for initiatives and charities in the chatroom, where they will also be sharing other causes to support.
The CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund (CVFF)
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Ho_TCnpcF/
Spearheaded by Vogue in collaboration with the CFDA, the CVFF was launched in 2003 in response to the 9/11 tragedy and how the crisis especially impacted emerging talent. The 2020 CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund has been repurposed into a fundraiser to aid fashion businesses most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This new fundraising and storytelling initiative, called “A Common Thread,” seeks to raise both awareness and needed funds for those in the American fashion community who have been impacted by COVID-19. Donors can support the fund by texting THREAD to 44-321 (USA only). Applications for funding will be available on CFDA.com from Wednesday, April 8th.
Whitehall and City Hall COVID-19 Support for Business and Employees
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9_yZEMgMJV/
Fashion Roundtable (@fashionroundtable) has offered support in a myriad of ways, including compiling a checklist of support for all businesses and employees from Whitehall and the UK Government. FR representatives have been back and forth with the UK government and City Hall asking for clear support for fashion freelancers, self-employed and small businesses, have tabled parliamentary questions and have been speaking to relevant policy leads at Whitehall to push for the sector’s financial security. They have also generated a template letter for individuals to send to their MP to push for help for all freelancers and self-employed, linked on their Instagram profile. And lastly, they’re hosting weekly Fashion Roundtable x COVID-19 support webinars every Friday to answer questions regarding COVID-19, what they are doing, and what you could do.
Please reference these if you find yourself struggling or are in a position to give back. Likewise please feel free to contact nicole@whynow.co.uk with any updates on new initiatives, as the individual effort count is growing every day. Here at whynow, we believe the world needs more good news.
